Cynthia McKinney tells black women
to 'get a seat at the table'
http://blackwomenvote.blogspot.com/2008/04/cynthia-mckinney-tells-black-...

If you have never listened to a podcast online before, you absolutely must listen to the one that we had last night with Green Party Presidential Candidate, Cynthia McKinney.

(see our podcast widget on the right)

Cynthia covered a wide range of political issues that have been purposefully removed from the public's discourse by America's two major parties.

Unfortunately, many of those issues are critical to the well being of the poor and the less powerful. Major cornerstones of democracy, such as the free press, are under fire -- but you hear nary a word about it from our major parties.

I really have to listen to the podcast several times to really digest everything that was said, but my major takeaways were as follows:

* Many of us need to stop trippin and trying to play 'the gambling political numbers' game. We need to vote our conscience on the issues, period. Many Americans do not vote their moral own code -- we make unnecessary concessions. We do it because underneath it all, we don't believe that we can really get what we want. However, the people in power do not have such beliefs... they go after what they want, and they get it.
* Black women need to take our seat at the table, by any legal means necessary. We need to run for office, point blank period. We must stop looking for leadership from people who do not reflect our values. We would not have the arguments with the civil rights industrial complex or the feminist movement if we had not conceded our seat at the table to others.
* The Democrats are not interested in restoring the civil liberties that have been stripped away from the American people in the past eight years. Hold on to your hats, y'all. That CAN'T be a good sign.

My apologies to those who patiently waited on the phone and never got through. The switchboard jammed due to the high call volume, and we couldn't get it back up and running properly. I had really hoped to let everyone get the chance to comment or ask their questions on the show.

What are your thoughts on Ms. McKinney's statements? Is there anything that you disagreed with? Do you think that a mass "defection" to the Green Party would assist disenchanted black women, or would it be a catastrophic mistake?