2008 Woodie Awards
Green Party presidential candidate speaks to Rohnert Park community
Jessica Anderson
Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: News
Cynthia McKinney, a former, six-term Congresswoman and presidential candidate for the Green Party, held a town-hall style forum in Rohnert Park last Thurs. March 13 at the Holy Family Episcopal Church.
Fifty to sixty people attended the event, in which McKinney spoke to the audience and answered individual questions.
While McKinney mingled with attendees, local artist and Vietnam veteran Peter Tracy performed his brand of political, folk music, along with his band the Left Coast Troubadours. The trio performed several songs, including the audience favorite, "Support the Troops", in which Tracy sings, "I've heard the same bullshit since I was in Vietnam / support the troops / this is how / bring 'em home right now."
Upon taking the microphone, McKinney joked with the audience.
"Thanks for getting out here tonight. You could've been at home, watching CNN and learning all about…umm…" said McKinney sarcastically, when an audience member called out, "Spitzer!"-referring to former New York governor Eliot Spitzer who resigned amidst controversy last week-sending the room into laughter.
This brand of heckling towards government and national media continued throughout the duration of McKinney's hour-long meeting, and seemed well received by the audience.
She also offered the audience several narratives about her father-a police officer in Georgia during racially tense times, who went on to serve for 30 years as a Congressman.
"Watching him, I learned a lot about the spirit of the fight," said McKinney.
And few would argue that McKinney is a fighter. As a Congresswoman, she challenged the norm from day one, refusing to wear a dress and instead wearing slacks.
From there, she developed a reputation for bluntly addressing controversial issues. In 2005, she famously flustered Donald Rumsfeld by asking him about military games that were taking place on the morning of 9/11, and in 2006 she introduced articles of impeachment against George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice.
Fifty to sixty people attended the event, in which McKinney spoke to the audience and answered individual questions.
While McKinney mingled with attendees, local artist and Vietnam veteran Peter Tracy performed his brand of political, folk music, along with his band the Left Coast Troubadours. The trio performed several songs, including the audience favorite, "Support the Troops", in which Tracy sings, "I've heard the same bullshit since I was in Vietnam / support the troops / this is how / bring 'em home right now."
Upon taking the microphone, McKinney joked with the audience.
"Thanks for getting out here tonight. You could've been at home, watching CNN and learning all about…umm…" said McKinney sarcastically, when an audience member called out, "Spitzer!"-referring to former New York governor Eliot Spitzer who resigned amidst controversy last week-sending the room into laughter.
This brand of heckling towards government and national media continued throughout the duration of McKinney's hour-long meeting, and seemed well received by the audience.
She also offered the audience several narratives about her father-a police officer in Georgia during racially tense times, who went on to serve for 30 years as a Congressman.
"Watching him, I learned a lot about the spirit of the fight," said McKinney.
And few would argue that McKinney is a fighter. As a Congresswoman, she challenged the norm from day one, refusing to wear a dress and instead wearing slacks.
From there, she developed a reputation for bluntly addressing controversial issues. In 2005, she famously flustered Donald Rumsfeld by asking him about military games that were taking place on the morning of 9/11, and in 2006 she introduced articles of impeachment against George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice.
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