Cynthia McKinney & Hank Johnson Sputter to a Draw!

This is my Instant Pudding Reaction to the televised debate between Cynthia "My Boo" McKinney and Hank "The Robot" Johnson.

Tonight at 7:30pm, Cynthia McKinney finally showed up for a televised debate with challenger Hank Johnson as they prepare for the Democratic run-off election for the 4th Congressional District of Georgia. The winner of this election is almost guaranteed the winner of the general election in this overwhelmingly Democratic district.

The debate was simulcast on GPTV (Public Broadcasting) and C-SPAN. It was moderated by local Atlanta news people. If political hardball is your thing, then this was a real slugfest ... unfortunately, both politicians emerged only slightly bruised without a clear cut winner. If you are a McKinney supporter, you probably thought she won. If you are a Johnson supporter, you probably thought that he won. If you were undecided, I doubt that either candidate did anything to make you want to run out and vote on August 8th.

The robot-like Johnson jabbed continuously at McKinney's midsection with the following:

• Missing in Action: McKinney has missed a number of votes in Congress on matters that would have importance to the constituents in the 4th District.
  
• Desperation: McKinney is in a run-off election for her political life and she, in her desperation, will say or do anything!
  
• Doesn't Play With Others: Because of her shrill and bombastic manner, no one (neither Democrats nor Republicans) want anything to do with her and as a result, she is ineffectual in Congress.
  
• Outsiders' Money: Although, McKinney tried to portray Johnson as the recipient of lots of money from outside the state of Georgia, she basically conceded that the bulk of the money she has received for her campaign came from states like New York, California, and Nevada.

The bubbly McKinney counterpunched Johnson's flank with the following pablum:

• Tax Liens & Bankruptcy: Johnson admitted to some financial problems stemming from non-payment of taxes back in the 1980's, as a result he had to file for bankruptcy.
  
• Cozy with Republicans, Developers, and Landfill Operators: McKinney kept hammering away to the fact that Johnson has seeming strong Republican support, with campaign contributions from a former Republican Gubernatorial Candidate and large business owners; in addition, she kept punching away about him being cozy with "developers" and "landfill operators" who do business with DeKalb County.
  
• Too Quiet: McKinney speaks "Truth to Power" and she claims that Hank Johnson will go to Washington and keep his mouth shut, since he is going to be a lackey for the Republicans-in-Charge.
  
• Overdevelopment in DeKalb County: On Hank's watch, there was a massive sewage spill and a big water main break just last week in DeKalb County. Ms. McKinney attributed these problems to Hank Johnson being cozy with the Developers and allowing them to overdevelop the county

Each delivered some nice punches, but neither had the sustained coordinated effort needed to build the momentum for a knockout punch (it was like watching two bantam weights flail at each other for 3 rounds and then have the referee call it a draw). Each stayed firmly entrenched in their 3 or 4 talking points and rehearsed responses. The moderators couldn't even get much of a rise out of McKinney for her Capitol Hill incident (which Johnson never followed up on - it obviously wasn't on his notes). And no one can get a rise out of the robotic Hank Johnson, his responses were always monotoned, short on details, and replete with George W. Bush-like sound bites (maybe he is cozy with Republican speech writers).

Well, I already voted (last week)... and there was nothing offered tonight that would've made me switch my vote to Cynthia McKinney. In my opinion, they sputtered to a draw.

Cynthia McKinney to Debate Hank Johnson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Cynthia McKinney has agreed to participate in a debate with Hank Johnson for the Fourth District Congressional Democratic Run-off Election that is scheduled for August 8, 2006.

The article states, "We’ve gotten word from the Atlanta Press Club that all candidates in the statewide, televised run-off debates the group will host on GPTV have confirmed their attendance.

For those still suffering from Election Night hangovers, the key word in the above sentence is “all.” As in, even Cynthia McKinney. She missed a couple in the primary, but apparently has re-prioritized."

plez sez: My, my, my! What a difference a poor showing in the Primary Election and an erosion of your political base will do to you. Just two weeks ago, Ms. McKinney was too confident that she would win the primary election outright, so she blew off all political debates and forums that included her two primary challengers. But when it was clear that there is so much Anti-McKinney Sentiment in the Fourth Congressional District, Ms. McKinney knows that she is in a fight for her political life.

She limped back into Congress when her last serious contender (Denise Majette, who beat her handily in the 2002 Primary Election) decided to run for the U.S. Senate. If she looses her grip on the Fourth again, she may as well move to Clayton County where those voters may be more inclined to warm to her particular brand of "loud-mouth-do-nothing" representation that has marred her 12 years of Washington, D.C. occupation.

I'm not that concerned about the outcome of the debate on Monday, July 31st: Cynthia McKinney will undoubtedly look like a buffoon who needs to start packing her assortment of hot combs that currently sit in her in Washington, D.c. office, and Hank Johnson will come off as a cool and staid, yet competent, alternative to the McKinney Sideshow we've been unfortunate to witness for the past 12 years. My only hope is that the voters return to the polls on August 8th and send a clear message that Ms. McKinney's brand of politics (and behavior) is deemed unacceptable by the constituents of Georgia's Fourth Congressional District.

BLOG UPDATE (July 31, 2006): The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a new poll shows Hank Johnson with a 2-to-1 lead over incumbent Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic run-off for the 4th District Congressional race.

Free Post

It's been awhile since I've been able (or had the inclination) to blog with frequency: I have a new job, I have been traveling every week, and my weekends are not my own. But I'm still here and I'll continue to post on occasion. When my current project eases up a bit, you may see me post more often.

I would love to hear from my blog buddies, so drop an update in the Comments.

I did come across an interesting website today: "Abolish the "N" Word"

I found the site to be interesting... well, the opening salvo is very eye-opening and gives one pause. I have resolved that I will no longer use the "N" word, but the site appears to have some factual inaccuracies (about the origin of the word "nigger", when it entered the lexicon of American English, and when we started referring to it as the "N" word). Be that as it may, I may even purchase a pack of cards and pass them around.