Should not be a surprise, according to her Wiki bio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayle_McLaughlin
On November 2, 2004, McLaughlin was elected to the city council of Richmond, California, on the Green Party ticket. She has been involved with the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), a non-partisan liberal group in western Contra Costa County, composed mostly of Green Party members, as well as left-leaning and progressive independents and Democrats.
McLaughlin was born into a working class union family. She is the middle child of five daughters born to a unionized carpenter and a housewife.
During the 1980s, McLaughlin was an activist with the Central American solidarity movement and a steering committee member of CISPES (Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador). She also played an active role in the North Star Network, a national networking effort to unite progressives, and in coalition-building efforts with Rainbow/PUSH.
McLaughlin graduated summa cum laude from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. She continued her education with two years of graduate study in psychology at Rhode Island College, with additional graduate study in education at U.C. Berkeley Extension.
McLaughlin has worked as a postal clerk, teacher, caregiver for the elderly, and tutor/clinician for children with learning disabilities. She has also worked in the capacity of support staff for various not-for-profit health and educational organizations.[citation needed]
According to published reports, McLaughlin filed for bankruptcy in 2003 to avoid paying more than $100,000 in student loans and other forms of debt.
She’s probably the highest-ranking elected Green Party politician in America. Particularly in California, the Greens are what we call “watermelons”: Environmentalist Green on the outside, but Marxist Red on the inside.
I was under the impression than bankruptcy didn’t get you out of student loans?
I wasn't aware that student loans could be claimed in bankruptcy filings.
"McLaughlin graduated summa cum laude from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. She continued her education with two years of graduate study in psychology at Rhode Island College, with additional graduate study in education at U.C. Berkeley Extension."
Leading up to:
" McLaughlin has worked as a postal clerk, teacher, caregiver for the elderly, and tutor/clinician for children with learning disabilities. She has also worked in the capacity of support staff for various not-for-profit health and educational organizations.
And then:
" According to published reports, McLaughlin filed for bankruptcy in 2003 to avoid paying more than $100,000 in student loans and other forms of debt. "
Surprising that Barry hasn't tapped her to be Czar of something or another...