Posted on 06/23/2002 6:54:00 AM PDT by mhking
Arab-American dollars shore up McKinney
By MELANIE EVERSLEY Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- The relationship that Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) shares with Arab-Americans runs deeper than her call for more attention to the Palestinian side of the Middle Eastern conflict.
The DeKalb County congresswoman's connections stretch significantly into the pockets and purses of the Arab-American and Muslim communities.
About one-fourth of the individuals who have contributed to McKinney's campaigns over the past five years have names that appear to be Arab-American or Muslim, according to an informal study of Federal Election Commission records.
Their contributions total $142,950, a full third of the money McKinney has collected from individuals over the last five years, a review of government records by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicates.
Arab-American leaders, including some who believe their community has been singled out for persecution since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, say the explanation for their generosity is simple: McKinney is a longtime supporter.
Their concerns are particularly pertinent in the wake of regulations proposed by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to require certain foreign visitors, particularly those of Middle Eastern and Muslim descent, to submit to more extensive border security checks.
Arab-American leaders say McKinney has spoken in their defense when other members of Congress would not. They appreciate that she has lamented the quality of life that Palestinians in the Middle East suffer.
"McKinney has addressed our conventions more than once. She has received standing ovations. She has brought tears to people's eyes more than once," said Hussein Ibish, spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
The contributions are a sizable chunk of McKinney's campaign bank account, especially when compared with those of other members of Congress. For instance, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), whose district includes part of the largest Arab-American community in the nation, took in $21,525 from individual contributors with names that appear to be Arab-American or Muslim, according to the AJC study. That amount equals not quite 3 percent of Dingell's $835,893 in campaign contributions over the five-year period..
McKinney's list of donors includes some of the top leaders in the national Arab-American and Muslim communities. Among them are Abdurahman Alamoudi, president of the American Muslim Council, a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Washington; Clovis Maksoud, former United Nations special representative; and Ziad Asali, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, based in Washington.
"My relationships with the Arab-American and American Muslim communities are based on the belief that they, like Americans of all ethnic and religious backgrounds, are full members of the American family," McKinney said.
"As African-Americans, we understand what it's like to have our values, institutions and leadership berated or delegitimized," she said. "It's not enough just to speak out against hate crimes. We must also oppose the kind of stereotyping and incitement that allow violence to thrive and that are directed at Arabs and Muslims with increasing regularity in some circles."
Not everyone is happy with McKinney's relationship with some Arab-Americans. The conservative Southeastern Legal Foundation, based in Atlanta, has charged that some of her donors have pledged support for organizations engaged in terrorism.
The leader of one of the groups, the American Muslim Council, did not return a reporter's telephone call, but he has told other publications that he supports only the humanitarian efforts of the organizations in question, not terrorist attacks.
The Southeastern Legal Foundation asked House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) to strip McKinney of her assignments on the House Armed Services and House Foreign Relations committees. Gephardt has made no change.
Ties with Jews strained
McKinney's relationship with the Arab-American community goes back years. In 1991, as a member of the Georgia House, she admonished President George Bush for attacking Iraq. About two-thirds of her House colleagues angrily walked out.
Arab-American organizations have been appreciative. While there are a handful of Arab-American officeholders in Washington, including Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, those who speak out to defend Arab-Americans and explain their views are few, Ibish said.
McKinney was the only member of Congress to show up at a Washington rally in support of Arab-Americans this spring.
Over the years, she has spoken often at Arab-American charity fund-raisers and political functions, and she was a good friend of Hala Maksoud, head of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who died recently.
"She has a real understanding of our concerns and our experiences, which is quite rare for any member of Congress," Ibish said. "Also, she's got staffers who were former interns here at [the anti-discrimination committee], so there's a professional connection here as well."
At the same time, McKinney's relationship with members of the Jewish community continues to be strained. Jewish leaders were chagrined in 1996 when her father, Democratic state Rep. Billy McKinney, made anti-Semitic remarks during her re-election campaign for Congress. The congresswoman distanced herself from her father's comments, but the strain remained.
Jewish leaders also have been upset that McKinney has refused to distance herself from controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Their opinion has not changed, even when McKinney has tried to apologize for or clarify her position.
"Each time, she'll try to clean herself up but then dig herself deeper," said Deborah Lauter, the Atlanta-based Southeast regional director for the Anti-Defamation League.
Earlier this year, McKinney told a talk show host on public radio that she believes the current President Bus hand his administration might have had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks and that White House associates stood to gain from the disaster's aftermath.
"Her attacks on President Bush were a final straw," Lauter said. "They were perceived as being so off the wall -- that's really the only way I can express it -- that conjuring up a conspiracy theory, at a time when the president and all Americans are trying to deal with this crisis in a realistic way, just discredited her further."
A few weeks later, however, McKinney claimed some vindication when the administration acknowledged that federal agencies had received some hint beforehand that terrorists might attack.
The Southeastern Legal Foundation continues to say that McKinney's actions are improper. "I would say that while there's no problem with Arab-Americans donating to political candidates, the problem comes when you have got Middle Eastern organizations with ties to global terrorist organizations," said Phil Kent, foundation president.
The test for McKinney comes this summer, when she faces former state Superior Court Judge Denise Majette in the Democratic primary for the 4th District seat.
Most political observers have called McKinney's seat safe, but others think she might receive a real challenge from Majette, an African-American woman.
"It's hard to tell," Lauter said about McKinney. "If I were her, I would be more concerned about how she's perceived on the Hill with her colleagues. If anything, that's what will do it."
Joseph "Joe" A. Tucker, 73, of Decatur, retired Cynthia Van Auken, 56, of Dunwoody, homemaker
Catherine Davis, 50, Stone Mountain, homemaker
She should apply for a job at CNN. Shame! Shame on you people who voted this anti-American black activist into office.
Hey, she has often brought tears to our eyes, too, laughing/crying at her idiotic comments!
How about just anti-American activist - she hides behind her race, but I have to insist that being pro-black does not automatically make you anti-American.
Excuse me? And where the heck do you get off with that kind of mind-numbed statement? And what makes you the be-all, end-all authority???!!!!
That's exactly my point - she has her constituents snowed. She knows where her money comes from...
Hussein Ibish...hmmm...every time he opens his fat mouth on tv, my blood pressure skyrockets. Maybe this is how they plan to get us, by giving a lot of us heart attacks.
Why is it that the enemy is allowed to be on our airwaves broadcasting suppressed hate against us? We would never have allowed this in previous wars, would we? Not even during the Vietnam years did we see that.
Ibish is one of those US citizens (though born in Lebanon) who has gone over to the enemy's side, yet remains here using our resources to attack us from the inside. He is part of the thin edge of the wedge, pushing for the mainstreaming of Islam in this country.
Ibish (along with Cynthia McKinney) is a traitor to this country.
When blacks are "black" instead of just plain Americans, they have lifted themselves out of society.
Being outside of a society means not caring about all those you've left behind....those you call "the other", instead of your fellow-Amerians.
And pretty soon, one begins to hate "the other"......and pretty soon after that, one desires to harm "the other".
There is no excuse for you if you can't recogonize the FACT that that is a primarily black district,and the vast majority of the people in that district will only vote for a black candidate. Get off your high horse. You ain't fooling anybody.
Let's try it again - What makes you say that if you're black that you aren't qualified?
I will acknowledge that many black folks will only vote for a black candidate, but you still haven't given any kind of logical reason for your blatantly mind-numbing statement.
So are you saying that if a black Republican were there running against a white Democrat that the black GOP candidate is not qualified?
Now, who's truly on their high horse?
I owe you a huge apology. I just went back and read your original comment -- I missed one little word in there -- "NOT" -- which changes the entire meaning of your statement, and certainly changes my response.
In general, I've got to agree with your original statement. Unfortunately, black folks tend only to vote for black folks, when faced with a black v. white candidate. I'm hoping that the GOP runs a viable candidate, but I'm not holding my breath.
Again, my deepest apologies; I know I came off pretty harsh in my first reply to you.
Unfortunately, you're right. But from what I've seen of McKinney, overall, she doesn't give a damn about poor folks in south DeKalb County, even though the bulk of her base is from there.
That's the point that needs to be made to her constituants. Her loony remarkes and blatant anti-Americanism has HARMED her area. The people in congress are distancing themselves from her as fast as possible. Her ability to "bring home the bacon" is nil and will probably remain nil.
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