Cynthia McKinney on Talk of the Nation

Cynthia McKinney, the first African-American woman to represent Georgia in the House of Representatives, is now the Green Party's candidate for the 2008 presidential election. She discusses the Green platform and her plans if elected.

McKinney was a Representative from Georgia's 11th Congressional District from 1993-2003 and Georgia's 4th District from 2005-2007.

Cynthia McKinney on Talk of the Nation

Let's get this party started

One of the strangest quirks of political theater is when two traditional enemies overlap. The unlikliest of bedfellows can be made when one ideology finds common footing with its adversary. For instance, I've noticed an echo of "Paul/Kucinich" ricocheting through the congested tubes of the internets, but these two men couldn't be more different. Ron "Dr. No" Paul, a libertarian almost to the point of religious devotion, and Dennis "Sea Biscuit" Kucinich, a Euro-style socialist, appear to have nothing in common except the mutual hatred of their respective parties.

What unites them in our minds?

There's something that scares members of their parties, causing these men to be openly mocked by the bought-and-paid-for tier of the campaign. It is exactly this division which concerns me, and millions of other voters who feel voiceless in an ocean of disinformation. Let's try and discover what characteristics make "Paul/Kucinich" a perfect political marriage then call for their secession and the creation of a third, viable party, one a socialist and libertarian can inhabit without contradiction. How would such a party behave? Is there a way to construct a "big tent" of this size and thrive?

Although integrity and honesty are two obvious points of contact, there's something deeper underscoring their candidacies. Ron Paul has been principled in beating back the oppressive forces of big government and Dennis Kucinich has made it his mission to slay the dragons of corporate domination. But to what end? The answer is, simply put, equality. Not equality for the wealthy but for the other 99% of the population, you know, the majority! Funny thing about democracies, typically leaders are compelled to listen to majorities, but I guess we're more sophisticated than that. It would be the primary goal of this new party to promote equality, the yardstick by which all legislation will be measured.

The biggest way this new party would differ from the two others would be in the wallet. If you want to "summer" in Fiji on BP's dollar this party is not for you. All funds will come from public donations (not lobbyists) who care about the party. This way the only group holding sway would be the public. For the duration of this country's existence our leaders have been selected from a rather shallow pool of candidates namely the cultured class. As much fun as these adventures in meritocracy have been one of the aims of our new party would be to demolish this restriction, opening up the political arena to anybody of merit. Man or woman. Jew or gentile. Black or white. Gay or straight. Town hall meetings would be held all across the nation, even during non-election years, and would be open to everybody who cares to join and inject their perspective. Everyone has equal chance of getting the party's nomination, regardless of economic status, and after demonstrating their exceptionalness would receive full monetary support.

Because of the party's inclusiveness plenty of internal debates could be expected. This would strengthen, not weaken, its potency. As compared to the artificial, often arbitrary, boundaries drawn between the established parties, our platform wouldn't need to conform to any one ideology - just what's best for the equality of Americans. This is how a Ron Paul and a Dennis Kucinich would move in concert.

Underrepresented Americans would no longer be pressured into choosing between a false dichotomy. With each issue we could form our own conclusions and make them known to our representatives who would be empathetic to our concerns as our elected officials would surface from our ranks. The media would be expected to give our new party equal opportunity to tell its story and ample chance to elucidate the dishonesty of the two corporate blocs. It is time to enact a tricameral party structure composed of Republicans, Democrats and Equalitarians, and to finally realize the promise of equality made by our founding fathers two hundred thirty-one years ago.

If you're mad as hell and refuse to take it anymore turn your back on the Republicans and Democrats and proclaim yourself an Equalitarian.