Cynthia McKinney at Cornell

Cornell Daily Sun ^ | 12/1/03 | Elliott Marton Reed

[Elliott Reed]

The McKinney Questions

By ELLIOTT MARTON REED

Imagine walking past M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y on Ho Plaza, asking "Hi. Isn't the weather great here?" Her response: "Yes. Bush did steal the election, because as MLK said… so in conclusion, I always fought for blacks in Florida while in Congress." As the second person to pose questions at her "What Kind of America" speech on Nov. 19, I swear this is basically all her standard response entails.

Don't professors answer questions in good faith? Real ones do. If I were a less reserved and conservative individual, I would have attended Cynthia M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y's events carrying a sign stating "Bring Professors, not Politicians" or maybe yell "Hey, hey ho, ho M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y doesn't know [anything about intellectual discourse or professorial obligation]." Or maybe, "I have no intention of supporting any program at Cornell until the University demonstrates that it is more interested in academic excellence rather than [sic] some lame attempt at recreating the 1960s." (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1009563/posts)

Shouldn't even honorary professors present cogent lectures that inform those in attendance? Real ones do. Yet, M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y went so far as to change her anticipated lecture topic of women in the military to a discussion of American politics to legitimate her presence. She pandered to the crowd and danced around questions like a dancer in a Tupac video. Tupac and "hip-hop summits" had something to do with my question on terrorist contributions to her campaign, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, and how, in her view, a president might take affirmative efforts towards peace. I give her the benefit of the doubt and take what some friends suggested as a generous concession: M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y does mediocre at small events, but if the events are large she degenerates into a politician from an alleged intellectual. M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y had the benefit of the intellectual doubt and then disregarded our generosity.

Our suspicions that M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y would be sub par have been confirmed. Look at the Congressional Record, by the way, and look for debate on the "Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001." As a note for any Pilger events or future M-c-K-i-n-n-e-y events: four people and 20 minutes may be a bit much to introduce a speaker who has light academic credentials and couldn't -- as an incumbent, mind you -- secure her own party's nomination or re-election. Does someone with questionable academic credentials and a losing record deserve praise? A faculty moderator, a vice provost, a Mellon Scholar and a local politician came from her apparent Amen Corner.

[martin_fierro]

[Helms]

In my reading, Cornell figures prominently in the turmoil of the 60's and the Postmodernist academic movement today.
The liberals have a circuit of rewards and return of favors which winds its way thru academe, ie commencement addresses, speaking engagements, etc.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Nice picture of her.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Ithaca is the City of Evil.

[Harris]

Was it necessary to call Ms. McKinney, "ho McKinney"? Regardless of what we think of many Democrats calling them all ho's only reduces us to their level.

[Phantom Lord]

McKinney was never called a Ho in the article. Not once. Reread it.

[Elliott Reed]

It was playing on what leftists love saying, like, "Hey hey ho ho we won't fight for Texaco."

[NativeNewYorker]

Ho is the name of a place on the campus.

[Soaring Feather]

City of Evil bump!!!

Big RED dump!

[SwinneySwitch]

Ho Plaza is at Cornell.

What you're thinking is spelled w-h-o-r-e.

[backhoe]

-Jihad Cindy? McKinney won't go quietly... indeed, she may not go away at all...--

[fishbabe]

hey hey ho ho mckinney is a bimbo!!!!