Top GOP contenders skipping African-American forum

[Zenlitened]

Source: The Boston Globe

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff

The decision by four top Republican presidential candidates to skip a long-planned forum next week on African-American issues has renewed a debate over whether some contenders are writing off many black voters, with some analysts suggesting the move could hurt the party's chances in 2008.

Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson have said they have fund-raising or other scheduling conflicts and will not attend the nationally televised forum in Baltimore on Sept. 27. But even some leading Republicans questioned whether the candidates are interested in addressing issues of special concern to African-Americans.

"I think it is a terrible mistake," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said in a telephone interview. "I did everything I could to convince them it was the right thing to do."

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligen...

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When Newt Gingroid is the voice of reason, you know your party is well on its way to Lunatic Fringe status!

[TheDebbieDee]

1. There can be nothing sadder than.............

an African-American republican!

[RavensChick]

12. It is sad

And by these repugs not facing blacks in a forum is no surprise to me. As an African American woman in her early 40's, I've seen so much hypocrisy by these pricks it's amazing why they managed to stay in office. Side note: anyone running for office, Dem, repug, or whatever, if they lie to Tavis Smiley, they might as well close up shop, drop out of the race, and go into hiding 'cause like a T-bone steak on the grill they will be well done!!!!

[MadMaddie]

13. Well there' s gay Rethuglicans.....but both groups are

morans...they think they part of the good ole boy club. What they haven't figured out yet is when there vote is counted they are of no use to the Retthuglicans....and when all of their rights are taken away...it will finally dawn on them.....uh...oh....

[pampango]

19. Hispanic Republicans may not be far behind.

The repubs skipped having a Spanish debate and have alienated Hispanics particularly by shooting down immigration reform this year.

[yellowcanine]

20. But Newt giving advice on minority outreach to pubbie candidates comes close.

That only Republican with less minority sensitivity is Trent Lott.

[Bake]

23. Unless maybe it's a gay Repub ...

That's pretty sad too.

Bake

[Supersedeas]

30. creepy really

[journalist3072]

2. What's even more, Fred Thompson lied to Tavis Smiley

Tavis said that before Fred Thompson officially declared his candidacy for President, Thompson told him that IF he was in the race by the time the debate came around, he would be there. He apparently told Tavis that would most like be his first debate as a declared candidate for President. And now, he's backed out.

Here's what I love though: Tavis said he is STILL going to have podiums for them...if they decide at the last minute to show up, the podiums will be there for them. If not, the all of America (especially those of us in Black America) will see those empty podiums on stage, symbolizing the cowards who want our vote, but don't feel they need to talk to us or address our issues.

[NewJeffCT]

3. Well, if the GOP is afraid to face African Americans

How can they stand up to Al Qaeda?

[Sam Ervin jret]

5. easy, they're used to seeing non-whites as enemies. As partners?Friends?Equals?

That might take time and courage. And non-whites have lost patience and apparently courage is in short supply. But if you think it's tough being non-white try being female, or heaven forbid a non-white female.

Those who would be first...

[Kool Kitty]

33. What a great question!

Dems ought to work that into a campaign slogan.

[NewJeffCT]

34. Thanks

I think somebody else thought of it first, but I've probably used it the most.

[Kool Kitty]

35. As far as I'm concerned,

it's yours. I've never heard it before.

[monmouth]

4. A major mistake on their part....Yippee!!

[LiberalFighter]

6. Too bad they couldn't have pictures of Democratic candidates

on each of the vacant podiums saying that "This Democratic attended".

[LiberalFighter]

7. By ignoring the black voters they are starting in the hole

[Thothmes]

18. In the hole

IMO that the GOP has written of the AM vote. Considering AM voting patterns over the last couple of decades, doubt that a big push by the GOP would have produced any measurable results at the polls next year. Why waste oats on a dead horse seems to be their philsophy.

[pampango]

21. One unfortunate aspect of the GOP writing off African-Americans, gays,

now Hispanics, the poor, and others is that the political debate tends to shift to the issues important to the groups that are still considered to be "in play".

If you are a Democratic candidate and there is essentially no electoral alternative for many groups, because repubs have given up on these groups, you will have to fight the tendency to tailor your campaign to appeal to those groups "in the middle" and ignoring your base and the issues important to them until it is time to "get out the vote."

It is irrational to suggest that any of these groups should ever consider voting for the GOP, but, ironically, they might get more attention paid to them and their issues, if there was a competition for their votes. Hispanics, to some extent, achieved this with Bush increasing the percentage of the Hispanic vote from under 30 to over 40. This perception of competition may have played a role in Kennedy and other Democrats proposing immigration legislation that appealed to Hispanic groups. Of course, now the repub party and its current crop of immigrant-bashing candidates have alienated Hispanics and poll lower than before Bush's push.

[Bandit]

24. It just demonstrates their absolute arrogance

That they can't even be bother to listen shows they think they know it all. It matters not whether they agree or not just that they are willing to listen. It is typical Republican arrogance. The way we deal with the entire world..

[Born Free]

8. They just don't care...

it's sad, but Katrina said it all - the majority of right wingers blamed the victims, and those right wingers are the cream of GOP base! Don't look for anything from the GOP until they pick their candidate, then he will pretend to love everyone just for the election.

[Ishoutandscream2]

9. "Right wingers blamed the victims" of Katrina. Spot on!

The Katrina victims are their (Republicans) modern day welfare queens. Unbelievable.

[Doctor_J]

10. Since most black voters' ballots won't be counted anyway, this

won't cost them much.

[ladywnch]

11. they've probably heard from KKKarl that he's assured NO no white

votes will make it through the system this time. So they don't need to concern themselves with African Americans, Latinos, Asians........it's going to be a VERY small select turn out in 08.

[UrbScotty]

14. ON ITS WAY to Lunatic Finge Status?

Like it's not already there?

[alfredo]

15. I guess "Having other commitments" is the same as "I have to wash my

hair tonight." Pretty transparent.

[Quantess]

16. It's like the GOP is saying "why bother?"

They could at least pretend to care about appealing to black voters! Oh, well.

[TankLV]

17. wow - just - wow...

Paging Alan Keyes - your photo-op is being rescheduled!!!

Paging Gorgonzola Rice...

[yardwork]

22. I guess Newt didn't get the memo - the voting machines are rigged

The Republican Party doesn't care how the votes are actually cast. They've already determined the outcome.

[momster]

25. Wash DC Voting Rights

were dropped by the Republicans as well. Not a good start, keeping hundreds of thousands disenfranchised, a goodly percentage of whom are African-American. Of course, in a city that went 90% for John Kerry, the Republicans don't have a lot of friends here anyway, but you figure they would be smart enough to avoid ticking off *both* D.C. and Utah.

[truthisfreedom]

26. It makes it easier for the rethugs to ignore the needs of different segments of our society

if they don't ever identify with them as human beings. As a whole, the new republicans seem to be suffering from a disabling case of Asperger's Syndrome, completely unaware that they're being observed and totally focused on attaining power by any means without ever demonstrating any of the real skills necessary for leadership.

[KamaAina]

28. Present-day repukes hardly resemble people with Asperger's

one characteristic of Asperger's is the so-called "little professor" syndrome, in which the person rattles off facts ad nauseam. When was the last time you heard a repuke rattle off a fact?

Indeed, there are a number of people with Asperger's right here at DU (including on this very thread ) We even have our own group:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

You sure aren't gonna find any repukes over there!!

[KamaAina]

27. They're just worried Alan Keyes would mop up the floor with them

that's all.

[Mz Pip]

29. Once again, money trumps

the people. More important to raise money than to talk to the people.

How those Black GOP shills on cable news can look at themselves in the mirror is beyond me. Ron Christie, that former Cheney aid, is particularly annoying.

Mz Pip

[Carrieyazel]

31. So they know that 90% of black voters will NEVER vote for them, but why not just show up to this one

These Repukes are shooting themselves in more ways than one.

[Carrieyazel]

32. Is Tancrapo, Blowback, DuncanHines or anyone else commited to it?

At least they have the nerve to possibly show up to the Smiley forum.

[tom_paine]

36. Well, now that the Bushies have institutionally reduced the black vote to 3/5ths

of a white vote through election fraud malfeasance both performed openly and that which has yet to be investigated and therefore, proven (but WOULD be if someone with subpeona power would look into...oh, right), the Bushies are correct in assuming pursuing the black vote is a losing proposition.

Consider:

30,000,000 or so African-American voters, which equals about 18,000,000 after "spoilage" and the many Bushie malfeasances both illegal and merely unethical practices now solified and mostly unchallenged. Would it cost the Bushies' more in White Votes (counted, especially in Bushie areas, at 100% or even 120%, I would bet) to appear to be talking to the Liberal Blacks the Bushie Minions have been conditioned to loathe like the Nazis loathed Jews (but, luckily for all of us Jews, Blacks, Liberals, Gays, and other groups despsed by Bushies and Nazis alike, the Bushies cannot yet and maybe never will get to act on these fevered fantasies)?

More than 18,000,000 counted "votes"?

You betcha.

So, as creepy and weird as it is, the Bushie Candidates are politically wise not to go after a "voting base" who's voting power has been thoroughly diminsihed and neutralized, and it appears not to matter how many extra people the Democrats register, those votes don't seem to find their way to the final tally.

Imperial Amerika makes me sick these days.

We had such a beautiful country, and we gave it away to the vilest among us to forge into a weapon of evil whose Final Pupose is still yet unknown.

[Snarkturian Clone]

37. I wonder what my boss will think about this,

He's a black republican. Talks to the president on the phone once a month.