David Corn Online
 

September 19, 2007

Blacks and Latinos Need Not Invite

Looks as if the Republican Party really cares about reaching out to black and Latino voters. From the front-page of today's Washington Post:

Debate No-Shows Worry GOP Leaders
Candidates Are Urged to Attend Forums Sponsored by Minorities

Key Republican leaders are encouraging the party's presidential candidates to rethink their decision to skip presidential debates focusing on issues important to minorities, fearing a backlash that could further erode the party's standing with black and Latino voters.

The leading contenders for the Republican nomination have indicated they will not attend the "All American Presidential Forum" organized by black talk show host Tavis Smiley, scheduled for Sept. 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore and airing on PBS. Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former senator Fred D. Thompson (Tenn.) and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) all cited scheduling conflicts in forgoing the debate. The top Democratic contenders attended a similar event in June at Howard University.

"We sound like we don't want immigration; we sound like we don't want black people to vote for us," said former congressman Jack Kemp (N.Y.), who was the GOP vice presidential nominee in 1996. "What are we going to do -- meet in a country club in the suburbs one day? If we're going to be competitive with people of color, we've got to ask them for their vote."

Making matters worse, some Republicans believe, is that the decision to bypass the Morgan State forum comes after all top GOP candidates save McCain declined invitations this month to a debate on Univision, the most-watched Hispanic television network in the United States. The event was eventually postponed.

And....

Senators Block D.C. Vote Bill, Delivering Possibly Fatal Blow

Republican lawmakers yesterday blocked the Senate from taking up the D.C. vote bill, a potentially fatal setback for the District's most promising effort in years to get a full member of Congress.

The vote was on a motion to simply consider the bill. Fifty-seven senators voted in favor, three short of the 60 needed to proceed. Without enough support to vault the Senate's procedural hurdles, the bill is expected to stall this year and possibly next year.

So the GOP message to minorities appears to be: we're not showing up at your events and we don't give a damn about your issues. (Don't forget how most Republican candidates and lawmakers responded to the immigration bill).

If memory serves, not too long ago a Spanish-speaking Republican governor talking compassion made some inroads--albeit slight--into the Latino and black vote. And that guy even ended up winning (so to speak) the presidency by a few hundred votes. Nowadays, no leading GOPer (Jack Kemp no longer counts) seems to give a damn about the party's relationship to these voting blocs. The Republican Senate leadership killed a bill that would give Washington, DC, a voting representative in the House (and add a representative to the Utah delegation for political balance). And the GOP presidential wannabes do not have the guts to appear for debates before black and Latino audiences. It's back to the future--and good news for Democrats looking for winning Florida and Ohio in 2008.

Posted by David Corn at September 19, 2007 10:07 AM

Comments

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)