NBC: GOP no-shows at minority forum called 'a disgrace'
NBC reported on Friday that the four Republican presidential frontrunners -- Giuliani, Romney, Thompson, and McCain -- are "getting a little grief" for skipping a forum on minority issues.
Six other candidates did show up for the debate at a historically-black university and were quick to criticize the no-shows, with Sen. Sam Brownback calling it "a disgrace" and Gov. Mike Huckabee referring to "a divide in this country."
All four frontrunners blamed scheduling conflicts, with Giuliani saying dismissively, "No matter how demanding somebody might be about their particular thing, you've just got to say, well, you know, this next week is devoted to fund-raising."
This is not the first minority forum that Republican candidates have ducked. Michael Fauntroy, author of Republicans and the Black Vote, told NBC, "It's the sort of thing that they may be able to benefit from during the primaries, but when the general election rolls around, they're all going to pay a price for this."
Tavis Smiley, who moderated the debate, commented, "In the most multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-ethnic America ever, no one ... ought to be elected president if they think that along the way they can ignore voters of color."
Tim Russert added that, "What has been remarkable about this are the things Republicans are saying. ... This is a very serious issue."
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently discussed the pitfalls of Republican dependence on stereotypically bigoted white Southern voters, writing, "Since the days of Gerald Ford, just about every Republican presidential campaign has included some symbolic gesture of approval for good old-fashioned racism. ... Racism, though not gone, is greatly diminished: both opinion polls and daily experience suggest that we are truly becoming a more tolerant, open society. And the cynicism of the 'Southern strategy' introduced by Richard Nixon, which delivered decades of political victories to Republicans, is now starting to look like a trap for the G.O.P."
"Last night is a watershed moment in how the Republican Party and its nominee moves forward," concluded Smiley. That old so-called 'Southern Strategy' -- that dog just won't hunt any more in America."
The following video is from NBC's Today, broadcast on September 28.
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