Republicans have long attributed their electoral position in Black America to an unfortunate confluence of misunderstandings, liberal media bias, and Black civil rights leaders that "control" the thought processes of Black voters and instruct them to be supplicants to the Democratic Party. If only Republicans could speak directly to Black voters without the media filter, they contend, Black voters would see that the GOP has a platform that speaks to Black empowerment. Indeed, the argument goes, once Black voters hear the Republicans speak to them unfiltered, then it is only a matter of time before the GOP begins to win substantial Black support. There's only one problem with that argument as it relates to the 2008 Republican presidential nomination fight: Republican candidates are willfully missing an unfiltered, unedited opportunity to speak directly to African Americans. Their snubbing of minority groups is more evidence that it is not serious about winning Black and Brown votes.
The Public Broadcasting Service announced on February 8, 2007 that it would broadcast two live presidential candidate forums to be moderated by Tavis Smiley, the host of a talk show on the network. According to the February announcement, the forums were conceived in the wake of the release of Smiley's book the Covenant with Black America, which speaks to 10 of the most significant issues facing Black America. Upon the book's publication, the national committees of both major parties pledged that their respective presidential candidates would address the issues raised in the book.
While every Democratic presidential candidate found their way to D.C. for the June forum, it appears that the Republican candidates can't get their GPS to direct them to Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland for the GOP candidate's forum scheduled for September 27. It appears that none of the "top tier" candidates will participate. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Senator John McCain, and former Senator Fred Thompson have declined invitations to participate.
There is an awful lot of time between early February and late September, so it's implausible that the Republican candidates were booked when the forum was announced. The GOP absences from a forum that targets voters they claim to covet can only be seen as proof that their talk and deeds on winning Black votes are moving in opposite directions.
Sadly, this is standard operating procedure for the Republicans and outreach to minority constituencies. Most major GOP candidates have declined invitations to address the NAACP and the Urban League, as well as appear at a forum televised by Univision. Univision canceled its forum because of the abysmal Republican response (only Senator John McCain accepted the invitation) This strategy is insane when you consider that many of the issues that are raised at these events would also be raised in "majority" settings as well. It's also arrogant, as it suggests that some voters are unworthy of addressing.
Yes, the Republicans are in trouble with Black Americans and struggling with Hispanic Americans. However, thumbing your nose so publicly at these constituencies is politically stupid and represents yet another in the long list of examples that show the GOP is not serious about winning minority voters. Demographic trends suggest that position will hurt the party in the long run.
Michael K. Fauntroy is an assistant professor of public policy at George Mason University and author of the recently published book Republicans and the Black Vote. He blogs at www.MichaelFauntroy.com.