Why are The GOP No Shows for Minority debate forums?

Question

They turned down the invitation to the Logo debate. They refused to go to the Hispanic Presidential debate forum.... Now, they are saying no to Blacks.

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.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.
"For Republicans to consistently refuse to engage in front of an African American or Latino audience is an enormous error," said former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), who has not yet ruled out a White House run himself.

"I hope they will reverse their decision and change their schedules. I see no excuse -- this thing has been planned for months, these candidates have known about it for months. It's just fundamentally wrong. Any of them who give you that scheduling-conflict answer are disingenuous. That's baloney."

Answer 1

They can safely blow off the Black debate because they know that even before poverty started rising again under Bush--they weren't going to get enough Black votes to matter. Too much bad blood bewteen Blacks and the Corporations and Blacks and the KKK types that are the loudest voices on the Religious Right.

Blowing off the Univision Debate looks to be a recognition the Bush Amnesty Fiasco has enraged Latino Voters on both sides of the issue to the point that Republicans have no choice but to write their once solid Mexican and Cuban voters off for this election cycle. There's just nothing any Republican can say right now that won't make Latinos even angrier. Surviving Republicans will have to rebuild those bridges between 2008 and 2012.

The Republican Candidates know that to win the nomination, all of their efforts have to be directed at winning over their core constituencies of Big Business, Big Religion and White Supremacists. And then try to distance themselves from the Beloved Leader, Iraq and the White Supremacists for the General Election.

Answer 2

The primaries just ended. There is a long time left.Toomey will take Pennsylvania.Corbett will be elected Governor.The other Democrats will fall like the house of cards they are.I'm not a republican.I will be working on my Democratic congressman's campaign this fall..I never have or ever will vote straight ticket.Then again I do all the homework on the candidates.Talk about mind numbed robots.But does it really matter.The Democrats pushed the Health care Bill through even though the majority of Americans didn't want it.My Democratic congressmen voted against it because he listened to his constituents.That's the canidate I want in Washington.

Answer 3

I think they are just tired of pretending that they care about minorities. The republican party couldn't care less about minorities and I think they are tired of pretending that they do.

They do not have the black vote, and whatever sway they have with Hispanics, they are loosing so I guess they figure why bother?

Answer 4

its the rove style mentality of recent times....
the politics of division, and pandering to the base and saying screw everyone else. Its about winning, selfishness, greed not about doing the right things that are good for the country as a whole and for society as a whole.

Answer 5

What you are witnessing is a melt-down.

There are no Republicans left who are willing to pretend that they have anything to offer minorities...

The Hypocrisy has been the subject of sooo much media attention and they have recieved horrible threats and violence from their own voters....

Mitt Romneys campaign trail is just sad to watch on CSPAN... his wife has done something to her face to make her have a permanent inflexible smile... she looks like the joker.

Answer 6

Probably for the same reason the Dems skipped the Fox debate. Neither the Dems nor the GOP want tough questions, with questioners insisting on real answers, at this stage of the game

Answer 7

Minorities are such shiners and whiners. They produce a litany of Boohoos. Everything they say is slanted. Real debate is beyond them and they usually resort to physical violence and then want to blame someone or something else. Facts and figures don't work in the minority universe,reason doesn't either. Woaa-is-me mentality won't get you anywhere. Boohooooooooooooooooooooonobody likes us--don't blame us because we rob, steal,cheat, lie, and kill. Who wants to hear that sh*t. GTH

Answer 8

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401677.html

repubs make mountain out of moehill regarding NASA mistake in global warming readings.

Answer 9

I think that you answered your own question.

Answer 10

Because the GOP recognizes the minority forums are shams.