Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

Republicans Blow Another Opportunity to Reach Black
America
Expert guest post by Michael
Fauntroy

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 ten 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 cancelled it’s 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.