GOP Presidential Canidates to Minorities: No thanks, your not going to vote for us anyway!
Silly Silly GOP Candidates.
It seems that the front runners, Guiliani, Thompson, Romney, and McCain have declined the invitation to debate at Morgan State University. Why, do you ask? Well, some analysts are saying this:
“There’s no group that actually votes in the Republican primary that is going to hold it against these guys for either A, not courting the black vote, or B, not showing up at Morgan State,” said Donald F. Norris, chairman of the department of public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
“And there’s everything to lose by showing up,” Norris said. Participating could give the impression that they are sacrificing conservative tenets, which might “very well hurt you with some elements of the Republican base.”
And what, pray tell are these tenants? Making sure those pesky colored people know their place? To me, a “Half breed” if you will, this smacks of a few things that boils down to subtle racism/classism. I understand that the reasons given for not attending the debate were “scheduling conflicts” but for all front runners to have the same conflicts? Things that make you go Hmmm…
So what is the real reason the four guys didn’t want to show up? Could it be that minorities might be disproportionately poor and might utilize social services more often? Do they believe that the tenants of Conservative views are simply lost to these people? I betcha it’s because they didn’t have that black friend yet.
It’s silly to cast aside an entire group of people simply because you believe that “They aren’t going to vote for you anyway.” This might not be what these guys are really saying, but it’s a strong message to the Minority community: We don’t care about issues surrounding your lives and your community. I mean, just look at the state of the City of New Orleans….
In light of the recent upsurge in racial tensions, I would think that these candidates would welcome an invitation to build a bridge and begin a process of cultivating a potential minority voter. For instance, if these guys really believe that the black/minority vote is not worth courting, then they should revisit the numbers of Black and Hispanic people who voted Republican simply because of issues such as Gay Marriage and Abortion. These issues are central to many deeply religious blacks & Hispanics, as they often oppose both in line with their religious views. If the conservative tenants could potentially help a poor minority, sell it to them like they sold the social issues. Tell them how their fiscally conservative ideals could help move a poor person into a working member of their “Ownership Society”.
*pauses for laughter*
Okay okay. I know. I know. That last line was a real zinger, wasn’t it?
Anyway, it’s clear that these white men are disconnected from the issues that plague minority communities. They aren’t even going to openly share their views, explain their stances and how these can help minority communities. Without starting to court these votes early, the line might as well be “They aren’t going to vote for us anyway!”
These guys don’t even want to bother trying. What are they afraid of?
