Invitation Declined

Invitation Declined

Be sure to check out the All-American Presidential Forum spotlighting the G.O.P. presidential candidates tomorrow night on PBS. Organized by talk-show host Tavis Smiley and former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, this debate may be most notable for who chooses not to show up. It’s been widely reported that the four Republican frontrunners including Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Fred Thompson have respectfully declined the invitation to participate. They’ve all claimed prior commitments. Republican stalwarts like Newt Gingrich and the H.I.I.C (Head Idiot In Charge) George W. Bush have cautioned that this isn’t a smart move. G.W. even went on to suggest that the G.O.P. candidates ignore Black voters at their own peril.

The Democratic candidates all took advantage of Smiley’s first presidential forum and tomorrow evening we have the rare opportunity to really hear from the candidates who often get little to no face time in their run for the nomination.

But really, is this news to us? In August, Univisión’s Republican presidential debate had to be cancelled because only one of the contenders agreed to participate. Recent history shows the G.O.P. has offered little more than cursory interest in the nation’s communities of color and let’s be clear; the Democratic Party often takes the black vote for granted. Often we’re forced to choose between the lesser of two evils.