I spent an hour or so watching some of the Brown & Black Forum from Des Moines - a presidential candidate forum focusing on minority issues. Seven of the eight Democratic candidates were there. NO REPUBLICANS. All were invited.
I don't get it. Why would you decline an opportunity to discuss minority issues on a national stage? The explanation given by the moderator was that the Republican party thinks they do not have any chance of winning the racial/ethnic minority vote in Iowa, so they didn't go.
There it is. It is about winning, not about public discourse. Not about saying to Iowa minorities, "you matter - your concerns matter - your burdens are my burdens - minority issues are issues we all must face together as one country, black, white, brown, and any shade in between".
I want a political leader who cares about all Americans, not just the wealthy whites. Don't tell me any of the Republican leaders truly cares - they weren't there.
1 comment:
I watched this forum and was just as outraged. The absence of those politicians sends a very strong message--they don't care about minorities and minority issues. Now whether that is true or not is another story, but that is the message that comes across. And if you look at Katrina, you see that message played out practically: the republican-run government didn't do such a hot job of taking care of the population affected by the hurricane--a largely minority population.
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