http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21022957/

“I’m embarrassed for our party, and I’m embarrassed for those who did not come,” said Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. “Because there’s long been a divide in this country. And it doesn’t get better when we don’t show up.”

Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas began by saying: “I think this is a disgrace that they’re not here. I think it’s a disgrace for our country, I think it’s bad for our party, and I don’t think it’s good for our future.”

“You know,” he said, “you grow political parties by expanding your base, by reaching out to people and getting more people. What they’re doing is sending a message of narrowing the base.” Representative Duncan Hunter of California said.

Troll Vitalogy:

Where does it say that?

It's there, I read that to.

Deane, you're smarter than that. Rudy, Mitt, McCain, and Freddie-boy didn't bother to show up because they don't believe minoritiy issues matter to them. Otherwise, they would have been there.

Minorities in the US are growing. Do you think it's good policy to ignore them? Will this garner votes for the GOP from minorities?

What minority issues, are you talking about special treatment for minorities?

They are discussing the seemingly uncaring nature of the Republican front runners towards the minority voters.

Now, you're asking some legitimate questions.

I think minority issues are as important to Republicans as they are Democrats. The thing to remember is that these minority events most often turn into bitch sessions and grandstanding against whitey. Who needs it?

Frankly, I think from a presidential standpoint, the issues that concern minorities should be the same as the issues concerning everyone else. Why are we segregating them. Why are they segregating themselves. I thought we got rid of segregation.

Is not the war, the economy, healthcare, jobs the same issues for everyone, or are you saying we have two Americas, one for the whites, one for the minorities. I'm confused.

>>>"They are discussing the seemingly uncaring nature of the Republican front runners towards the minority voters."

You mean they were supposed to show up and pay homage to the minorities. No candidates of any party have shown up in my neighborhood to listen to me bitch. What a bunch of crap.

What issues could they have? Minorities have the exact same rights and responsibilities as everyone else.

or are you talking about special rights they want?

That's somewhat of a racist attitude Deane to assume that because minorities are there that it will be a bitch session against whitey. Minority issues matter to minorities! Just like farming issues matter to farmers, and city issues matter to city dwellers. And by having the top four candiates for president snub the debate, what is that saying about them and the GOP in general? With the amount of campaigning going on, I would think any candidate would WANT to be there to earn more votes. Apparantly the front runners believe they don't need the minority vote to win, or they're too chickenshit to show up and answer their questions. Either way, it looks pretty lame from my standpoint.

Nwokie, you're an ignorant and racist fool.

Whatever.

Deane, that's the best you can do? "Whatever"?? No wonder your party is going down the tubes.

*Ignore* ON

I would rather have them ditch the event than pander. And I think no matter how they would have performed, it would have looked like pandering. Because it would have been. That's why they didn't show up. Because they know they don't have much of a platform that can be tweeked for a group like that.

Of course, I would rather they show up and NOT pander. But I honestly think that is not a skill set that they have. And by snuffing the event, they were about as honest as we are going to get from them on this matter.

And it is duly noted.

Oh no, I got called a name!
But you didnt contradict my statement. Name one area that minorites dont have the same rights as everyone else.

>>>"Name one area that minorites dont have the same rights as everyone else."

Name one area where they don't have more while you're at it.

Where they have more rights, oh thats easy, minorites can get into most universities with lower SAT scores. Affirmative action programs get a lot of minorities hired before better qualified non minority candidates.

It's not about "rights" it's about issues.

And don't tell me the GOP doesn't "pander" when they attend an NRA gathering. Candidates pander every single day. Clearly minority issues don't matter to the GOP, but then again, that's kind a known issue anyway.

>>>"Clearly minority issues don't matter to the GOP"

Your proof?

Gun rights affect everyone, quality education affects everyone, taxes affect everyone, jobs affect everyone, exactly what issues do minoritues have, that dont affect everyone?

Call me what you want, I bet I've hired more blacks, hispanics and gays than anyone on this board.

Here's how Democrat John Edwards views one minority issue:

“We cannot build enough prisons to solve this problem. And the idea that we can keep incarcerating and keep incarcerating — pretty soon we’re not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They’re all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two.”

Now, what is it the government should do about this problem?

Change the laws, so what their doing isn't a crime? Don't arrest young black men.

And its a stupid statement, the military has lots, higher than national average, young black men, and their doing an outstanding job.

Edwards is just a racist pandering for black votes.

Various voter statistics that show blacks overwhelmingly vote Democrat is proof enough that the GOP is not doing enough to win their votes, so it's not a stretch to say that minority issues probably don't matter much to the GOP.

What Edwards says it true.

At year end 2005 there were 3,145 black male sentenced prison inmates per 100,000 black males in the United States, compared to 1,244 Hispanic male inmates per 100,000 Hispanic males and 471 white male inmates per 100,000 white males.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htm

So, by your statistics, beople that vote democratic are more likely to break the law?

Those statistics don't say that. They say more blacks are in jail per capita and nothing more. Good try though.

But your statistics show blacks overwhelmingly vote democratic and are more likely to be convicted.

Unless your implying blacks are improperly convicted, are you saying there should be a lower standard for blacks, so they won't be convicted as often?

Maybe you cant have a system where a black defendant can't be tried, until after a white one is tried.

Vitalogy said - "And don't tell me the GOP doesn't "pander" when they attend an NRA gathering."

Oh we agree on that. And I know I may catch some flak for this, but I see a difference between what it takes to pander to minorities vs. what it takes to pander to The NRA. When candidtaes do it to minorities ( Clinton is the most recent example I can recall ) it's particularly embarrassing. Mostly because it's SO transparent and belittling. Most people who attend some sort of minority sponsored event would see right through it and note it as such. It has the opposite effect of the intended message; " I can relate to you and your concerns."

Members attending an NRA function have no such filter or radar. They eat it up. It get's them excited when they are pandered to. It truly energizes them. They eat it up and thrive on it.