It seems like Tavis Smiley’s calling out of the GOP frontrunners for skipping a PBS debate at majority-black Morgan State University might have been a tipping point for a Republican party that needs every vote in can get in hopes of hanging on to some power in Washington.

When it was revealed that Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson would all be skipping the PBS debate, GOP stalwarts begin voicing their concerns.  Let’s face it, Tavis Smiley has a long reach.  In addition to his PBS show’s audience, his discontent made the pages of USA Today and he went on the Tonight Show and, in front of a national, majority-white audience,  basically blasted the GOP for idisrepecting minority voters.  Even worse, this was not an isolated incident.  Earlier this summer, all but one candidated, Tom Tancreado, skipped the NAACP Republican forum and Spanish-language network Univision had to cancel their GOP candidates forum when only John McCain agreed to show.

Like I said, this is not a good look for people who claim to want minority votes.

So, over the last few days, some leading Republican figures has spoken out about the shortsightedness of GOP presidential contenders in not courting minority voters. Recently, on Good Morning America, Newt Gingrich felt these candidates where making a huge mistake because “African-Americans have been hurt more by the failures of government” than any other group and he felt that these candidates might be able to show voters that they offer a viable alternative.

The last black Republican to serve in the House, JC Watts, had stronger words:

“I think the best that comes out of stupid decisions like this is that African-Americans might say, ‘Was it because of my skin color?’ Now, maybe it wasn’t, but African-Americans do say, ‘It crossed my mind.’”

He also went on to say the following:

“You kind of scratch your head thinking why are they making decisions like that?” Watts said. He speculated the candidates don’t have any African-American staffers who “could say to them, ‘You’re making a huge mistake strategically by not at least reaching out and talking to this demographic.’”

At any rate, they can count on not getting my vote, yet again.  Republicans b*tch, whine, moan and complain about not getting black support but then pull stunts like these.  They should realize it’s not the black faces at polling places that are the problems — it’s the white faces they see in their mirrors that are the real problem.

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