Blacks and Republicans

This entire discussion about the top GOP candidates for President opting out of the Tavis Smiley debate is being framed from the irrational perspective that by not going to this debate you are disregarding, disrespecting, or otherwise ignoring black voters.

Since when does one particular debate represent all black voters?

And it is even less rational in this particular case, because few blacks vote in the Republican primaries, and those that do don't need a "black debate" to get their information. The ever-unsensible Tavis Smiley demonstrated his disconnect with reality thusly:

... the question for me, Pat is, what do voters of color who happen to be Republican do until the general [election]? They're supposed to be ignored all the way through this? There are black and brown Republicans.

Um ... they do the same thing everyone else does: they watch the many debates, read the web sites, watch the news. Why do they need the candidates to show up to this particular debate? It's so illogical to me I don't even understand what point he is trying to make, other than "hey look at me, I have righteous anger!"

I know lots of black and brown Republicans and independents. Not a single one of them, as best I can tell, have ever said "if only this or that candidate showed up to a forum specifically for black or brown people, then maybe I could get the information I need about that candidate."

And one more point: why does anyone take Huckabee or Brownback seriously when they say they are "embarrassed" that the other candidates didn't show up? Does anyone actually believe they believe that? They were almost surely happy about it, because it gave them more TV time, and a free opening to take a pot shot.

The real reason they didn't show up to this debate was the same reason they didn't show up to the Values Voters Debate: showing up won't help them, and not showing up won't hurt them. It's that simple.