Top GOP
Hopefuls Shun
Forum At
Morgan State

          (Taylor Media Services) The front running candidates for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination were noticeably absent from a presidential forum sponsored by Black author and television talk-show host Tavis Smiley. Several of the second-tier Republicans agreed to attend the September 27th event at Morgan State University in Baltimore but former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain declined to participate.
         

    The Morgan forum was similar to one aired live by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) on June 28th which featured the Democratic Party presidential contenders. All the Democrats participated in the forum at Howard University. The Republican snub of “Covenant with Black America” author Smiley is though to reflect the Republican belief that the party stands little chance of winning any significant number of Black votes regardless of the nominee.
        However, Blacks are not the only ones being snubbed by the leading Republicans. Univision—a Hispanic-oriented television network—is reporting the top GOP contenders (except John McCain) have also declined to participate in a presidential forum oriented at Hispanic voters. The forum at Morgan State was broadcast live over PBS stations.