Update II (9/20): Interesting HuffPo piece on how “black Republicans” are reacting to leading candidate no-shows at the Morgan State debate. Notice the surprising and refreshing absence of “African American” in the article. Considering that HuffPo is a leftist publication, I’m quite PLEASED! Is this a trend? I hope so. Remove “African American” from the lexicon!
Update (9/19): OK. I’m going anyway, thanks to a couple of cool readers. Here’s a great idea: I can turn this into a story and get students’ reactions to Republicans in their midst. Has the debate changed or confirmed their opinions about Republicans, that kind of thing. And Ron Paul’s people saw this post, e-mailed, and encouraged me to come. I’ll be there!
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I’m supposed to live-blog the PBS Republican presidential debate next week at Morgan State University, a black college in Baltimore, Maryland. The top three men (from my perspective) won’t be there, citing scheduling conflicts. (Source)
As expected, debate moderator Tavis Smiley (and the liberal Huffington Post) sees racial undertones: “There is a pattern here. When you tell every black and brown request that you get throughout the primary process that ‘no, there’s a scheduling problem.’ That’s a pattern… Are we really supposed to believe that all four of these guys couldn’t make it because of scheduling?”
I truly believe that Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and John McCain can’t make it because of scheduling conflicts. I’m hopelessly naïve, I guess. 
If Thompson, Giuliani, and Romney aren’t going, I wonder if there’s any point in my going. I mean, traveling to Baltimore to hear Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul going at it? I’m interested in Thompson and Romney, and I want the opportunity to meet each man and ask a few questions. I like Congressman Tom Tancredo, and if the planets align and he gets the Republican nomination, he’s got my vote. But he’s too pro-immigration enforcement for the party. And I’ve met him before and don’t have a burning desire to go all the way to Baltimore to talk to him again.
I live-blogged the Democratic presidential debate at Howard University a few months ago and was pleased to see some of the candidates (and Smiley) chatting up the bloggers afterward. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama apparently had better things to do because they didn’t make an appearance in the press area.
Conservative bloggers, if you’re interested in live-blogging the Republican presidential debate on September 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll pass your name to the credentialing decision-maker.
Update: Just to clear up confusion, I’m disappointed not because the leading candidates declined the black college debate invitation. Couldn’t care less about that. This is about me. I was invited to attend the debate as a credentialed blogger, and I want the leading candidates to show up, regardless of the venue. I’m willing to go all the way to Baltimore (anywhere outside the Beltway seems far away to me) to live-blog only if Thompson and Romney are among the debaters.
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