SC NAACP forum -- only CMB, Al, and John Edwards attending

[AP]

...

Only three of the 10 Democratic hopefuls - Carol Moseley Braun, Al Sharpton and John Edwards - have accepted invitations to attend a round-table discussion on minority issues in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 10. A day earlier, all the candidates will be on the opposite end of the country at a Democratic presidential debate in Phoenix.
"They realize black people want to see, touch and feel their candidate and know that the candidate knows something about them," state chapter president James Gallman said of candidates attending the forum. "I think maybe the others need to understand that a little bit more."

Gallman said he was disappointed that the candidates could not adjust their schedules for an event in a state where blacks could make up the majority of voters in the Democrats' first-in-the-South primary Feb. 3.
...

Brian Hardwick, Lieberman's deputy campaign manager, said the Connecticut senator will speak at the convention but not at the forum because of his observance of the Jewish sabbath.

http://www.newsobserver.com/nc24hour/ncnews/story/2918635p-2682578c.html

[CMT]

1. I'm disappointed that Dean will not make it

I know they have a debate the night before and he spoke at the National convention of the NAACP, but I think this is one event he should by all means try to attend.

[AP]

2. If Edwards has a huge, insurmountable lead, and/or if Edwards and Clark

are the only people with a chance there, maybe the other candidates believe there are better uses for their time? Especially if they don't have messages which resonate with black voters.

Clark's probably making the biggest mistake by not going.

[Kahuna]

3. They should all go. But you're right. Clark really NEEDS to go.

He cannot afford to miss this since Edwards is his competition for the southern vote.

[w4rma]

21. Update:"…they say former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is trying to work it in"

…
Now convention organizers say Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Reps. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and Dennis Kucinich of Ohio will attend. And they say former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is trying to work it in.
…
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/6950426.htm

[gottaB]

4. While technically true, I think the headline's misleading

Because Lieberman will actually attend the convention. His excuse for missing the forum is solid.

What are the others thinking? Even if they are disadvantaged in the South, the Party needs to get out the vote. Working with the NAACP is part of that effort.

I sure hope they're not being all peevish against Mfume because of his criticisms over the Florida convention. If that's it, they need to bury the the hatchet now. People are starting to pay attention. We need them to vote.

[GreenInNC]

5. SC NAACP meeting in NC

What people may be missing is why the SC NAACP is meeting here in Charlotte, NC. There is still a boycott of SC going on because of the Confederate flag issue. I think it would make a hell of a statement if all the presidential hopefulls showed up for the forum and used it as a platform to denounce the state government of SC.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AP]

13. What's outmoded about the NAACP? Perhaps you didn't notice,

but Gore won the popular vote in FL because of the efforts of the NAACP and people like Jesse Jackson.

Everybody agrees that Democrats generally can't win elections unless, as Tavis Smiley said to Gray Davis today, the black and brown vote shows up.

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgDate=6-Oct-2003&prgId=14

[gottaB]

14. Hey, subject line troll--

you broke form.

[dorktv]

16. Hey now...the NAACP does good work.

[LuminousX]

6. Dean and the South

I'm disappointed Dean won't be there. He needs to get himself in front of more minority audiences to see if his message truly will resonate with them instead of simply being confident it will.

[Rose Siding]

7. Tell him

I wrote the campaign

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=FeedbackIssues&JServSessionIdr001=h0dt6u5ps1.app196a

[surfermaw]

19. Does Dean understand the South

I posted this one time but it isn't showing up..so I will try again/

Dose he under stand the South, it appears to me that Dean will need Edwards or Gep on the ticket, I think Edwards, he understand the south and they understand Edwards, It should be clear to all Southerners, that what is good for the Black man in the South is good for all southerners.

[LuminousX]

8. I did...

I let him know, but the 10th is only a few days away, I can't imagine he'll be able to work it into his schedule at this point.

[catforclark2004]

9. Clark holds Town Hall meeting at historically black school on Sunday, 10/

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/story_Arkansas.php?storyid=43705

Clark lets positions be known
BY PAUL BARTON

Posted on Monday, October 6, 2003

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark of Little Rock said Sunday it is time to reopen the cases of death-row inmates across the country and use new technologies to help determine whether the convictions were just.

Clark made the comment while engaging in questions and answers with a crowd of more than 350 at Philander Smith College, a historically black school in Little Rock.

[gottaB]

10. Sounds like he favors the IPA-- more on capital punishment

From the Article you cited:

On capital punishment, Clark told the crowd at the event, organized by the Arkansas Black Legislative Caucus, "I’m very uneasy about the death penalty."

He called for "unpacking all those cases" to see if death sentences were wrongly applied.

Clark said he is concerned by mounting evidence that legal mistakes are often prevalent in capital sentences. But Clark said that he believes government should retain the right to apply the death penalty in clear and compelling cases. He cited the possible capture of Osama bin Laden as such a case.

Info on the other candidates' positions

1. Quick and dirty Chart from Deathpeanalty.org

2. Texas Moratorium has good page with some flushing out. (Nothing on Clark, btw. Email them your quotes, Clarkies.)

[Rose Siding]

12. Of course all of them have made

appearences before African American audiences- Dean met activists in the LA and DC inner cities last week but this is different.

The traditional base needs to see firm commitment. Their decisions not to attend undercut outreach programs- in Dean's campaign anyway, imo. There should at least be a statement about the decision not to attend.

[TheDonkey]

15. Good for those 3!!! The others should try to be as active

in courting the NAACP a solid Democratic voter block.

[bread_and_roses]

17. I am very disappointed

in those not attending. What can they be thinking?

[gottaB]

18. <<UPDATE>>

Gephardt and Kucinich to attend. Possibly Dean.

Here's the latest.

[Rose Siding]

22. Excellent!

Glad to hear it. Thanks for posting that link.

[OHdem10]

20. When will Democrats wake up-- this is why Davis floundering

Sometimes I wonder about our party leaders. Gray Davis is perfect
example of what happens when you diss your base. Yes the Republicans made a dirty power grab but Davis has lost his base and has had to spend all this time wooing them back. If he had aintained good relationships with all the base groups and activists there would have been a firey uproar the minute the Republicans started. Yes, I pray Davis pulls this thing off today but I also
hope he learns a lesson. In S.C the majoity of Dems are Black
so if you wish to win you would think our candidates would go there.
Are we playing that old game--afraid to upset Republicans. If I have misjudged, Iam sorry but I am sick of this "fearfulness" in our party. I am a white woman who grew up in the south. Everybody in the south is not a RW gun-totin-bible-thumpin jerk. This is second instance of our party getting crosswise with NAACP. What are they thinking?? Perception becomes reality.