Democratic Debate III: The Hammerin' at Howard U

The would-be Democratic presidents are meeting for the third time tonight at Howard University for a forum on minority issues. The questioners: Michel Martin, DeWayne Wickham, Ruben Navarrette, Jr. The host: Tavis Smiley.

The video feed will be here at 9 p.m. but I have a prior engagement and won't be liveblogging. I may swing back for some post-debate spin and slander. Some predictions:

- Hillary will trumpet her endorsement by David Dinkins, the greatest urban leader of the 20th Century.
- Barack Obama will talk more about his law school and community organizer days than his days (ok, months) in the Senate.
- John Edwards will try to talk about Ann Coulter before breaking down in tears.
- Bill Richardson will promise to appoint the most diverse cabinet ever-ever.
- Joe Biden will have to apologize for something around 20-25 minutes after the event.
- Dennis Kucinich will pledge to do something for minority Americans "on the first day of the Kucinich administration."
- Mike Gravel will break his vow of silence.
- Chris Dodd will be there, too.

Consider this an open thread. 

Comments

Doctor Duck | June 28, 2007, 6:16pm | #

I'd like to offer an open invitation to all candidates, to insult my intelligence.

John Edwards | June 28, 2007, 6:24pm | #

Doctor Duck, I can assure you that an Edwards administration would not insult your intelligence in any way. We would make healthcare affordable to the forgotten Americans, and we would make sure that ducks, and waterfoul of all kinds, are not discriminated against in the health care industry.

D.A. Ridgely | June 28, 2007, 6:24pm | #

Unless there's a swimsuit competition, count me out.

Cesar | June 28, 2007, 6:25pm | #

Who will pander the most?

lunchstealer | June 28, 2007, 6:28pm | #

So far, the only bumper stickers I've seen around town are Ron Paul stickers. However, I'm torn between him and Mike Gravel. Seriously, his stance on building fires and throwing rocks into lakes really mesh with my own.

J sub D | June 28, 2007, 6:29pm | #

Cesar, I predict Edwards.

lunchstealer | June 28, 2007, 6:30pm | #

David Dinkins is still alive? Of course, when he was mayor of NYC, I still wasn't sure that he wasn't a postage stamp, so what do I know?

lunchstealer | June 28, 2007, 6:30pm | #

J sub D

Seconded.

Fluffy | June 28, 2007, 7:08pm | #

Maybe Gravel will throw a stone into the still, silent waters that make up Edwards' forehead.

M | June 28, 2007, 7:14pm | #

How do you quote with a cute silver bar (.999 I hope) instead of italics? Open thread, it says, it says so right there.

highnumber | June 28, 2007, 7:31pm | #

You mean

blockquote?

highnumber | June 28, 2007, 7:39pm | #

<blockquote>How do you quote with a cute silver bar (.999 I hope) instead of italics? Open thread, it says, it says so right there.</blockquote>

will give you

How do you quote with a cute silver bar (.999 I hope) instead of italics? Open thread, it says, it says so right there.

M, grateful though puzzled by ebonic accusation | June 28, 2007, 7:46pm | #

You mean

Thanks, bro!

J sub D | June 28, 2007, 7:54pm | #

Let me convey my appreciation as well.

Cesar | June 28, 2007, 7:59pm | #

Lets all hope this is real silver and not Federal Reserve Blocks!

M (irreducibly honky) | June 28, 2007, 8:06pm | #

You mean

Oh, I get it! It's blackquote!

Randolph Carter | June 28, 2007, 9:30pm | #

Uh-oh, Joe Biden talking to and about black folk...

SIV | June 28, 2007, 9:43pm | #

Open thread?

Well I'll point out that Reason continues to ignore the erosion of liberty in America.

Louisiana has banned cockfighting.

crimethink | June 28, 2007, 10:02pm | #

"Ten years ago, whites were 70% of those arrested, while blacks were 26%. How come now only 40% of those in prison are white, while 38% are black?"

crimethink | June 28, 2007, 10:06pm | #

Looks like this whole debate is going to be about black issues. Not that those aren't important, but these fools are just going to treat it as a pandering contest.

(Before the racism hounds get here, I would say the same of a debate of Republican candidates that focused on abortion/stem cells, in which case I would be among those being pandered to.)

M | June 28, 2007, 10:20pm | #

Say, do you know the etymology of pander?

BobDobalina | June 28, 2007, 10:26pm | #

Say, do you know the etymology of pander?

A new South Park song and character,
(*tinkly music*) "Racial Discrimination ... PANDA!!"

Listening to Bill Richardson's zombie speech rhythms at Howard, all I could hear was a voice lilting, "I think / that I shall never see / a race / as lovely as a tree ... "

The fun will be watching Edwards, Clinton et al "get religion," fake a Sunday black church cadence in speech, and out-promise Obama in the racial pie and chips handout of 2008. Obama will play skin privilege claiming that Martin Luther King's dying words were "ELECT BARAK!!!"

And lastly, once someone mentions the recent Supreme Court decision on race and diversity in education, everyone will join hands and sing a chorus of "Strange Fruit" comparing some mediocre black middle class student's inability to get into Georgetown Law School with the lynching of Emmett Till ...

BobDobalina | June 28, 2007, 10:28pm | #

Dodd just used the word "barrio" which makes me think that there's a race riot going to break out between the Zoot Suits and the Crips and Bloods ...

M | June 28, 2007, 10:32pm | #

the recent Supreme Court decision on race and diversity in education

Would, oh would that 'twere in education. Alas, 'tis only in schooling.

SIV | June 28, 2007, 10:48pm | #

Damn! I missed it. Who is for reparations?

BobDobalina | June 28, 2007, 10:54pm | #

Interchangeable phrases, M. However, I think "U.S. Department of Schoolin'" has a funkier sound than "Department of Education" ...

This is turning out to be the most useless of all of the so-called "debates" held by the Dems, so far. Sadly, all you have to do is uncritically promise most black audiences just about anything under the sun---with more money----and you get a round of applause and high fives.

And I get sick of all the "crisis" histrionics and statistics that left-liberals throw about. I'm looking at a bunch of well-coiffed overweight African-Americans on PBS acting as if they are on the same socio-economic level as starving rural Ugandans that have to shit and piss in plastic grocery bags. If I believed half of the doom and gloom that the fools on stage at Howard are throwing around, I'd be living in fear that as a black male I'm going to spontaneously combust at any moment ...

Descendant of Israelite slaves to Pharoah | June 28, 2007, 10:55pm | #

Who is for reparations?

I am! I am!

Mark Twain | June 28, 2007, 10:57pm | #

Interchangeable phrases, M.

I never let my schooling interfere with my education.

The Johnny Appleseed of Crack | June 29, 2007, 12:09am | #

Open Thread? Sweet!! Your mother's a whore!!!

Randolph Carter | June 29, 2007, 12:31am | #

Best of all, Mike Gravel called everyone out on the War on Drugs. Of course, no one responded in any way to his challenge, either for or against.

Randolph Carter | June 29, 2007, 12:33am | #

A portion of my commentary:

9:33 Barack thinks parenting counselors should be there from the cradle, no word yet on where the counselors are at the grave.

9:34 People don't succeed because we think they can't succeed, or something. maybe Obama recently bought "The Secret."

9:35 the child mayor wants us to stop the war so we can buy books on tape for lil' feti in the womb

9:36 OOH! Gravel calls out everyone on supporting the war, says something about "leakage." Subsidised Depends?

9:38 Hillary wants villagers to raise children. Perhaps we need to get illegal immigrant villiage idiots to do the job americans don't want to do.

9:41 eee... Bill Richardson wants to penetrate African-american communities to prevent AIDS. Seems counterintuitive.

9:44 HELL YEAH! The War on Drugs gets called out by Gravel! Simultaneous boos and applause - how the hell will the other statists deal with this?

9:48 the trademark Clinton cackle comes out. Clinton panders about how if she had AIDS people would be outraged. Wait, what?

9:50 Joe Biden is obviously from slower, lower Delaware. 'nuff said.

mk | June 29, 2007, 7:23am | #

That debate needed more breakdance fighting.

joe | June 29, 2007, 9:27am | #

Uh-oh, Joe Biden talking to and about black folk...

Run! Run for your lives!!!

Dylan | June 29, 2007, 9:28am | #

I admit, I didn't watch these debates. I just read a pretty brief summary on msnbc this morning:

"In turn, the candidates discussed their hopes to stem poverty, close the economic gap between the rich and poor, fight AIDS and overhaul a judicial system that doesn't always seem colorblind."

Sounds about par for the course. But in terms of the last thing on the list -- overhauling a not always colorblind judicial system -- didn't all of the candidates slam the Supreme Court's decision to make admissions in public schools more colorblind?

If you believe in racial quotas, fine, but don't advocate them and then say you want a "colorblind" society.