The Debate Begins

I've just sat through about five minutes' worth of commercials. Not that PBS is really ad-free, but this was a little much.

This debate, as Tavis Smiley's hosting suggests, focuses on African-Americans. It's held at "historically black Morgan State University" in Baltimore. The pre-debate emcee is cracking jokes about Fiddy Cent and Kanye West. He gives a shout out to those viewing at home--like Romney, Thompson, Giuliani, and McCain.

And now he's paying tribute to one of the kids involved in the Jena imbroglio, Michael Bell Good grief!

"Let's loosen up everyone--you don't have to wave your hands in the air, but at least unfold them," the host says. This is all a bit parodic.

Now Smiley is up.

Michael Steele is up, too -- he's introducing the candidates. We'll see whether he's warmed up at all to Ron Paul since he was calling for him to get out of the debates not so long ago. Hey, Michael, notice that Ron is one of the only five Republicans who shows up for the African-American debate? Your top-tier candidates don't give a damn, but Ron Paul does.

There's a HUGE applause for Paul as he's introduced, much bigger than for the other candidates. Keyes gets the second loudest applause.

First question is the predictable one: candidates are asked why they decided to show up for this debate and what they think about those who didn't. Huckabee says he got 48 percent of the black vote in Arkansas. Otherwise, he's just emoting a lot.

Paul is next. HUGE applause again! This is a Paul audience! Says he goes wherever he's invited to talk about freedom and the Constitution. Says if you have the fruits of your labor, he would like you to keep them -- under a freedom philosophy, we would be more prosperous because we would not be policing the world. Big applause for that.

Brownback is next: no applause. He apologizes for the candidates who aren't there. Moderate applause. Suggests that African-Americans pick an early primary state, register Republican, and vote for one of the six candidates who has shown up.

Tancredo is next: I didn't think he would be there. (I thought I'd read earlier that he'd declined it.) Mentions his attendance at the NAACP convention. Gets pretty good applause for that. "The promise of America is something we all actually have to share in." Rather bland statements so far, and he's a bit poorly spoken tonight.

Duncan Hunter: got some laughs from the audience with a joke about families talking about missing members at gatherings. Mentions Iraq War, border control (and narcotics), and his little grandson, who asked for his teacher's vote.

Keyes "thinks it is a little unfair to assume" that the no-shows didn't show up because they were sending a negative message to African-Americans. But then he mentions that they didn't show up at the Values Voters debate either. Now he's talking about himself, and how he's been barred from the Michigan debate. Great, Alan, it's about you. "They may not be afraid of all black people, but there seems to be at least one black person they're afraid of." Lots of applause.