Democrats to debate at forum aimed at minorities (tonight/PBS)

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http://www.mcclatchydc.com/election2008/story/17432.html

Democrats to debate at forum aimed at minorities
By Ron Hutcheson | McClatchy Newspapers


Tavis Smiley will be the moderator at PBS' forum on domestic issues. (Heather S. Hughes/Newport News Daily Press/MCT)


WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidates will battle for the black vote Thursday night at a nationally televised forum aimed at minority voters.

In a campaign season that has been dominated so far by Iraq, the 90-minute session at Howard University, a predominantly African-American college in the nation's capital, will focus on domestic issues, with emphasis on how they affect minority and poor communities. Eight candidates will share the stage, but the spotlight will focus most on the two Democratic front-runners, Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.

Clinton started the campaign as the clear favorite among African-Americans, but one recent poll indicated that she has surrendered that advantage to Obama. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina appears to be picking up the remaining fraction not drawn to the two leading contenders.

"The black vote is split," said Ron Walters, a political science professor at the University of Maryland. "For the first time in a long time, the black vote is the center of serious competition."

And, for the first time ever, an African-American and a woman have real shots at winning their party's presidential nomination.

"We're at a point where the country is ready to elect an African-American president. The question is, is Barack Obama that man? The country is ready to elect a woman president. The question is, is Hillary Clinton that woman?" said commentator Tavis Smiley, who'll moderate Thursday's forum on PBS at 9 p.m. EDT.

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