Don’t Duck The Debate, Mr. Mayor

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I think political leaders like to suffer.


Just when everything seems to be going well for a campaign, a candidate inevitably makes some dumb comment or misstep that sends the candidacy into a slippery downward spiral.


For Mayor Bloomberg, that descent began last week when he announced that he was simply going to skip the first official debate between his rivals at the famous Apollo Theater, located in what could arguably be considered the nation’s black mecca: Harlem.


Even after black political leaders like the Reverend Al Sharpton and Rep. Charles Rangel publicly criticized the mayor for his refusal to show up, Mr. Bloomberg has not made an about-face or told his scheduler to hold all of his appointments on Thursday night so he can make it to the Apollo.


What’s more troubling about Mr. Bloomberg’s announcement that he won’t be at the Apollo is his refusal to say why. He simply insists that he has visited Harlem dozens of times since taking office, citing a visit just last week to the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, where he was welcomed by his supporter, the Reverend Calvin O. Butts, III. He has also said that he agreed to participate in only two debates, both scheduled to be held later in the month.


For weeks, I’ve acknowledged that Mr. Bloomberg’s standing among black voters has improved. It’s hard to deny that reality. All across the city, black voters have slowly taken to Mr. Bloomberg, with many agreeing to switch party lines for the first time to cast a vote for the mayor. I’ve talked to them. They are college students and retired schoolteachers.


My own sense has been that in order to maintain that black support, Mr. Bloomberg would have to do more than ceremoniously show up at Harlem’s newly built International House of Pancakes to flip flapjacks for a photo-op. He would have to address seriously the issues that plague the city’s black underclass in a venue that is accessible to blacks.


That’s the reason I can’t comprehend why none of the mayor’s high-profile black advisers are demanding that he show up at the Apollo on Thursday. Don’t they understand that a no-show by Mr. Bloomberg would tarnish them as well as the mayor himself? Their failure to protest allows the mayor to be a no-show without being seen as snubbing a powerful voter bloc too often ignored by white politicians.


Maybe the mayor’s advisers have been pushing him to attend, and perhaps Mr. Bloomberg sees no value in it. Maybe he thinks that this election is a done deal and that the support he’s received from the black religious leaders and high-profile celebrities (many of whom I have learned are not even registered to vote in New York City) is good enough.


On the ground, however, the story is shaping up much differently. Black folks are upset. The level of anger that they now feel toward the mayor will undoubtedly translate into more votes for Fernando Ferrer, who has gained the support of much of the city’s black leadership, even after his controversial comments about the Amadou Diallo shooting angered many blacks.


Rev. Sharpton has launched the harshest criticism of Mr. Bloomberg, chastising him for engaging in “drive by campaigning.” Rev. Sharpton’s criticism is on point. “You have to ask yourself, if Bloomberg wants our votes, why won’t he come to our neighborhood and answer our questions?” Rev. Sharpton asked. “When you say no to the Apollo, you’re saying no to all black New York.”


In 2000,Vice President Gore debated one of his primary opponents, Senator Bradley, at the Apollo Theater. The debate was televised by Cable News Network from the theater that sits on 125th Street, long an institution in black America. It has been a place where black entertainers found refuge against those forces – both racists and cultural elitists – that sought to deny their humanity.


Knowing this history, as Mr. Bloomberg certainly does, the decision over whether to attend is a no-brainer. Show up and debate and answer the questions mainly from the black audience. If not, know that there are serious consequences come next month.


“If Mayor Bloomberg stands us up on Thursday, we should sit him down in November,” Rev. Sharpton said.


Mr. Watson is the executive editor of the New York Amsterdam News. He can be reached at jamalwats@aol.com.


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