By TRACIE MORALES
The UNITY News Online

The tradition of hosting presidential candidates at UNITY has been a major highlight at the convention, and this year’s history making presidential race has only added to the fervor.

That same fervor, however, has turned into disappointment for some, as Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz., juggle their schedules to appear at UNITY.

Obama is scheduled to speak Sunday morning, when many attendees will be gone or preparing to head home. McCain’s camp hasn’t yet accepted UNITY’s invitation to speak.

In previous election years, the UNITY Convention’s tradition of hosting presidential candidates has functioned like a forum to address critical issues of race and diversity, and has given White House hopefuls a chance to show their true colors.

Past political gaffs by presidential candidates only fueled the novelty of getting Obama and McCain together.

In 2004, a question posed by a Seattle Post Intelligencer journalist to President George Bush about tribal sovereignty in the 21st century prompted a much talked about response.

“Tribal sovereignty means just that; it’s sovereign. You’re a – you’ve been given sovereignty, and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity,” Bush said in 2004.

University of Missouri journalism junior Carolina Astrain is among conventiongoers eager to hear from the candidates.

“It’s a shift in history,” she said. “I think it would have been interesting to see McCain. He is pitted against the first possible black president.”

Obama’s nine-day international tour of war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan and meetings with Middle Eastern and European leaders are meant to show voters that he can rebuild diplomacy abroad.

His appearance is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday at McCormick Place’s Skyline Ballroom and will likely be among the first after his trip.

The McCain campaign has not confirmed the convention’s invitation to appear, but the senator was scheduled for a town hall meeting today (July 23) in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and receptions later this week in Ohio and Nevada, according to the McCain campaign Web site.

“I understand they are very busy men,” said Cassandra Mickens, a graduate student at the University of Alabama. “They are campaigning and seizing the moment right now.”

The former news editor of the Selma Times-Journal said having the candidates appear together would have served as a reminder to journalists to practice the basic tenets of reporting: neutrality, fairness and accuracy.

More and more, Mickens said, she sees divisive cable news pundits back one candidate over another.
“These days it’s very hard to be objective and cover both candidates equally,” she said.
“It’s up to us to flesh out the issues.”

Reach Tracie Morales at tracie.morales@gmail.com.

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