By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer 

Which candidate do you think has the best platform addressing issues impacting communities of color?   

DETROIT (Posted Dec. 3, 2007) – On Saturday, I was looking forward to covering the Black and Brown Debate between Democratic presidential rivals in Des Moines, Iowa.  But thanks to Mother Nature, my journey ended in the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, listening to the debate via satellite radio on a fellow travelers laptop. 

The first major ice and snow storm of the season chose this weekend to wreak havoc, and left me sitting on a runway for two hours waiting for my flight to take off. It never did, and my plane returned to the terminal at midnight.  

Fortunately, I was able to feed questions to BET producer Tiffany Tate, who was in the post-debate spin room.  Tate arrived in Des Moines Friday before the storm.
Candidates were asked about a variety of issues affecting Black and Latino Americans.  After the debate, most of the candidates sent reps to the North High School gymnasium to meet the press. 

Rodney Slater, the former secretary of Transportation in Bill Clinton’s administration, was on hand to support Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). “She did an excellent job,” he said. “She clearly demonstrated that she is ready to move forward with a plan to move America forward.”

Naturally, Missouri State Rep. Connie Johnson (D), a supporter of former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.),  saw things differently.  “He [Edwards] was the only candidate who addressed what the purpose of this forum was.  This forum was about addressing the issues that are relevant and prevalent to the African-American and Hispanic-Latino communities.”

“He’s the only one who has laid out a comprehensive urban agenda, as well as true immigration reform.  He didn’t isolate the two populations.  He said we are all in this together,” Johnson added.
Johnson made a good point regarding the purpose of the forum.  I noticed candidates slipping back to more generic responses to questions that didn’t offer many specifics.

  
Iowa State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad (D) said he thought that Obama got it right.  “He addressed the issues and talked about taking proactive steps in regards to issues that affect the Black and Latino communities.”

“Crack v. Coke, incarceration and even embracing the Hip-Hop Generation …. These issues are real for us.  There are systematic changes needed, not cosmetic, and Sen. Obama addressed them.”
The only two candidates spinning on their own after the debate were Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).

Kucinich told BET, “When you look at the nature of this forum, Black and Brown, I think of the Black and Brown soldiers who won’t make it home to their families for a while unless we get out of Iraq.”
The war wasn’t a big topic in the debate and Kucinich found that to be a concern. “It’s amazing how the  presidential debate is starting to shift away from Iraq, Kucinich said.

 This forum was a “missed opportunity” to focus on the things the “American people are concerned about now, and that’s what I was here to do,” Kucinich said.
The war in Iraq wasn’t the only war Dodd said needs attention. “We have to have leadership that can win the war in urban America,”  he said.

But he said Democrats can’t do it alone. “We have to have a bi-partisan effort to make changes in the environment, in regards to healthcare and poverty.  No one party can make it happen, so I am pleased that I was able to make that case tonight,” Dodd insisted.

Late Saturday night, The Des Moines Register newspaper released a poll of likely caucus-goers.  For the second time in as many weeks, the top three candidates came out in a statistical dead heat: Obama earning 28 percent, to Clinton’s 25 percent and Edwards’ 23 percent.

BET Producer Tiffany Tate contributed to this report.