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Four GOP contenders will attend PBS's much publicized All-American Presidential Forum hosted by Tavis Smiley Thursday night--but the group does not include frontrunners Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson.

Failure to treat customers with respect and dignity, and to represent them in all aspects of your enterprise, tells these consumers that you don't want their business--and in the case of the GOP, it says, "Your votes aren't important to us."

As you'll read in the upcoming October issue of DiversityInc magazine, "It's customer service, stupid." Subscribe now with the special rate below to get the issue, entirely on customer service. Click here to read the electronic edition of our story on how and why the main GOP candidates are avoiding debates and events for black, Latino and LGBT voters. The entire electronic edition of the magazine will be available to subscribers on this site on Monday.

What Everyone's Saying

It's been more than 50 years since white men constituted nearly half the electorate, and as their percentage of the total electorate has steadily declined, the votes cast by people of color and women have increased dramatically, according to an article on Salon.com. Republicans used to be able to count on white men's votes to discount Democratic gains from voters of color, but as Thomas Schaller writes on Salon.com, "Today, the black vote fully compensates for the Democrats' deficit among white men."

Given current trends in voter demographics, it's a wonder how the top GOP candidates for president in 2008 have passed up so many opportunities in addition to tonight's PBS debate to tell today's customers they want their support.

As "The Newshour" co-host and renowned Washington journalist Gwen Ifill bewilderedly asked a jam-packed crowd last week at Rutgers University, "What were they thinking?"

Thanks to widespread access to information, the top GOP candidates' decision to ignore voters of color has landed on mainstream news. Bad press isn't good for your brand.

Smiley went on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" to publicize the issue and leveraged his radio spots on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" to get his message out. He said, "No elected official, no one running for president, black, white or brown, male or female, Republican or Democrat, ought to be elected president in 2008 if they can avoid people of color, black folk and brown folk ... as these folks are doing along the way," reports the Baltimore Sun, which notes Smiley intends to make their absences known by keeping four empty podiums on the stage.

Tonight won't be the first time the top GOP presidential candidates' absences will be noticed at an event relevant to people other than white men:

• Remember when Tom Tancredo was the lone Republican to attend the NAACP conference in July? Eight empty podiums didn't paint an inclusive picture of the GOP, and it wasn't only NAACP members who wondered why so many were left empty. Click here to see the photo on npr.org.
• The top three GOP candidates also spurned a Univision debate earlier this month to focus on issues important to Latinos, and before that, refused to attend a conference hosted by the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino lobbying group in the country. (See also: Race to Win Latino Votes--Dems: 7, GOP: 1)
• They refused to attend the Human Rights Campaign's debate on LGBT issues broadcast on MTV's LOGO television, a network targeted to LGBTs. (See also: Which Democrat Offended LGBT Voters? Who Won the Debate?)

The latest round of declined invitations from the top GOP contenders on account of "scheduling conflicts" and "fundraising responsibilities" may not be surprising, but it has spurred media hype over the debate and public awareness of these candidates' lacking care for the concerns of voters of color. Bad press isn't good for your brand.

(See also: Top GOP Presidential Candidates to Miss Tavis Smiley's Debate)

The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity^® know that making your customers' concerns a top priority is a cornerstone of good customer service. But if you don't even listen to their concerns, you're probably not likely to address them. With a multitude of options, these consumers are likely to place their support elsewhere--and their friends and family are increasingly likely to do the same.

Don't miss the GOP debate Thursday night at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. It will be televised live on PBS and webcast on pbs.org. Get more information on pbs.org. Click here to read about some of the issues that will be discussed.

Read Whose Presidential Campaign Is Worst for Diversity? from the June 2007 issue of DiversityInc magazine, available now online, to find out which major candidate has an all-white campaign staff.  

More Election '08 >>

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