Three days after they were labeled persona non grata by the president of the NAACP, three Democratic White House candidates will address the group's convention in Miami Beach today in an effort to make amends for missing the presidential forum.
Aides to Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich said they would make the trip. NAACP leaders had lambasted the three for not showing up Monday.
"If you expect us to believe that you could not find 90 minutes to come by and address the issues affecting our nation, then you have no legitimacy over the next nine months in our community," NAACP president Kweisi Mfume told the convention before the forum. "In essence, you now have become persona non grata. Your political capital is the equivalent of Confederate dollars."
The six Democrats who made the forum shared the stage with four empty chairs, each labeled with the name of a White House candidate who did not attend - Lieberman, Gephardt, Kucinich, and President Bush.
Lieberman missed the forum to campaign in New York. Gephardt said he had a family obligation. Kucinich stayed in Washington to cast a vote on prescription drugs for Medicare recipients.
