"It's our responsibility to get the candidates out so that our constituents across America can hear them," said Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (Mich.), who chairs the debate committee and whose Detroit district will host a second debate in October. "The country is in bad shape right now." She cites the ongoing war in Iraq, the budget deficit, education and the economy as the most pressing issues. "The candidates have to be stronger. . . . They've got to be bolder," she said.
Davis, like Kilpatrick, said he wants the candidates to make a stronger case for their campaigns by talking about specific issues. "These candidates need to talk to the black community, and the country at large, about what they will do to create jobs," he said.
Davis also wants the candidates to establish their bonafides on international issues. He stressed the importance of foreign policy during presidential campaign but cautioned against divorcing domestic and foreign interests.
"In the effort to build a broad agenda, we cannot give up the heart and soul of our party," Davis said. "The role of the Congressional Black Caucus is to remind the candidates that you have to come back home to Democratic values."
The debate will be held at historically black Morgan State University in Baltimore. The Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute, along with Fox News, are cosponsors of the forum.
"It just took the chairman, myself, going to Roger Ailes, the CEO of Fox News and just asking the question," Cummings said. "To his credit, he said he said he would [air the debate]." Cummings would not say which other networks he approached, only that Fox presented "the very best deal by far."
Cummings described the forum as "historic" and expressed pride in having the debate held at a historically black university in his district. Eleven members of the caucus attended historically black colleges.
washingtonpost.com staff writer Dan Jung contributed to this story.
