If the big guys cant handle Tavis Smiley and Jaun williams, what can they handle?
It is not a matter of handling them. It is a matter of prostituting yourself to appear before a Dem operative who is trying to smear and demean you. It isn’t necessary.
Of course on the other hand, they prolly realize that the black audience warching debates on PBS is prolly pretty small.
They will have the chance to address minority issues in larger forums in the future and may benefit by sitting this out and not making an early gaff with a potentially huge voting block.