Baratunde Thurston’s Official RNC ‘Negro Count’: 67 [Video]

An estimated 50,000 people are expected to visit the Tampa Bay area during the Republican National Convention and comedian and author Baratunde Thurston is out there taking his own count of how many black people are at the RNC.

By Jorge Rivas Aug 28, 2012

An estimated [50,000 people are expected to visit ](http://www.gopconvention2012.com/about/)the Tampa Bay area during the Republican National Convention and comedian and author Baratunde Thurston is out there taking his own count of how many black people are at the RNC. "I’ve been counting the number of black people here ever since I landed and I’ve been doing as inclusive as possible with my count, I don’t know if you’re a reporter, or a delegate or someone [Mitt Romney paid to be here](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/07/romney_allegedly_bussed_in_200_supporters_to_naacp_to_cheer_for_him.html) so I just want to give the GOP the benefit of the doubt as much as possible," Thurston told Democracy Now on Monday. A recent poll by [NBC and the Wall Street Journal found zero percent of African-American voters support Mitt Romney](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/08/nbc_poll_obama_leads_romney_amongst_black_voters_94-0.html), compared to 94 percent supporting President Obama. Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain says that’s because [most black republicans are closeted.](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/08/herman_cains_rnc_abcs_–_american_black_conservatives.html) Speaking of Cain… make sure you watch the Democracy Now! clip all the way to the end to see what Thurston thinks about the former GOP presidential candidate.

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