If there was any chance of Mitt Romney garnering significant support from African-Americans, that chance has gone from slim to none thanks to his performance at the NAACP’s annual conference.
Romney was booed when he labeled President Obama’s Affordable Care Act as “nonessential and expensive.” The Republican candidate chose the wrong audience for that boilerplate. He was standing before a group of people that has long experienced the highest rates of health disparities.
“Infants born to black women are 1.5 to three times more likely to die than infants born to women of other races/ethnicities,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also found that “black men and women are much more likely to die of heart disease and stroke than their white counterparts.”
For African-Americans, access to health care is absolutely essential.
For Romney to assume no backlash would come his way after criticizing the nation’s first African-American president in front of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is absurd. Also absurd was his claim that voting for him, rather than Obama, would be in “the real, enduring best interest of African-American families.”
Depriving them of health care certainly wouldn’t be in their best interest.
Nor would Romney’s economic medicine. He constantly ridicules Obama’s record on this front, but the Obama administration notes that its initial stimulus program “kept 1.3 million African-Americans out of poverty” in 2010 by creating jobs and reducing taxes. Romney’s tax policies, by contrast, would largely favor those in the top 1 percent.
Romney did say something that was on target, however. “If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, then a chronically bad economy would be equally bad for everyone,” Romney said. “Instead, it’s worse for African-Americans in almost every way.” The problem is that Romney would make equal opportunity and a good economy further out of reach.
His attempt to compete with Obama for the black vote is bound to fail. A recent Gallup poll showed 87 percent of blacks supporting the president compared to the 5 percent who support Romney.
He certainly didn’t help himself at the NAACP conference by insulting our intelligence.
• Jessica M. Strong is a writer for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. Readers may write to the author at: Progressive Media Project, 409 East Main Street, Madison, Wis. 53703; email: pmproj@progressive.org; Web site: www.progressive.org. For information on PMP’s funding, please visit http://www.progressive.org/pmpabout.html#anchorsupport.
Comments (40)
Add commentCondi Rice
Oh, but watch how fast he picks Condoleeza Rice as his VP running mate!
Yeah, that'll work.
Obama will sail to victory. Gas prices should go down any day now...
Republicans, just stay home on election day.
Wrong!
I don’t agree, Mr. Romney went there (obama did not) and treated them in a very respectful manner, and as equals and the same as any other group would be spoken to. It is high time to let go of the idea that people of color cannot succeed without government intervention, that in its self speaks poorly of the Democrats and Liberals. People are people, green, brown, white, orange or black. Period, end of story. Good on Ya Mr. Romney!
Romney
As usual Romney made a fool out of himself in front of the NAACP
Romney
As usual Romney made a fool out of himself in front of the NAACP
Romney
As usual Romney made a fool out of himself in front of the NAACP
Romney
As usual Romney made a fool out of himself in front of the NAACP
Romney
As usual Romney made a fool out of himself in front of the NAACP
NAACP just wants to be pandered to
Romney just gave the NAACP the same speech he gives everyone else.
NAACP just wants to be pandered to
Romney just gave the NAACP the same speech he gives everyone else.
I am becoming so weary of hyphenated-Americans
beating the bushes. A hyphenate can connect or divide. There is only one purpose, though, in politics.
Correct Osprey
And was the NAACP expected to respond to it like everyone else? If so, why bother?
But on the subject of pandering, when's Romney going to visit Bob Jones University like every other republican candidate does?
Ken
I'm becoming weary of people with numbers after their names.
numbers?
that was good for a chuckle, Lat58!
He treated them the Same
It was good that Romney treated the NAACP folks in the same manner as anyone else. Just because of their race they should not be treated any differently. Obamacare will break this country and I for one am sick and tired of being expected to pay for everyone elses medical expenses. In the words of Bill Cosby, they need to quit whining and get off of their butts and get a job. That goes for all of the lazy freeloaders in this country.
The media will focus on the
The media will focus on the strong boos that greeted Romney’s pledge to repeal Obama care, but the crowd was cordially welcoming and applauded quite a few lines. The audience gave him a standing ovation at its completion. But you won’t hear that from the Lame Stream media. He did the right thing and spoke to them with respect and dignity. Keep in mind that the libs want to keep the African Americans at bay, dependent on them only. Look at what he did with the Welfare Act? I guess he is now truly the Welfare President. BTW Jo are you saying that gas will go down soon due to BO
, and this being a election year? So that means he must be keeping petroleum prices artificially high the rest of the time?
Hey Lat were you weary of
Hey Lat were you weary of Thurston Howell, III?
FYI - Romney was INVITED by
FYI - Romney was INVITED by the NAACP to come address their convention.
However, Dear Leader couldn't show up to face the music of 14+% unemployment among blacks so he sent Biden. Did you happen to see the picture of an almost empty auditorium for that speech?! And then for more laughs, listen to Biden hyperventilate and practically scream during his speech. Loser?!!
It's actually very sad how the blacks in America have been held down by the policies of the Democrat party. They are nothing more than tools to the party. Then when we get a great role model like Allen West or Clarence Thomas or even Condolezza Rice they get smeared by their "own people" and called Uncle Toms.
The blacks may not vote for Romney but a bigger problem for Obama is if they just stay home.
With the history of NAACP
With the history of NAACP endorsing just about anything with a (D) at the end of their name, why would he even bother reaching out to that organization. He'd be better off going after support of the black voter without cowtowing to the NAACP.
@akbrdguru
you may be right on with the history of the NAACP, but Gov Romney would've received more flack if he didn't speak on invitation. At least he didn't balk or flinch.
Juneau Empire, You appear to
Juneau Empire, You appear to have a hard list to port (the left). When will we see an anti-Obama or Pro-Romney editorial in the Empire?
@noroad
The empire probable does want to be with a bunch of looser like Romney!
@bilb
do you speak the way you type? is English a 2nd language?
The reason Obama didn't go to the NAACP convention...
...is because he already has the black vote. He didn't need to waste his time preaching to the choir.
But Romney bashing Obamacare in front of a thousand blacks shows just how warped his thinking is.
Next, he'll probably go to an Anti-Defamation League and support Palestine as an independent state.
Romney is pretty, but he's also pretty clueless. Seriously. He is.
"Romney isn't a vulture venture capitalist. Vultures only eat dead things." - Stephen Colbert.
Off subject but Nobama did it
Off subject but Nobama did it again today. During a speech worshiper’s at his feet began to faint he shouted out “don’t worry we have paralegal’s on hand” no kidding, I guess he meant Corpse-man. Now that's a looser.
Will-ard
Romney's Dad: Say, honey, what should we name our new baby?
Romney's Mom: I'm kinda fond of Will-ard.
Dad: Sounds a little like re-tard, don't ya think?
Mom: Not too much. Say, where's his silver spoon? I don't like seeing that out of his mouth for too long. People might think he's not blue blood.
Dad: Let's ring for one of his Mexican nurses or one of the Guatamalan maids.
Mom: Maybe I left it in one of my cadillacs.
Dad: Which one?
Mom: Hell, I can't remember. It's such a pain having so many luxury cars. How's someone to keep track of them?
Dad: I'm sorry darling. I'll make it up to you. How about I buy you another mansion. Seven just isn't enough for us and the boys.
Mum: Maybe the dog ate the spoon.
Dad: No chance. He's been strapped on the car roof for the last 12 hours.
Wow Jo, you have a serious
Wow Jo, you have a serious problem with class warfare. Sorry you didn’t make it in life. As far as the dog goes, at least he will be safe up there and out of the reach of Skippy boy when lunch comes around.
to Jo
the problem I have with the liberal mindset is that everyone has to fit into their prescribed boxes.
Exhibit A: "(Obama) already has the black vote. He didn't need to waste his time preaching to the choir."
I find that somewhat demeaning. It flies in the face of the highly touted respect for the individual..."You cant vote for him! You got to protect the Hive!"
Fire the Speech Choosers!
@ospreyy - According to you, "Romney just gave the NAACP the same speech he gives everyone else."
If that's the case, he needs to fire his speech writers/choosers! Both Mitt-ens and O-blame-a have different speeches for different audiences. Only an idiot would think that Mitt-ens gave the NAACP the same speech that he'll be using at the Hampton's $10,000-per-plate fundraiser.
Lat58
:) As opposed to numbers following acronyms.
@grendal
Are not the Republican of the same mindset? It is called Stubbornest by refusing to realize that the whole tax structure is wrong. This is by alloying the rich to a lower % of taxes than the middle class