Comments on: It’s Showtime: Mitt Romney’s Speech to the NAACP

By: Racquel Gates

Racquel Gates — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:38:52 +0000

Thank you for the comment, nkg. I can’t speak to the NAACP’s response to every Republican candidate, but I do think that the boos here were very much in response to the problematic content and delivery of Romney’s speech, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to his party. As Jonathan points out, the defense that the NAACP “would have booed any Republican anyway” lets Romney off the hook way too easily, allowing him to avoid responsibility for his comments and painting the NAACP audience as irrational rather than critical. The use of the word “Obamacare” was inflammatory, and either 1)intended to be so, or 2)ignorant of its own meaning and context. There was a lack of “touch” in Romney’s address, a racial tone deafness, if you will. Even if the NAACP was predisposed to a certain degree of skepticism towards Romney, I’m sure that both he and his camp knew that going into the event. Therefore, the fact that he still delivered a speech that contained a few questionable (at best) statements would seem to speak to a lack of care on the part of Romney towards the black voters he claims to be seeking.

By: Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:58:00 +0000

Thanks so much for this, Racquel. Such an excellent post.
nkg, you’ll find Romney did get some applause. It’s not at all knee-jerk and automatic, in other words — the news networks are trying to frame it as such, perhaps, but perhaps the Republicans could take some responsibility in addressing their boo problem and actually be something other than a political party that should be roundly booed upon each and every visit to the NAACP.

By: nkg

nkg — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:15:00 +0000

terrific article. but doesn’t the naacp (knee-jerk reactively?) boo every republican president/candidate? they booed bush so many times he stopped giving speeches to naacp. if there were occasional times when the naacp audience open-mindedly applauded a repub candidate, then it would increase the moral force of more occasional booing for specific objectionable conduct.