Mitt Romney Booed at NAACP Convention for Saying He Will Repeal Obamacare (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Highlights from Mitt Romney speech at 103rd NAACP Convention in Houston: Mitt Romney was booed twice during his speech at the NAACP convention where he implored black voters to pick him over Obama. Romney was roundly booed when he said he was going to repeal Obamacare, the so-called derogatory term for the Affordable Care Act. He seemed to be visibly stunned when the boos started and went off script saying, “You know, there was a survey of the Chamber of Commerce, they carried out a survey of their members, about 1500 were surveyed.  And they asked them what effect that Obamacare would have on their plans and three-quarters of them said it would make them less likely to hire people.”

He was booed a second time when he promised to ‘open up energy, expand trade, cut the growth of government, focus on better educating tomorrow’s workers today and restore economic freedom’ and added that Obama would not do this. ‘And I know the President will say he’s going to do those things, but he has not, he will not, he cannot, and his last four years in the White House prove it definitively.’ Um, many blacks in the audience were very skeptical of Mitt Romney and his speech did nothing to change that. In fact, some were insulted and felt slighted. I don’t think I would ever say it, but George W. Bush was more liked by the black community than Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney Speech Summary:  GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney was introduced by Bishop Graves ahead of his speech to the 103rd NAACP convention. He said you have to make your case to every single voter, as was evidenced from his gubernatorial run in Massachusetts. He said as a presidential candidate he hopes to appeal to every person of every race, sexual orientation and creed and that he is not running to help the rich because they will do just fine no matter who is in power. Romney said he is running for president because his policies and vision will help millions in the middle class and that his campaign is about helping the people who need help. He said Obama made things worse for the black community.

Black students are 42% of students in mediocre schools. He quoted Frederick Douglass saying it’s easier to produce broken men than strong children. He said there are too many disadvantaged young people in this country, with their lives making a tragic turn. He said many live in violent neighborhoods. It seems that black Americans have waited long enough for change. It’s time to create a new plan and believes he can chart that new course. Romney said as president he will stand up for the family and defend traditional marriage.

He plans to reduce government spending. If the goal is jobs we have to stop spending, he said. He said he will focus and nurture the developing worker, which is the human capital the country needs. He will restore economic freedom. The nation’s economy runs on entrepreneurs, dreamers and visionaries, who are crushed by excessive regulations. He wants to make America the best place for innovators. He said if we focus on these five things, America will improve and wages will improve tomorrow.

He slammed Obama indirectly for not attending the NAACP convention, instead sending VP Joe Biden by saying, if he is invited to next year’s convention after being elected president, it will be his privilege to attend.

Here’s an excerpt from his speech:

You all know something of my background, and maybe you’ve wondered how any Republican ever becomes governor of Massachusetts in the first place. Well, in a state with 11 percent Republican registration, you don’t get there by just talking to Republicans. We have to make our case to every voter. We don’t count anybody out, and we sure don’t make a habit of presuming anyone’s support. Support is asked for and earned – and that’s why I’m here today. …

… I believe that if you understood who I truly am in my heart, and if it were possible to fully communicate what I believe is in the real, enduring best interest of African American families, you would vote for me for president. I want you to know that if I did not believe that my policies and my leadership would help families of color – and families of any color – more than the policies and leadership of President Obama, I would not be running for president. …

… I am running for president because I know that my policies and vision will help hundreds of millions of middle class Americans of all races, will lift people from poverty, and will help prevent people from becoming poor. My campaign is about helping the people who need help. The course the President has set has not done that – and will not do that. My course will.

When President Obama called to congratulate me on becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, he said that he, quote, “looked forward to an important and healthy debate about America’s future.” To date, I’m afraid that his campaign has taken a different course than that.
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If someone had told us in the 1950s or 60s that a black citizen would serve as the forty-fourth president, we would have been proud and many would have been surprised. Picturing that day, we might have assumed that the American presidency would be the very last door of opportunity to be opened. Before that came to pass, every other barrier on the path to equal opportunity would surely have to come down.

Of course, it hasn’t happened quite that way. Many barriers remain. Old inequities persist. In some ways, the challenges are even more complicated than before. And across America – and even within your own ranks – there are serious, honest debates about the way forward.

If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, then a chronically bad economy would be equally bad for everyone. Instead, it’s worse for African Americans in almost every way. The unemployment rate, the duration of unemployment, average income, and median family wealth are all worse for the black community. In June, while the overall unemployment rate remained stuck at 8.2 percent, the unemployment rate for African Americans actually went up, from 13.6 percent to 14.4 percent.

Americans of every background are asking when this economy will finally recover – and you, in particular, are entitled to an answer.

If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, black families could send their sons and daughters to public schools that truly offer the hope of a better life. Instead, for generations, the African-American community has been waiting and waiting for that promise to be kept. Today, black children are 17 percent of students nationwide – but they are 42 percent of the students in our worst-performing schools.
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When it comes to education reform, candidates cannot have it both ways – talking up education reform, while indulging the same groups that are blocking reform. You can be the voice of disadvantaged public-school students, or you can be the protector of special interests like the teachers unions, but you can’t be both. I have made my choice: As president, I will be a champion of real education reform in America, and I won’t let any special interest get in the way.

I will give the parents of every low-income and special needs student the chance to choose where their child goes to school. For the first time in history, federal education funds will be linked to a student, so that parents can send their child to any public or charter school, or to a private school, where permitted. And I will make that a true choice by ensuring there are good options available to all.

Should I be elected President, I’ll lead as I did when governor. I will look for support wherever there is good will and shared conviction. I will work with you to help our children attend better schools and help our economy create good jobs with better wages. Source:  CNN

We will post the video once it’s available. I seriously doubt Mitt Romney has taken any voters from President Obama. It’s a shame that President Obama didn’t think it was important enough to give a speech at the convention, but would rather send Joe Biden. In my opinion that speaks volumes.

Mitt Romney Booed at NAACP Convention Over Obamacare Repeal: