Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney attempted to appeal his platform to African American voters during Wednesday morning’s the 103 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Convention plenary session at the George R Brown Convention Center.
Many attendees of the convention like Athans, Ala. representative for the NAACP Wilbert Woodruff were skeptical of Romney’s appearance but were optimistic for a candidate who runs for a party that many African Americans feel have not had their best interest.
“I’m open minded, we’ll listen objectively and take the good and exclude the bad,” Woodruff said. “Well it’s nice that Mr. Romney would come by and speak to the NAACP however, my voter affiliation is Democrat.”
Attendees gave a warm reception to Romney’s goal of restoring the nation’s struggling middle class.
“The president wants to make this campaign about blaming the rich and I want to make this campaign about helping the middle class of America,” said Romney to applause. “ I’m running for president because I know that my policies and visions will help millions of middle-class Americans from all nations.”
Romney would then try to draw support by focusing on the importance of raising a child through a traditional family. Romney mentioned a Brookings Institution study that concluded that those who graduate from high school, get a full-time job and wait until 21 before marriage along with having their first child have a two percent probability of becoming poor while deviating from those probabilities increase the chance by 74 percent.
A message that was clearly geared toward the black audience.
“Any policy that uplifts and honors the family is going to be good for the country and that must be our goal,” said Romney. “I’ll promote strong families and I will defend traditional marriage.”
Those same cheers would turn to jeers when he promised to repeal Obama’s healthcare reform while taking a few jabs at the president incumbent.
“I’ll eliminate every nonessential expensive program I could find; that includes Obamacare,” Romney said quickly before being booed by attendees.
One of the more vocal hecklers was Shirley Smith, who yelled loud enough to be heard across Hall B3 of the convention center.
“Don’t come to us and appease us like we’re so dumb that you can come and say what you want to say to us,” said the 70 year-old Washington D.C. Native. “His speech was condescending.”
Civil Rights activist Julian Bond said that though the NAACP is happy that Romney came, but aren’t satisfied with his message. According to Bond, he feels that Romney made those remarks about Obamacare to show that he’s not afraid to get booed by blacks for saying what he believes.
Bond says that the negative response to Romney’s speech showed blacks’ overwhelming support for Obama.
“It shows that the affection that black America have for Obama but also the affection that they have for Obamacare,” said Bond “They [black America] know it’s a great step forward; they know it’s needed; they know it’s something we have to have and are frightened of someone who says they’ll wipe it off.”