When Mitt Romney Spoke at the NAACP Convention, Dead Slaves Laughed
Mitt Romney gave a speech at the NAACP National Convention in Houston this week, and told black people to look into his heart. Sorry Mr. Tin Man, but that’s the same thing they said before the slave ships set sail, so I’m not buying it. Since then, the focus has been on his use of the word ‘Obamacare’ and the subsequent “Boos,” from the crowd in attendance. Not exactly a top 10 moment in Black history, but it was hilarious all the same; seriously, I laughed my ass off.
Yes, the long pause and awkward grin was epic; and I’m pretty sure the thought of doing a jig at that very moment crossed his mind. Surely such a move would have been greatly appreciated and applauded by the hankerchief-head-wearing Negroes he had bused in after picking them out at the Rent-A-Negro Store. You know, the ones who aren’t into getting “free stuff,” who obviously have no intentions of voting for “the other guy,” because, they would rather pick cotton for free for Bain Capital in China. Yeah, those black people; the ones who love what they see when they look into Mitt Romney’s heart. Yep, the not-so-secret black folk openly willing to vote for Mitt, unlike his down-low black supporters somebody has obviously lied to him about. C’mon, y’know he made that up, right?
Hi, my name is. What? My name is. Who? My name is... Mitt Shady.
I just wanted to clear that up, just in case you may think all black people look alike, like Mitt Romney obviously does. Which is really funny when you think about it; because, there is no way black folks should vote for a guy who not only doesn’t know where and what bank his money sits; but also a guy who can’t remember lies about where and when he ran Bain Capital when we’re trying to find employment, in this terrible economy. Sorry pal, but I’m not buying your, “I’m the savior of black people,” sales pitch. And I don’t know what black leaders you’ve been talking to — my guess is that you’re confusing Jesse Lee Peterson for Jesse Jackson, because we all look alike — but if you think your speech was a winner, you won’t be back next year — it’s not like Mitt wants our vote.
This from Mother Jones:
Leonard Alkins, the former head of the Boston NAACP, has few fond memories of Romney’s tenure. ”There was no relationship between the NAACP in Boston and Gov. Mitt Romney and his administration,” Alkins says. “The only time that the NAACP had any interaction with the administration and the governor was to protest when he eliminated the affirmative action office.”
In one of his early acts as governor, Romneydumped the state’s office of affirmative actionand replaced it with the office of diversity and equal opportunity. In doing so, he invalidated a half-dozen executive orders establishing affirmative action policies for women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities; diversity training programs; and equal-opportunity standards for state contractors. Romney’s executive orderreplaced all of this with what was essentially a broad—and, Alkins says, “toothless”—commitment to “diversity.”
Romney didn’t inform civil rights groups about his plans before scrapping the affirmative action office, and the reaction from activists was harsh. The Massachusetts Black Caucus accused Romney of attempting to “virtually dismantle affirmative action in Massachusetts state government.”
Romney eventually appointed a diversity commission to examine his new policy. But, according to Alkins, the NAACP was excluded from the commission—until other commissioners spoke up. “He excluded the NAACP from serving on that special commission until we protested,” Alkins recalls.
Romney appointed Alkins to the commission, but the process didn’t go well. Instead of approving Romney’s policy, the commission worked to strengthen the policies he invalidated. Word leaked to the governor, Alkins says, and the co-chair of the commission, Ruth Bramson, who was also Romney’s chief human resources officer, refused to call any more meetings, thwarting the commission from voting on and issuing final recommendations. Bramson, who is now CEO of the Girl Scouts in eastern Massachusetts, refused to comment, saying she has to stay out of politics. The Romney campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But a Romney spokesman told the Bay State Guardian at the time that Bramson felt the committee’s work was done and no further meetings were necessary.
So, do you think Romney really has the interest of black folk at heart? In his speech this week he spoke of his father marching with civil rights activists in the 1960s. But clearly from a policy position, it’s obvious that he doesn’t give a damn about the well being of black folks or anyone outside of his income bracket. If he did, why then would he propose tax cuts for the rich while raising taxes on the middle class and working poor? But hey, let him tell it, he’s the best thing for black folks since Moses and Joseph Smith delivered us from slavery, Jim Crow, and George W. Bush.
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