As far as futile efforts go, trying to win the support of black voters when you’re a Republican running for president against Barack Obama ranks up there with avoiding “Call Me Maybe” and winning an argument with your girlfriend. Nevertheless, Mitt Romney spoke before the NAACP this morning in an attempt to ingratiate himself to the civil rights organization as much as possible. In his speech, he quoted Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, and the NAACP’s own former executive director. He promised to fix problems that disproportionately affect the black community, such as unemployment and subpar schools. He even complimented the organ music that preceded his appearance onstage (“I do love hearing that music”). None of that prevented Romney from being booed on three separate occasions — most emphatically when he promised to repeal Obamacare.
Near the end of this speech, Romney, staying true to his script, told the audience that as president, while he might not agree with them on every issue, “I do promise that your hospitality to me today will be returned.”
