Romney's Address to NAACP a Good Political Move

Cal Thomas | Syndicated Columnist | Published: Jul 12, 2012

Romney's Address to NAACP a Good Political Move

Was Mitt Romney smart, or not, to address the NAACP convention on Wednesday? He was booed when he pledged to overturn Obamacare, but he was applauded in other parts of his speech, which the major media mostly ignored.

The NAACP is a shadow of its former self. By any definition, it is a subsidiary, an arm, of the Democratic party. It's more about votes for that party than civil rights. An NAACP official said it was insulting for Romney to bring up the out-of-wedlock birth rate among blacks. Really? Isn't the right to a mother and father and a stable home the first civil right? With an out-of-wedlock birth rate averaging over 70 percent in the black community, not talking about it is denial.

And what about jobs? The African-American jobless rate is over 14 percent. President Obama, who is not speaking to the convention, promised to fix that. He hasn't. He sent Vice President Biden to speak.

Romney gets points, especially among independents, for reaching out and telling the truth. As a political move, it was a good one.

I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.

Publication date: July 13, 2012

Romney's Address to NAACP a Good Political Move