Mitt Romney used black
folks to make a political point. It cut
like a knife. It hurts deep. He deserved those boos.
When the Republican
nominee told the NAACP that he was committed to eliminating Obamacare, those in
the crowd went Apollo on him. They shouted
and booed in wait of the sandman to come on stage to drag Romney with one of
those rods used to guide sheep.
Who can
blame them?
At the root those boos are in response to the unspoken message Romney was making to black voters. He doesn’t care about the black vote. He showed up not to convince the people at
the annual convention to give him a try.
He came to show the world he’s willing to go into the lion’s den and
take stabs at the people in the pit.
It smells like one of
those political maneuvers aimed at rallying those who view Obama and his agenda
as the antichrist covered in darkness. Romney
told the crowd to kiss his white behind and face the music. I’m not here to get your votes. I don’t need you. I don’t respect what you think. I’m not concerned about the process that went
into passing the legislation that will offer affordable care to the people in
your families.
It doesn’t matter that
the plan was modeled after the one Romney created while serving as Governor of Massachusetts.
His speech was an attack of all things Obama, even if his plan looks the
same. This was not a tea bag
meeting. Those listening have enough
intelligence to smell bull dung when it’s slung in their faces.
Why did he show
up? Was it to convince other voters that
he’s not the mean dude represented in those ads that claim he sent jobs
overseas? Should we connect the dots between Romney’s NAACP speech and his new
campaign ads that argue Obama’s commercials about Romney shipping jobs overseas
are a lie? Is the timing an indication
that Romney is attempting to transform his image by showing up at the party
held on the black side of the tracks?
Romney wanted to get
booed off the stage. He wasn’t there for votes.
He knows he won’t get them. His
desire is to garner enough reports that portray black people as narrow minded enemies
of his agenda due to his white skin. He
showed up to prove that point.
Can you hear the echo
in the room? Hey you. Yeah you, the conservative white dude over
there. Did you see my guts when I walked
in a room filled with black people and told them I don’t care about what they
think? Come and tap me on my back.
It’s the type of
message that galvanizes conservative voters.
They’re looking for a political messiah willing to put black people back
in those fields with tobacco waiting to be picked. Obama represents the fulfillment of black
folk’s dreams. Imagine all the clapping
hands on the white side of the tracks when Romney stood up to those supporting
Obama.
The bravery of Romney
places a spotlight on white fear. As
much as many hate policies that elevate black and brown people, most are afraid
to stand in a crowd and face the potential beat down.
They fear that black power. That’s
why they cross the street when they see us coming. They’re comfortable in using all that covert
racist power to keep people subjugated.
Obama took all that power and control away by becoming President of the
United States.
I can hear the roar in
hillbilly land. “You tell em Mitt,” followed by a quick slurp of
Budweiser. “Put em back in their place Mitt.”
Of course this is all
speculation. It could be that Mitt simply wanted to convey his heart. It’s
possible that he does care about black people.
Certainly he hasn’t been nurtured by the thoughts of a religious
organization that excluded people of black African descent from Priesthood and
from participation in temple ceremonies until 1978. Or maybe he has. Should it matter?
There are multiple
reasons to boo Romney. It’s one of those
things that happen when you’ve been disrespected.
And the boos keep
coming.
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