Discrimination doesn’t discriminate
by David Atkins
While everyone focuses on the NAACP booing Mitt Romney particularly over his reference to repealing “Obamacare,” Stephen Stromberg makes an excellent point:
Mitt Romney’s audience at the NAACP conference booed him on Wednesday after the GOP presidential candidate said that he would repeal Obama’s health-care law, a hot-button subject right now. And, yet, that was not the moment in the speech most worthy of disapproval.
Earlier in the address, Romney said he wants “to represent all Americans, of every race, creed or sexual orientation.” Then he spoke about the importance of the family to social cohesion and economic growth, and he promised to promote strong families as president. But how? Amazingly, the only policy Romney deemed worthy of mention was one that would actually make it harder for certain Americans to build families: defending “traditional marriage.”
Mr. Romney has absolutely nothing to offer that will help working families. He is the candidate of the 1%. And while some of us may quibble about where the President stands on these issues, there’s no question at all where Mitt Romney stands.
And since Romney has nothing real to offer, all he and his Republican friends can do is to attempt to drive wedges of discrimination based on outdated perceptions of African-American resistance to marriage equality. Divide and conquer, same as always.
Unfortunately for Mr. Romney and pals, it’s not going to work.