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Mitt Romney’s strategic political move of addressing the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People on July 11, 2012 worked to his advantage, as his campaign intended. Throughout the primaries Romney has come under fire for his repetitive message, lack of explanation on his policies, contradictions, and disconnect to voters. Romney’s speech expressed his strong opposition toward the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s performance, and his economic polices, all hot topics within the Democratic party. Ironically Romney’s voting history shows that he passed legislation in Massachusetts that is very similar to the ACA. This is yet another example of Romney’s contradictory political stance.
Romney’s speech to the renowned civil rights organization generated rounds of booing, which has given him new credibility and respect within the Republican party. He knew his speech would elicit this behavior.
So why would Romney attend?
Because he looks tough and committed to the conservative platform in the eyes of the Republican electorate. Romney accepted the invitation to speak at the national NAACP convention in Houston as an opportunity to convince Republican voters.
The NAACP was a pawn in a political game to repair Romney’s flimsy image. Other Republican candidates have spoken at the national NAACP conventions and have tailored their speeches to fit the audience. Romney decided against modifying his speech and used this as a way to prove to Republicans that he is dedicated to his platform and is unwavering on the issues.
This could potentially influence swing voters in voting for Romney. He is showing them that he is not afraid to maintain his principles when surrounded by evident opposition.
Sources:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/11/romney-said-he-expected-boos-at-naacp-speech/
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/romney-says-he-expected-to-be-booed-at-naacp/story?id=16753886#.T_-VrHBgsy4