I first came across this story in a link to PoliticusUSA. I used to write for Politicus, as did my co-blogger Pen; this was a post by our old boss Jason, who is African American.
The claim was put forward by the policy chair of the NAACP on the Ed Show.
The first thought that went through my mind is that perhaps Mitts on R-money was taking his cues on race relations from 'the Donald' Trump, notorious R-money surrogate and fundraiser and blatantly proud birther, who was once sued by the Justice Department for not renting to blacks -- but you know, they LOVE him anyway. Just ask him. Back in April, he had a famous or infamous interview with Fred Dicker - from the New York Observer:
The show’s host, Fred Dicker — who is also the New York Post‘s state editor, read a recent poll showing Obama’s sky-high support among African-Americans.Yeah - "THE Blacks", the ones to whom he won't rent -- they should LOVE him, if they only knew what was good for them, like not being able to rent space based on a color bias.
Trump said the numbers were troubling and pointed to Hillary Clinton as proof that he probably won’t get the kind of support among African-Americans that he deserves.
“I tell it like it is,” Trump said. “[Y]ou’ll hear a political reporter go on and say it had nothing to do with race. But how come she had such a tiny piece of the vote? And you know, it’s a very sad thing.
“I have a great relationship with the blacks. I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks. But unfortunately, it seems that, you know, the numbers you cite are very, very frightening numbers.”
Then we have the racist right as represented by Rush Limbaugh. After reading this, is there any question that the right is blowing as hard as they can on racist dog whistles? They think African Americans are too stupid to notice -- or too stupid to understand anything. The racsim inherent in their assumptions is palpable.
From Politico:
Limbaugh, who regularly refers to the NAACP as the “NAALCP” — the extra L is for “liberal” — claimed that President Barack Obama insulted the group by sending Vice President Joe Biden instead.
Romney booed at NAACP
“He’s confident they’ll boo Romney, simply because Romney’s white,” Limbaugh said. “He’s confident of that. But he knows that he’s gonna have hell to pay in private meetings with these people. He’s not gonna get anywhere near it. So what an insult. Here’s Obama sending Biden, not going himself.”
Limbaugh portrayed the crowd at the NAACP’s annual convention in Houston as ignorant of what was good for them and susceptible to pandering from Obama and other Democratic politicians.
“This group wants to hear about tax increases and bigger government to take care of people,” he said, according to a transcript. “They don’t want to hear about self-reliance, they don’t want to hear about free enterprise. Free enterprise means you’ve gotta do it yourself. Free enterprise means it’s up to you. Free enterprise means you’re on your own. This group doesn’t want to hear that. I don’t think Romney got a single vote in here today.”
Limbaugh said Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have received standing ovations from black audiences by pandering. In contrast, Romney “sounded like Snow White with testicles. That’s not what this bunch wants to hear.”
After playing a clip of the crowd booing Romney for criticizing the president’s health care reform law, Limbaugh said the audience doesn’t “know what’s in it. They don’t care what’s in it. All they know is it’s Obama’s plan, and here comes Snow White with testicles in there ripping it to shreds, and so they’re booing him.” (Romney did receive a standing ovation at the end of the speech.)
“I would love to see somebody poll the conventioneers at the NAALCP and find out how many of them realize that they’re not getting free health care under Obamacare,” the conservative host continued. “That, in fact, they’re gonna be fined for not buying health insurance. I wonder how many of them know.” Limbaugh then cited “anecdotal” evidence from his “rich and powerful friends that owned and own businesses” that workers asked them after the Supreme Court decision if they would get free health care.
Limbaugh, referencing a Reuters story about Romney possibly naming a running mate soon, wondered whether former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would get the nod.
”What are the odds that he would pick Condoleezza Rice next week, coming off of this speech to the NAALCP?” he asked.Really, Rush? I'd love to poll the tea partiers at the GOP convention, to see how many know there aren't really death panels in the Affordable Health Care Act. And I'd like to poll them as well to see how many know where the President was born, and if he is a citizen -- the GOP members in those southern states aren't terribly bright or well educated generally. This is a blatant continuation of a pattern that attempts to divide and polarize groups of people instead of uniting us.
It raises the inevitable question - what was THEIR payoff to so disgrace themselves and to betray their community with whom they should have some empathy, to instead side with racists? Because it is one thing to hold a conservative political opinion, but it is another thing entirely to support someone who would harm people who are like yourself. There is no way that tax policies, voter ID policies, health and education policies supported by the right are NOT harmful to women, minorities and other groups.
I'm going to try contacting the NAACP later today, to see if there is a list of these 20 black Republicans R-money flew in. Tracking their campaign support could be interesting in the next few months, in understanding what money buys and doesn't buy this election cycle.
It is not the first time that R-money apparently has tried to fake support - as noted by BuzzFeed:
BYU Students Bus In To South Carolina To Rally For Romney The campaign has been buzzing about growing energy at recent events. But it turns out, many of the candidate's most energetic fans are actually in from Provo, Virginia, or D.C.
"But thiswasn't a grassroots youth movement rooted at the University of South Carolina. No, many of the students cheering on the candidate told BuzzFeed they were actually BYU students and young Mormons from D.C. and Virginia who traveled to the Palmetto State to give their coreligionist's presidential effort a much-needed jolt of energy.
Kat Wardle, a 23-year-old BYU student who is spending the semester in Washington, D.C., said she and several young Latter-Day Saints have been following Romney around the state, playing the role of cheerleaders at various campaign stops.So.......why would R-money make a habit of planting people to appear to be grass roots supporters where there aren't any? Remember this embarrassment in Michigan - the state where he was born and raised - back in February? There are very few people present, and a close scrut doesn't show up very many in the crowd (as in none that I noticed) who were black. So, Mitt 'buys' a few, well - rents them, or buys them off. Close enough to the same thing, don't you think?
"I was all over the place at the Lexington rally!" said Wardle, referring to a rainy outdoor event that the campaign has been spinning as an example of growing momentum. Despite the weather, a crowd of several hundred remained for the event and, Romney surrogates like Nikki Haley have pointed out, they were loud and proud.
"We were the girls dancing by the band and definitely the loudest ones there," Wardle said. "There is a group of 12 BYU Washington Seminary students, and several other random groups and some kids from [University of Utah]."
Another BYU student, who asked not to be named, said he traveled to South Carolina on a bus with several other Mormons and non-Mormons from Virginia, home to the small Mormon liberal arts school, Southern Virginia University. He said as far as he knew, the Romney campaign would be reimbursing the cost of the charter bus, and that volunteer coordinators suggested the out-of-towners show up at Tommy's. "
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