Mitt Romney is challenging Barack Obama for the presidency, and before the 2012 election, there are some things Black people should know about the Republican candidate. The 65-year-old former Massachusetts governor is a divisive figure—and not just because he’s a super-wealthy Mormon who once supported a state health care plan similar to the one that he and his party have blasted President Obama for implementing on the national level. As Nov. 6 approaches, we decided to make a list of five things Black folks should know about Mitt Romney.
1. Romney’s Not Doing So Hot With Black Voters
According to an August 2012 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Mitt Romney is getting zero percent of the Black vote. President Obama, meanwhile, is getting 94 percent. In the 2009 election, Obama captured 96 percent of the black vote.
2. Romney Got Booed by the NAACP—Then Accused Them of Wanting “Free Stuff”
In July 2012, after promising to repeal Obamacare, Mitt Romney was booed at an NAACP conference in Houston. Days later, speaking at a Montana fundraiser, he accused members of the venerable civil rights organization of wanting “more stuff from the government.” His remarks, as per Mediaite.com: “When I mentioned I am going to get rid of Obamacare they weren’t happy, I didn’t get the same response. That’s ok, I want people to know what I stand for and if I don’t stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that’s just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy-more free stuff. But don’t forget nothing is really free.”
3. Romney Believes He Can Help Black People
At the same NAACP conference where he was booed, Romney said he’s a better choice for Black people than Obama. “If you want a president who will make things better in the African-American community, you are looking at him,” Romney said, according to the New York Times. He later told Fox News, “I expect to get black votes.”
4. Romney Lied—or At Least Misspoke—About His Father Marching With MLK
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