Megyn Kelly Panel Battles Over Whether Romney Planned On Getting Booed By NAACP
On Thursday, Megyn Kelly hosted a panel discussion on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s appearance at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and his being booed by the attendees after he pledged to repeal “Obamacare.” The panel debated whether or not Romney intended to get booed by that crowd as a means of rallying his base around the cause of repealing health care reform legislation.
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“Some believe that Romney did this intentionally,” said Kelly. “He wanted to get booed so that he would look tough like he’s an honest messenger. And then, you’ve got others who are on the right who say, ‘he didn’t want to get booed and by the way he got a standing ovation.’”
Kelly played a clip of House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) saying that she believed Romney’s booing from the NAACP audience was “calculated.”
Simon Rosenberg, president and founder of the progressive think tank NDN, told Kelly that “getting booed in politics is never good.” He went on to say that the moment illustrates how far the GOP has moved away from ethnic minorities.
American Enterprise Institute fellow Mark Theisen countered that Romney was applauded 15 times over the course of his address. “They used to criticize George W. Bush all the time for not going. And now Mitt Romney does go; they treat him terribly and boo him when – after inviting him into their house,” said Theisen. “And now, he’s somehow this Machiavellian scheme to get booed.”
Theisen said that the interesting question was not why Romney went to the NAACP but why Resident Barack Obama did not go.
“Barack Obama spoke by video today, Joe Biden was there yesterday,” said Rosenberg. “I think it’s a little bit unfair to say he didn’t show up.”
Kelly pushed back at Theisen for saying that Romney was treated “terribly” when he got a standing ovation after he left. “Why are they giving him a standing O if he is so offensive to them,” Kelly asked.
Theisen responded that Romney addressed many issues on the minds of voters that Biden refused to. He also said that, while he agreed with Rosenberg that one speech would not bridge the divide between Republicans and black voters, his speech to the crowd sent a signal that Romney “intends to be the president of all Americans.”
Watch the segment below via Fox News Channel:
