President Declines NAACP Invite To Speak

[Beetwasher]

PHILADELPHIA - President Bush (news - web sites) declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP's annual convention, the group said.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (news - web sites) expects more than 8,000 people to attend the convention opening Saturday.

Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) accepted an invitation to speak next Thursday on the final day of the convention, the NAACP said.

Bush spoke at the 2000 NAACP convention in Baltimore when he was a candidate. But he has declined invitations to speak in each year of his presidency, the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend an NAACP convention, John White, a spokesman for the group, said Wednesday.

--snip--

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=17&u=/ap/brf_bush_naacp

There's our "uniter" again!! Love Hoover reference! That's two awful things he's responsible for that haven't happened since Hoover! Job losses and now this!

[fdr_hst_fan]

1. I'm not surprised;

I'm white, and I know that, if you're NOT like Kinda Sleazy Rice, Smirk has no use for you as a Black person.

[rpannier]

2. Bet shrub would have shown up if NAACP stood for

the National Association for the Advancement of Corporate Profits.

[soup]

9. Ha! Good one, rpannier.

Nice twist on the acronym. :applause:

There's another group that *jr has shut out. The CBC. *He met with them in late January, 2001 - then repeatedly refused another meeting.

January 31, 2001

Remarks by the President Before Meeting with Congressional Black Caucus
The Cabinet Room

5:32 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson from Dallas, Texas, and you all for coming. I appreciate -- Madam Chairman. I look forward to a good dialogue on subjects that are on the members' minds and on my mind, as well. I think we'll have a good discussion about public education. While there may be some discussion about details, all of us, surely, believe the great hope for this country is to make sure every child -- I mean every child -- is educated.

I look forward to sharing with the members who don't know me well some of my experiences as the governor of the state of Texas and what I've tried to do to fulfill that promise and fulfill that pledge.

This will be the beginning of, hopefully, a lot of meetings. I hope you come back, and I'll certainly be inviting. But thanks for coming. It's an important part of my job -- is to talk to everybody who is in the legislative body. I will remind you all, I understand the difference between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch. I only get to suggest. You all pass the laws. And that's what we're here to work --

REPRESENTATIVE MCKINNEY: That's right. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I understand that well. But thank you all for coming. It's an honor for you to be here.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20010131-3.html

-----

"This will be the beginning of, hopefully, a lot of meetings. I hope you come back, and I'll certainly be inviting."
LIAR

It's an honor for you to be here? What the heck kind of statement is that? Not, I'm honored, but it's an honor for you?! Sometimes I think his little 'bushisms' are not 'bushisms' but deliberate and barbed truths.

-----

CBC Chair Declines Meeting With President Bush

Press Release
July 17, 2003

The Congressional Black Caucus Chair was invited by the White House to join a group of Congressional members to meet with President George W. Bush to discuss the President's recent trip to Africa. In a letter submitted to the President today, Chairman Cummings respectfully declined.

Chairman Cummings issued the following brief statement:

"I respectfully declined an invitation to meet with the President today.

The CBC has requested a meeting with the President for over two-and-a-half years and, unfortunately, each time he has refused. I appreciate the President's gesture to include me as a part of a group of congressional members to be briefed on his recent trip to Africa.

However, I would hope that the President would meet with the CBC, as a whole, on the many pressing domestic and international challenges facing this country. As public servants, we have a duty to put aside our differences and come together for the good of the country. I hope the President feels the same way."
http://www.globalblacknews.com/Cummings.html

[mstrsplinter326]

3. As I understand it, Kerry pissed off the black community

A little while back at some african-american centered event he chose to give a speech totally unrelated to the needs of the black community. I hope he picks up their issues.

[kerryin2004]

4. How do THEIR issues differ with America's?? n/t

[mstrsplinter326]

5. They don't - they differ with Kerry's priorities. n/t

[kerryin2004]

6. Please explain further..n/t

[mstrsplinter326]

7. Ok.

Every social/economical/recial sect has it's priorities right? Every one has something that affects them more often and more directly. An NAACP convention would have lots of interesting potential topics especially considering that Kerry, Gore and others have left the Black community out in the cold on a plethora of occasions before.

Have you F911 (The scene on the floor of congress)? Incredably powerful stuff.

Anyway, my point was just to say that I hope that the trend of keeping them out in the cold does not continue. I hope Kerry picks Univerisal Healthcare or ending the 'war on drugs' (as if you could have a war on a noun...) for his speech topic at the NAACP - And then actually carries out what he suggests there.

[Bridget Burke]

10. I saw the scene on the floor of congress when it happened.

My rep, Sheila Jackson Lee, was prominently featured.

Which particular Kerry speech are you complaining about? Got a link, so we can get more details?

[mstrsplinter326]

12. Unfortunately not....

I was reading about it on BuzzFlash or Media Channel or something, I wish I did have a link. He chose something like "The need to dismantle old nuclear plants" for his topic... Important, not pressing, and nonetheless strangly out of place.

[cosmicdot]

8. rate that article a "5"

with Kenny Boy in handcuff photos abound ... it's a high-five, rate them all 5 day all-around

[Hegemony Cricket]

11. I wonder if the website still has those pictures on it...

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-weschler13may13,1,6199847.story

He's the Picture of Racial Compassion
The president's website is chock-full of nifty photographs. But does Bush think that images of him hanging out with black people is enough?


By Lawrence Weschler, Lawrence Weschler, author of the forthcoming book "Vermeer in Bosnia," heads the New York Institute for the Humanities at NYU.


Quick. Before they take it down. Go to your computer, log on to http://www.georgewbush.com — the official Bush/Cheney '04 reelection website.

OK, now notice how running horizontally along the top there's a row of file tabs: Economy, Compassion, Health Care, Education, Homeland Security and so forth.

So, hmmm: Compassion. What could that mean? What might that involve, thematically speaking? Click the tab, and there you are on the Compassion page.

[Mithras61]

13. It doesn't have pictures, but you can check the "brief" here...

http://www.georgewbush.com/Compassion/Brief.aspx

You'll probably either laugh or :puke: at some of his claims. I especially like the $300 million to help 600,000 ex-offenders (his words, not mine). That works out to $500 each, which I'm sure will make for a really effective program for these people. I mean, that ammount of money will almost pay their rent for one month! They should be honored to have these funds! :puke:

I guess if you don't look at the benefits as being equally divided amougnst the people that are supposed to receive the benefit from the program, his programs sound like wonderful things. The problem is that he thinks we can treat/train/finance without money to do it right. It all looks good on paper, but when the time comes to actually finance the initiatives, Shrub is nowhere around.

[Hegemony Cricket]

16. I prefer laughing while puking...and the pictures are still up...:)

...albeit a tad more hidden as a teensy link on the bottom right:

http://www.georgewbush.com/Compassion/PhotoAlbum.aspx?gallery=29

[Catshrink]

17. There it is, front and center, the jackass with the Pope

I knew that visit was nothing more than a photo op to pander to the Catholic voters.

[indypaul]

14. Doesn't the leadership of the NAACP

understand that his attendance would be assured only if
the gathering could be classified as a fund-raiser.
Similar to the one held yesterday in North Carolina which
was reported to be $25,000 per plate. That would be a nice
round figure with which you might start negotiations.

[MidwestTransplant]

15. He and Hoover have a lot in common

Both lost jobs in their admin. and both failed to attend the NAACP convention.

Pass it on....

[TahitiNut]

18. He already spoke. "Who cares what you think?" covered it.

:shrug:

[Sandpiper]

19. The only black people Bush likes to be around

Are the Condi/Clarence Thomas house negro variety. Bush doesn't like darkies who question what ole massa has to say.

[struggle4progress]

20. kick for king george

:kick: