Bush - NAACP: opportunity lost
In what appeared to be, at first glance, a surprise visit to the NAACP, turns out not to be much of a surprise at all. When your approval ratings seem to be stuck at 30 to 35%, you really need to go and talk to anyone who will listen.
President Bush has not had a cozy relationship with the NAACP or with the African-American community as a whole. His approval ratings in the African-American community, post Katrina, sat at an abysmal 2%. So, today was a unique opportunity to prove to the African-American community and to America that President Bush represents all Americans. Unfortunately, with many of his opportunities, he drops the ball.
There were no new programs proposed. There were no new packages of relief for the Gulf Coast. There was no increase in funding for inner-city programs — which he is cut over and over and over again. Head Start, college loan programs, college scholarship programs, afterschool programs, work training programs, small-business loans, the whole small business administration, low income heating and energy assistance program are just a few of the programs that are targeted to the poor and are supported by African-Americans which Bush has cut in the last six years. He had a golden opportunity to pick any one of those programs and prop them up with some funding… but no.
Unfortunately, President Bush took this opportunity to patronize African-Americans. He took the opportunity to tell us how important the civil rights movement was. He took the opportunity to tell us how important our ancestors were. Chalk this one up to another opportunity — Lost.
[...] Bush - NAACP: opportunity lost [...]