Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain delivered a speech at the 99th annual NAACP national convention in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 16, 2008.
Republican presidential hopeful John McCain praised Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday in a speech to black leaders and outlined what he called honest differences with Obama over taxes, spending and education.
“I am a candidate for president who seeks your vote and hopes to earn it,” he told the NAACP, the country’s oldest civil rights organization and one of its most influential. “But whether or not I win your support, I need your goodwill and counsel. And should I succeed, I’ll need it all the more.”
Indeed, McCain told the NAACP that he thinks highly of Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president.
“Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s an impressive fellow in many ways,” McCain said to applause from the crowd.
“His success should make Americans, all Americans, proud. Of course, I would prefer his success not to continue quite as long as he hopes,” he quipped.
McCain’s warm comments showed there was no point in bashing the most popular politician in the African-American community. A poll published on Wednesday by The New York Times and CBS News said more than 80 percent of black voters said they had a favorable opinion of Obama.
And a poll this week from the Quinnipiac University said Obama led McCain among black voters 94 percent to 1 percent.
McCain accepted an invitation to speak to the NAACP this year after not appearing last July, a decision he said was due to the near-collapse of his campaign, which prompted him to launch a shake-up.
Source: McCain praises rival Obama at NAACP convention
McCain told the largely African-American crowd that the “worst problems in our public school systems are often found in black communities.”
After his speech, McCain engaged in a lively town hall-style meeting with members, taking question on Midwest flooding, the kind of judges he would appoint, and the No Child Left Behind Act.
He even argued with a woman who asked him to provide more money for Head Start programs, saying he would do - if there is “monitoring, measurable success. There has to be a return on the taxpayer’s dollars,” he said. The woman argued that there had been monitoring and success.
Source: McCain touts vouchers, takes questions
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Photo credit: Photos 1-3 Scott Olson/Getty Images North America; Photos 4-5 Gary Landers/The Cincinnati Enquirer
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Video & Photos: John McCain Speech at 99th NAACP National Convention 7-16-08
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