GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory is skipping the North Carolina NAACP state convention this week, a move that comes amid accusations from black leaders and his Democratic rival that he doesn't understand the needs of African Americans.
The group invited McCrory and Democrat Walter Dalton to a debate Saturday afternoon as part of a three-day convention. McCrory's campaign said it look at all its debate requests and picked the ones it could accommodate. "We turned down lots of debate requests because we obviously can't do them all," spokesman Brian Nick said. "Just the nature of a campaign that you can't do everything ... only so much time."
Dalton is scheduled to attend the state convention this week, where Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue will give the keynote speech Friday. The national president of the NAACP Benjamin Todd Jealous is also expected to attend.
McCrory will spend Saturday at a fundraiser in Gastonia.
A recent McCrory TV ad -- featuring a white sheriff who blamed race for his failed re-election -- stirred complaints from black leaders in North Carolina who asked the campaign to remove it from the air.
Melvin "Skip" Alston, the former state NAACP president, called the TV ad "race-bating."
The NAACP's invite -- and McCrory's decision not to participate -- came well before the recent controversy about race in the governor's campaign, the spokesman said.
McCrory -- and other GOP gubernatorial candidates -- also skipped a NAACP forum in January 2008 citing scheduling issues. A conservative columnist wrote at the time that snubbing the minority group "was an insult."
Comments
Black people have a reason to be scared
October 10, 2012 - 10:18pm — turnmyswagonI'm scared for North Carolina if Pat McCrory and the GOP listen to folks like "ohharward." It's okay for Pat McCrory to embrace the Tea Party, but the oldest civil rights group in the nation is too radical?
Given this logic, I can guess where "ohharward" and McCrory would have stood if we were back in the 1960s. Dr. King was a radical, huh? Giving blacks the right to vote or allowing interracial marriage didn't poll well, so should we have pursued it? Because many evangelical leaders supported segregation, I guess this guy would argue we should have kept it in place.
I think Pat McCrory has a proven record of pandering to whoever will line his campaign coffers, and right now, the bigots like Wayne Gay and "ohharward" are taking center stage.
Pat McCrory supports North Carolinians ideals
October 10, 2012 - 7:45pm — oyharwardRepublican Gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory is to be commended for rejecting to join North Carolina’s “radical” left-wing NAACP leadership and/or not participating in North Carolina’s NAACP State Convention.
First, the NAACP leadership opposes “Voter ID” legislation, an election process to protect the integrity of our political process. Based on political polls, 68% of North Carolinians support “Voter ID” legislation. The GOP majority NC General Assembly passed the legislation, only to have NC Governor Beverly Perdue to “Veto” the legislation. NC Governor Beverly Perdue remains as the lowest rated Governor across America.
Secondly, the NAACP leadership opposes a “NC Constitutional Amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman as the only legal union recognized by the state.” North Carolina’s voters overwhelmingly approved the state constitutional amendment 60 percent to 40 percent. Many evangelical leaders, including Rev. Billy Graham, supported this NC Constitutional Amendment.
Republican Gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory has a proven record of working with all citizens, regardless of race.