McCain, Obama to speak to NAACP

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama and John McCain vie for African-American votes this week with appearances at the NAACP convention in Cincinnati, a stop with potential opportunities and pitfalls for both candidates.

Obama is to speak tonight. On the surface, the venerable civil-rights organization's 99th convention should be a love fest between the African-American attendees and the first African American with a real chance of being elected president.

But last week's comments by the Rev. Jesse Jackson about Obama "talking down" to African Americans brought to light concerns among some civil-rights activists and African-American academics about Obama.

Some have taken quiet umbrage at Obama's proposal to expand President Bush's faith-based initiative and his comments about the moral responsibilities of African-American fathers; they say his remarks are designed more to woo and soothe white voters than to address issues impacting the African-American community.

"I think the public reception at the NAACP will be very warm, but I think behind closed doors there will be some frank give and take, something short of contentious, but sharp give and take," said Michael Dawson, a University of Chicago political scientist who specializes in African-American politics.

Alvin Tillery, a political-science professor at Rutgers University, said that old-guard civil-rights activists won't complain publicly about Obama's approach "because they don't want to alienate a community that wants Obama to be president."

Obama is expected to talk about how the nation's economic crunch is affecting African Americans, according to Candice Tolliver, a campaign spokeswoman.

"He'll talk about what some folks feel is the next civil-rights frontier — economics," Tolliver said. "He'll tell how organizations like the NAACP can be partners in helping families through times like this. If you look at the economy, from credit cards to bankruptcy to unemployment, it's African Americans who are disproportionately impacted in all the categories."

Bruce Ransom, a political-science professor at South Carolina's Clemson University, said Obama's speech will keep Obama on the tightrope he's carefully walked throughout the campaign — reaching out to African Americans without alienating whites.

McCain's appearance at the NAACP convention Wednesday fits into his effort to reach out to groups that aren't traditionally courted by Republican presidential candidates. Opportunity and education will be the theme of his remarks, according to Brian Rogers, a McCain campaign spokesman.

"Sen. McCain reaches out to all voters," Rogers said. "It's not just lip service. He actually goes, makes his case, not only to tell about his vision, but to hear from them."

McCain has spoken about the Bush administration's failures in dealing with New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, commemorated the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by attending an event outside Memphis' Lorraine Motel — where King was shot — and said he was wrong in voting against a federal holiday for King.

He also has toured economically distressed areas, including southwest Alabama's rural, poor Black Belt.

McCain's efforts aren't expected to win over many African-American voters.

"Obama is going to get the highest percentage of the black vote of any presidential candidate in history," said David Bositis of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. "What McCain will be in the African-American community is 'Who?' "

Still, McCain is likely to get kudos from conventioneers for showing up. President Bush attended two NAACP conventions — once as a candidate in 2000 and once as president in 2006.

"There are independents, moderate Republicans and some Democrats who are attracted to Sen. McCain overall but disenchanted with Republican politics that they might view as narrow, divisive, un-inclusive or mean-spirited," Dawson said. "This could help him show that he's different."