>> a very busy news. braining news, republican house of representatives moments ago voting to repeal the affordable care act . the 33rd time they have held such a vote to smack down their nemesis known as obamacare. there we are. live pictures. that loaded label came up in the other big event of the day, mitt romney going deep in the heart of texas and making his case that he would serve the african-american community better than the current occupant of the white house . yes. romney made a move for the black vote at the annual con freps conference of the naacp . putting on a game face of friday night lights and trying to pry away support from the man that's 2 most visible sign of the success of that very organization. the president himself. and take a look. they did. a double take by the sounds of it when mr. romney offered up his plan to repeal the president's signature health care law .
>> i'm going to eliminate every non-essential expensive program i can find. that includes obamacare and i'm going to work to reform and save -- [ booing ]
>> don't worry if romney looked stunned there. he carried on bravely trotting out his favorite chamber of commerce study reassuring the naacp audience with a bogus survey by a lobbyist group. i'm sure they felt much better after that. while governor romney was enjoying a cheer down in texas, house speaker john boehner was bringing his former swagger to the house floor. aiming to bring down the affordable care act with yet another pointless house vote and igniting the usual fireworks.
>> this law continues to mack our economy worse and there is even more resolve to see it is fully repeal.
>> welcome to groundhog day .
>> they are voting for wealth care for the most profitable industries in the history of the united states of america .
>> what a valentine to the health insurance industry.
>> obamacare also has disastrous implications for the moral fabric of our nation.
>> welcome to groundhog day .
>> and here's the good news. the voters get the last word in november. stay tuned .
>> we will stay tuned , indeed. joining us now here in new york is msnbc contributor jonathan capehea capeheart. clarence page of "the chicago tribune ." jonathan writes for "the washington post ." good day to both of you. have to ask you both this question. i want to start with you, john, was mitt romney really addressing the audience that he was in front of or was he speaking to some other people in that speech? because -- the speech itself was a stump speech that i have heard when he's been in new hampshire, when he has been in wisconsin. interest didn't seem any different. who was he really speaking to?
>> he was sfeg to both audiences and in his stump speech is void of any specifics which has, you know, democrats and republicans on and the like scratching their heads and begging for more. but -- in all speeches there are multiple audiences. on the one hand he's saying to african- americans you are just like everyone else i talk to. you are a part of the united states . here's my overall message.
>> thank you for reminding us of that. excellent.
>> but the other audience is still his core constituency. his base. his being booed by saying he will repeal obamacare, i think that will be to his been pit and shows his constituency shows one, he is not afraid to say obamacare to the audience that's the most loyal constituency to -- to president obama and that he then took in the boos and went off script and add libbed this study that you called bogus shows he -- let me reiterate what you said at the top of the segment. shows he is -- he's not afraid of -- not afraid of a fight. so he's doing -- he is doing multiple things. i think tactically speaking, politically speaking, not so bad.
>> clarence , what do you think that mitt romney actually welcomed the booing in some ways? maybe it kind of was helpful to him because if -- he's going off to montana and then he's going to see dick cheney in wyoming. he can go there and wave this one and say look, boys, i got booed at the naacp .
>> martin, how can you have such a cynical notion as to think that mitt romney might find some value in a situation like this? seriously. i was wondering the same thing. i don't know the -- i don't mean mitt romney wants to be portrayed as a man black people don't like. when you look at the speech, indeed it was the same talking points he normally gives when campaigning to his base. but also, the same words, i mean, when you talk about obamacare, to say obamacare to the naacp , is like praising cheeseburgers to a convention of vegans. this organization has been very much -- in favor of obamacare for a variety of reasons and for him to use that term, of course, everybody knows it started out as republican code. he never says romneycare. he's very happy to say obamacare. loaded like he -- he was talking to a group of tea party folks. i don't think he was really surprised by the booing. and -- certainly he scores points either way with middle of the road folks important just the fact he showed up. but had's making the outreach. george w. bush did it as a candidate but then went several years without showing up at the naacp as president.
>> yes, he did. i remember. he went in 2000 and never appeared again.
>> yeah. i think -- i at tend he may have appeared at the naacp group. yeah, you are right. basically, though, a lot of antipathy built up over the years because of that. romney is making the outreach. he gets points for that. he also is running against the first black president . and so the fact he shows up as important. he made good points. i thought the idea of school choice is a great issue to go after the black vote with because democrats are tied to the futures union, opposed to anything involved in choice. rank and file , black folks like it. the problem was, you know, once again, he had the words but not the music. i think -- you know. in that way he -- he didn't win a lot of black votes today.
>> part of romney 's problem is, one, he's mitt romney . also, he's the presumptive nominee of a party that by generally speaking has either ignored african- americans or scapegoated african- americans for a lot of the harms and ills face thing country. so there he goes to this audience and i'm sure he wasn't expecting, you know a warm embrace. but at the end of his -- despite all of the boos at the end of his speech he got a standing ovation and that's because ultimately it is about respect. and african- americans -- because they have been ignored and scapegoated, any republican nominee, any republican who goes to them and actually asks for their vote will then -- proper response and rye response is to -- honor that and -- honor that and that's what they did.
>> respectful reaction. there's no doubt about that. i want to you listen to some more of mr. romney today. take a listen to this.
>> if you want a president who will make things better in the african-american community, you are looking at him. you take a look.
>> clarence , you take a look because i can't. i can't look at that. i can't.
>> control yourself now.
>> i'm sorry, clarence . i just can't.
>> get yourself together. let me play the owed man here and say -- i remember his father, george romney , who was a very, very, very popular governor of michigan . black people loved george romney . wherever he went black folks turned out like he was humphrey or something. very popular with black voters. hay knew how to talk with black voters. his son, mitt romney , knows how to talk at black voters. that was the difference today. when he stands up there and says you want somebody to help black people ? you are looking at him. yeah, right here. i'm the guy.
>> i toad you not to repeat that.
>> his father never had to say that.
>> the inning thing about -- end of mitt romney 's speech, he's talking about all of the touting being accomplishments of his father in the realm of civil rights --
>> supporting the civil rights movement . marching.
>> i'm sitting there thinking -- why are we talking about what your father did and not talking about what you have done as a governor of massachusetts and as someone who is seeking to be a senator from massachusetts and as someone who ran for president before. he has no civil rights record to run on. he didn't mention it. i thought it was just weird and odd that he would try to ride on his father's coattails when it comes to civil rights but will completely ignore his far's legacy when it comes to financial disclosure and putting out your tax returns . presidential candidates, the only reason why they put forth that your -- actual income tax returns is because george romney in 1967 released welfare years of tax returns because he wanted people to know for sure that the wealth he had was not just a flush fluke as he said, single years trying to get over on people base you cannily is what he was saying.
>> jonathan capehart and clarence page , i apologize to both of you for laughing. but that was very difficult to watch.
>> i'm going to eliminate every non-essential expensive program i can find. that includes obamacare and i'm going to work to reform and save -- [ booing ]
>> don't worry if romney looked stunned there. he carried on bravely trotting out his favorite chamber of commerce study reassuring the naacp audience with a bogus survey by a lobbyist group. i'm sure they felt much better after that. while governor romney was enjoying a cheer down in texas, house speaker john boehner was bringing his former swagger to the house floor. aiming to bring down the affordable care act with yet another pointless house vote and igniting the usual fireworks.
>> this law continues to mack our economy worse and there is even more resolve to see it is fully repeal.
>> welcome to groundhog day .
>> they are voting for wealth care for the most profitable industries in the history of the united states of america .
>> what a valentine to the health insurance industry.
>> obamacare also has disastrous implications for the moral fabric of our nation.
>> welcome to groundhog day .
>> and here's the good news. the voters get the last word in november. stay tuned .
>> we will stay tuned , indeed. joining us now here in new york is msnbc contributor jonathan capehea capeheart. clarence page of "the chicago tribune ." jonathan writes for "the washington post ." good day to both of you. have to ask you both this question. i want to start with you, john, was mitt romney really addressing the audience that he was in front of or was he speaking to some other people in that speech? because -- the speech itself was a stump speech that i have heard when he's been in new hampshire, when he has been in wisconsin. interest didn't seem any different. who was he really speaking to?
>> he was sfeg to both audiences and in his stump speech is void of any specifics which has, you know, democrats and republicans on and the like scratching their heads and begging for more. but -- in all speeches there are multiple audiences. on the one hand he's saying to african- americans you are just like everyone else i talk to. you are a part of the united states . here's my overall message.
>> thank you for reminding us of that. excellent.
>> but the other audience is still his core constituency. his base. his being booed by saying he will repeal obamacare, i think that will be to his been pit and shows his constituency shows one, he is not afraid to say obamacare to the audience that's the most loyal constituency to -- to president obama and that he then took in the boos and went off script and add libbed this study that you called bogus shows he -- let me reiterate what you said at the top of the segment. shows he is -- he's not afraid of -- not afraid of a fight. so he's doing -- he is doing multiple things. i think tactically speaking, politically speaking, not so bad.
>> clarence , what do you think that mitt romney actually welcomed the booing in some ways? maybe it kind of was helpful to him because if -- he's going off to montana and then he's going to see dick cheney in wyoming. he can go there and wave this one and say look, boys, i got booed at the naacp .
>> martin, how can you have such a cynical notion as to think that mitt romney might find some value in a situation like this? seriously. i was wondering the same thing. i don't know the -- i don't mean mitt romney wants to be portrayed as a man black people don't like. when you look at the speech, indeed it was the same talking points he normally gives when campaigning to his base. but also, the same words, i mean, when you talk about obamacare, to say obamacare to the naacp , is like praising cheeseburgers to a convention of vegans. this organization has been very much -- in favor of obamacare for a variety of reasons and for him to use that term, of course, everybody knows it started out as republican code. he never says romneycare. he's very happy to say obamacare. loaded like he -- he was talking to a group of tea party folks. i don't think he was really surprised by the booing. and -- certainly he scores points either way with middle of the road folks important just the fact he showed up. but had's making the outreach. george w. bush did it as a candidate but then went several years without showing up at the naacp as president.
>> yes, he did. i remember. he went in 2000 and never appeared again.
>> yeah. i think -- i at tend he may have appeared at the naacp group. yeah, you are right. basically, though, a lot of antipathy built up over the years because of that. romney is making the outreach. he gets points for that. he also is running against the first black president . and so the fact he shows up as important. he made good points. i thought the idea of school choice is a great issue to go after the black vote with because democrats are tied to the futures union, opposed to anything involved in choice. rank and file , black folks like it. the problem was, you know, once again, he had the words but not the music. i think -- you know. in that way he -- he didn't win a lot of black votes today.
>> part of romney 's problem is, one, he's mitt romney . also, he's the presumptive nominee of a party that by generally speaking has either ignored african- americans or scapegoated african- americans for a lot of the harms and ills face thing country. so there he goes to this audience and i'm sure he wasn't expecting, you know a warm embrace. but at the end of his -- despite all of the boos at the end of his speech he got a standing ovation and that's because ultimately it is about respect. and african- americans -- because they have been ignored and scapegoated, any republican nominee, any republican who goes to them and actually asks for their vote will then -- proper response and rye response is to -- honor that and -- honor that and that's what they did.
>> respectful reaction. there's no doubt about that. i want to you listen to some more of mr. romney today. take a listen to this.
>> if you want a president who will make things better in the african-american community, you are looking at him. you take a look.
>> clarence , you take a look because i can't. i can't look at that. i can't.
>> control yourself now.
>> i'm sorry, clarence . i just can't.
>> get yourself together. let me play the owed man here and say -- i remember his father, george romney , who was a very, very, very popular governor of michigan . black people loved george romney . wherever he went black folks turned out like he was humphrey or something. very popular with black voters. hay knew how to talk with black voters. his son, mitt romney , knows how to talk at black voters. that was the difference today. when he stands up there and says you want somebody to help black people ? you are looking at him. yeah, right here. i'm the guy.
>> i toad you not to repeat that.
>> his father never had to say that.
>> the inning thing about -- end of mitt romney 's speech, he's talking about all of the touting being accomplishments of his father in the realm of civil rights --
>> supporting the civil rights movement . marching.
>> i'm sitting there thinking -- why are we talking about what your father did and not talking about what you have done as a governor of massachusetts and as someone who is seeking to be a senator from massachusetts and as someone who ran for president before. he has no civil rights record to run on. he didn't mention it. i thought it was just weird and odd that he would try to ride on his father's coattails when it comes to civil rights but will completely ignore his far's legacy when it comes to financial disclosure and putting out your tax returns . presidential candidates, the only reason why they put forth that your -- actual income tax returns is because george romney in 1967 released welfare years of tax returns because he wanted people to know for sure that the wealth he had was not just a flush fluke as he said, single years trying to get over on people base you cannily is what he was saying.
>> jonathan capehart and clarence page , i apologize to both of you for laughing. but that was very difficult to watch.