Romney vow to repeal health law received with boos

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was the target of boos after he told the NAACP that he'd repeal Obama's federal health law if he became president. The audience, however, applauded other parts of his speech.

The Wall Street Journal: NAACP Cool Toward Romney's Overtures
Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney drew loud boos Wednesday when he pledged to repeal President Barack Obama's health law in a speech to the country's largest civil rights organization (O'Connor, 7/11).

Politico: Mitt At NAACP: Booed On Health Care
The Republican's call to repeal the health-care overhaul -- which forms a standard part of Romney's stump speech -- also drew loud cries that temporarily drowned out his speech, causing Romney's reception by the group to veer from genial to borderline hostile (Summers, 7/11).

The Associated Press: Romney Faces NAACP, Booed For Hitting 'Obamacare'
The reception was occasionally rocky though generally polite as the Republican presidential candidate sought to woo a Democratic bloc that voted heavily for Obama four years ago and is certain to do so again. Romney was booed when he vowed to repeal "Obamacare" -- the Democrat's signature health care measure -- and the crowd interrupted him when he accused Obama of failing to spark a more robust economic recovery (Hunt, 7/11).

McClatchy Newspapers: As Mitt Romney Courts NAACP, Audience Boos Vow To Repeal Health Care Law
The overwhelmingly Democratic group roundly booed him, however, when he declared that he'd repeal the health care law. "I'm going to eliminate every nonessential, expensive program I can find; that includes Obamacare," Romney said to a long chorus of jeers. A woman in the back of the hall shouted, "You mean Romneycare" (Douglas and Lightman, 7/11).

Market Watch: Romney Booed At NAACP Conference Over Health Comments
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney spoke before the heavily Democratic NAACP convention Wednesday and was met with lukewarm applause, and some boos. Romney didn't score any points when he went off script and vowed to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law. The remark was met with sustained boos that reportedly lasted for roughly 10 seconds (Britt, 7/11).

Reuters: Romney Speech To NAACP Draws Boos, Raises Questions On Strategy
Appearing before the annual convention of the NAACP -- a group whose members are among Obama's strongest supporters -- Romney gave what amounted to his standard campaign pitch, emphasizing his ability to create jobs. Although several of his lines were greeted with applause, Romney drew waves of boos when he blasted Obama's record on jobs and the health care overhaul that was backed by the president and recently upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court (Holland, 7/11).

In other campaign news, a race for Missouri attorney general is also focusing on the health law --

St. Louis Beacon: Martin Ad Promises New Legal Strategy To Upend Federal Health Care Law
Ed Martin, a Republican candidate for Missouri attorney general, has released his first television ad this week; it is a spot that focuses on his opposition to the federal health care law. Entitled "Minute," the 30-second ad features the St. Louis lawyer standing in what appears to be a hospital. Martin notes that "over 30 states filed lawsuits to stop Obamacare -- but not Missouri. Our attorney general sat it out," said Martin, referring to incumbent Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster. "I'm Ed Martin. During my first minute in office -- and I mean minute -- we'll have a new legal strategy to stop Obamacare" (Rosenbaum, 7/11).