The NAACP announced Monday the group will not invite President Donald Trump to its national convention next month in Charlotte, North Carolina, the first time the prominent civil rights organization has opted to exclude a sitting president in its 116-year history.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson announced the move at an afternoon press conference, accusing Trump of working against its mission.
“This has nothing to do with political party,” Johnson said in a statement. “Our mission is to advance civil rights, and the current president has made clear that his mission is to eliminate civil rights.”
Giving those you’re fighting against an opportunity to publicly embarrass themselves can have many advantages. It also paints you as a group who is open to a good faith discussion about topics you know you disagree with these people on, which helps to gain more general public support for your causes.
It also gives them legitimacy and lets them pretend they aren’t horrible racists.
I think the fact that they were sitting presidents is what gave them the most legitimacy. Fighting against racism usually means engaging in various ways with racists, so I simply disagree.
The office of the presidency isn’t inherently legitimate, it gets its legitimacy because civil society groups like the NAACP give it legitimacy.
But, also? Why didn’t they invite Trump this time?
The fear of “giving people legitimacy” was valid when it was relatively unknown alternative right thinkers that you had to be paying attention to know their names, and even when Trump had an electoral college victory. But in these days, your Trumps and Rogans have more than double the legitimacy that you even have to give out.
So you oppose them not inviting Trump?