NAACP boos Mitt Romney

HOUSTON – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was booed by an African-American crowd on Wednesday when he told them he would eliminate President Barack Obama's signature policy achievement, the U.S. healthcare overhaul.

Romney's conservative message did not go down very well with an audience of the NAACP's annual convention. The crowd of hundreds in a half-filled ballroom had applauded politely on occasion until he got to the portion of his speech where he said if elected on Nov. 6, he would work to repeal and replace the healthcare plan.

"I'm going to eliminate every expensive, non-essential program. That includes Obamacare," Romney said. Then the boos erupted.

Romney seemed unsettled by the reaction.

He also drew boos when he said the Democratic president had promised to create more jobs, but "he will not, he cannot, and his record of the last four years proves it."

And boos erupted once again when he said:

"If I am president, job one for me will be creating jobs. I have no hidden agenda. If you want a president who will make things better in the African American community, you are looking at him."

(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Vicki Allen)