“Even considering the politics here, it seems odd that the first African-American President is sending his vice president to address the NAACP national convention in an election year,” the official said. …

But theories abound as to why Obama skipped the convention, with rumors being passed around over dinner buffets and in Starbucks lines. Several attendees claimed that a rift had recently formed between the NAACP board and the First Lady’s office (though no one had firsthand knowledge of the supposed breaking point). Others speculated that conservatives would have used the president’s presence at the convention to appeal to racist voters. And one prominent civil rights leader was still holding out hope minutes before Biden’s speech was scheduled to begin that the president would surprise the convention and show up. …

“We can give him a pass,” Chambliss concluded. “But to say it was a scheduling conflict, that’s bull. At the end of the day, it’s the NAACP; you schedule stuff around them. You’re supposed to know when there’s a convention, and you’re supposed to come.”