BET's Bob Johnson' s Comments About Obama

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:12:36 PM EST
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Hillary Clinton supporter Bob Johnson, the President of Black Entertaiment Television, reportedly said:

I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood that I won't say what he was doing but he said it in his book."

To me the clear implication is that Johnson is referring to Barack Obama's admitted drug use. Bob Johnson has denied this:

My comments today were referring to Barack Obama's time spent as a community organizer, and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect. When Hillary Clinton was in her twenties she worked to provide protections for abused and battered children and helped ensure that children with disabilities could attend public school.n That results oriented leadership -- even as a young person -- is the reason I am supporting Hillary Clinton.

Umm, I am not sure what Johnson means in this denial. I'll leave it to the reader to decide whether this explanation from Mr. Johnson is credible. Suffice it to say that Mr. Johnson should be more careful in the future with his language.

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BET's Bob Johnson' s Comments About Obama | 45 comments (45 topical)

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Voters, and especially on the net, (5.00 / 1) (#54)
by RalphB on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 06:57:39 PM EST

keep saying they want unscripted, real, honest answers from politicians, etc. Yet everytime someone, not even the candidate, mispeaks or makes a statement that is not clearly uncontroversial, they get attacked by hordes of internet gnats buzzing around.

If you really want unscripted, real answers then shut up about the small stuff. I say 'If' because to me, people don't really want honest answers they just like to say it.

HIs statement (none / 0) (#1)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:16:07 PM EST

would have been much more powerful, if he had left the reference to drug use out. He shoots his defense of the Clinton's in the foot by doing it.

I actually buy (none / 0) (#2)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:18:08 PM EST

that the Clinton campaign had nothing to do with him bringing up the drug use in this case, because it is so clumsy.


That is self evident (none / 0) (#4)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:19:09 PM EST

Only a silly person would think otherwise. IMO of course.


I agree (none / 0) (#5)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:19:46 PM EST

It's a shame (none / 0) (#17)
by commissar on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:46:41 PM EST

That the Clinton campaign has so many clumsy surrogates.


Speak of the devil (none / 0) (#22)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:56:12 PM EST

My take (none / 0) (#35)
by commissar on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:22:38 PM EST

here.


: Like I said (none / 0) (#39)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:26:08 PM EST

speak of the devil.

He says he did (none / 0) (#3)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:18:24 PM EST

I am skeptical.


: I agree (none / 0) (#6)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:20:47 PM EST

He made a mistake.

But, isn't Jay Carson, Clinton spokesperson, (none / 0) (#7)
by oculus on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:24:35 PM EST

reinforcing any such reading of Bob Johnson's coment when Carson says it is "crystal clear"?

Doesn't seem to me that Johnson planned out his intro ahead of time; problem stems from "winging it."

Dirty And Obviously Dishonest (none / 0) (#8)
by squeaky on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:25:45 PM EST

What does he claim to have meant? Even though it is beside the point because his innuendo worked.

Obama's community oranizing work. (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by oculus on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:26:50 PM EST

Would that have been so hard to say?


: What An Idiot (none / 0) (#13)
by squeaky on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:30:54 PM EST

Utterly shameless because he knows that everyone knows what he is doing and doesn't care as long as the innuendo circulates.

His Claim (5.00 / 2) (#10)
by squeaky on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:28:16 PM EST

Is transparently dishonest.


surrogate warfare (none / 0) (#11)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:28:32 PM EST

is just slimy, and I'm referring to every candidates surrogates.

: I wish endorses would give (none / 0) (#12)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:30:07 PM EST

the honest reasons they support people, it would give voters actual insight.

I (none / 0) (#14)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:39:41 PM EST

"I will not stoop so low as to bring up my opponents drug use."

Thats the way keep the issue on the front burner while claiming not to touch the issue.

The politically correct (none / 0) (#15)
by RalphB on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:41:42 PM EST

brigades need to lighten up. These complaints are silly. The blogs are starting to sound like Ari Fleischer, "better watch what you say".

Are they going to accuse Bob Johnson of being a racist now?

I'd say he was an inappropriate choice to (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by oculus on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:45:12 PM EST

intro Hillary Clinton anywhere. Just have him stand by her on the stage and keep his mouth shut and even that might be too risky.


: On further reflection and research, (1.00 / 1) (#51)
by oculus on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 06:14:31 PM EST

I find Bob Johnson is one of the two wealthiest African Americans in the U.S. The other is Oprah. He is the first African American owner of a professional sports franchise. He has actively pushed for sending what sounds like a private army to Liberia. In 2002, he favored privatizing Social Security.

Yeah, there's no smear in (none / 0) (#19)
by MarkL on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:50:34 PM EST

alluding to a disreputable fact in Obama's background. He made a bad choice. Just because he admits it now doesn't mean we can't infer something negative (or positive, for that matter) from it.


Well if the Clinton campaign (none / 0) (#21)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:55:09 PM EST

were to openly use Obama's admitted drug use as a teenager as a campaign issue, they would suffer.

So if they are going to openly do it, i don't think it is a problem.


: I really do wonder about that, given (none / 0) (#25)
by oculus on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:58:44 PM EST

the fact Hillary Clinton attracted older voters in NH.

Except (none / 0) (#23)
by squeaky on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:56:31 PM EST

He was just talking about Community Service. Right?

Innuendo is always a smear. Had he just repeated a quote from Obama's book it would mean nothing more than we already know.

It is a smear because by innuendo Johnson implies that he knows something we don't, and won't say it because it is too damaging.


Another point to consider: What (none / 0) (#20)
by MarkL on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:51:47 PM EST

do people say about Hillary when they introduce Obama? Does that even get any scrutiny?

I will direct you to two posts from (none / 0) (#24)
by Jgarza on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:57:20 PM EST

Today, one on Durbins comments and another, on the records of two people who have endorsed him.


: Not an on point response. The (none / 0) (#27)
by oculus on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:00:17 PM EST

question was, what are people who intro Obama saying about Clinton?

Yep (none / 0) (#26)
by commissar on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 04:59:43 PM EST

They compare Hillary to Katharine Hepburn in "The State of the Union" all the time.

And if Jesse Jackson Jr had actually been as patronizing as THAT, ... well, I invite you to ponder the reaction here.


: Can you elaborate, please? (none / 0) (#31)
by MarkL on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:07:12 PM EST

Re: Intros (none / 0) (#57)
by commissar on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 07:11:39 PM EST

MarkL,

You asked if Obama's intros ever get any scrutiny. I suggested that, if in such intros they ever did anything as patronizing as comparing Hillary to Katharine Hepburn in The State of the Union, we'd have heard about it plenty.

Oh ... now I realize the obscurity of my reference. BTD's post didn't mention that Johnson said "Obama thinks he is Sidney Poitier." My mistake.

Go read one of the news articles about this. You'll can easily find Johnson's "Sidney Poitier" remark.


The drug use controversy is overrated (none / 0) (#28)
by white n az on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:01:36 PM EST

I mean, if Obama gets the nomination, does anyone really expect that we won't see endless 527 ads hashing it over and over and over again? Doesn't the discussion at this time provide an innoculation of sorts?

Anyway, I'm really an Edwards guy but I think Hillary and Bill are taking pointless flak for this and Johnson is completely right.

Not only fast, but ugly and mean = Rove (none / 0) (#38)
by koshembos on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:25:34 PM EST

How about this hypothetical:: (none / 0) (#40)
by oculus on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:32:38 PM EST

Clinton campaign has internal polling data showing persons more likely to support Clinton than Obama may be swayed by being reminded Obama admitted ingesting coke as a young person?

Hm.. i just read another take on BJ"s (none / 0) (#41)
by MarkL on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:34:11 PM EST

comments. In context, I don't think you can read him as referring to the drug use, especially when he say s just after that that he doesn't want a nasty campaign.
"doing something in the neighborhood" sounds more like community work than drug use, especially coming from someone of his generation.

: Well (none / 0) (#42)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:36:42 PM EST

Spill it. Would love to be wrong.

Hillary's McClurkin? (none / 0) (#47)
by squeaky on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 05:51:49 PM EST

I must be missing something (none / 0) (#50)
by tnthorpe on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 06:07:42 PM EST

We're coming out of two W administrations in which minority voting rights have been under relentless attack, and the Dems are having a pi$$ing contest over who's the victim and who's the racist? Who's telling a fairy tale and who's knocking MLK Jr.?

This is simply the most stupid manufactured controversy I can imagine and a truly benighted way of putting some space between candidates that aren't all that different.

What are these clowns thinking?

Everyone slow down... (none / 0) (#52)
by OrangeFur on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 06:35:20 PM EST

Does anybody have the full transcript or video of what Robert Johnson said? Given how much truncating and misquoting has been going on of late, it's important that we know exactly what he said before trying to parse it.

I mean, when I first read the quote, it certainly sounded like an allusion to Obama's drug use, but then again, I read it in an article that pretty much said it was about his drug use, so I didn't have a chance to make up my own mind.

I deleted a long rant against (none / 0) (#53)
by Jeralyn on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 06:52:46 PM EST

Bob Johnson. It was filled with allegations that and references to objectionable material. Personal attacks like these are not allowed on this site. I never heard of him before today and have no thoughts on him one way or the other. But I will not host these kind of attacks.

If you are a new reader, please read the comment rules before commenting.

Its doesnt suprise me (none / 0) (#58)
by hardroc on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 07:38:35 PM EST

bob johnsons comments does not suprise me... typically the only thing his BET network does is show videos degrading black women and tear down the black community... so im really not surprise that his comments will continue to divide and tear down the blacks individually and as a whole. Im sure that mr johnson has somethings in his past that he is not proud of...

Ain't much love for Johnson among Black folk (none / 0) (#59)
by Aaron on Sun Jan 13, 2008 at 08:47:04 PM EST

Robert L. Johnson's endorsement of Clinton and cheap attacks upon Obama, I believe will only help bolster Obama's support in the Black community.

Here is Matt Stoller on (none / 0) (#60)
by Jgarza on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 12:27:01 AM EST

Bob Johnson

He is terrible on democratic issues, if he supports i wonder if that means she will be terrible on them too.

: Bad coke would be a step up (none / 0) (#61)
by jondee on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 10:13:33 AM EST

from the content of BET.
Welcome to American electoral politics (and maybe America as a whole) wherein being a billionaire means you're always a potential asset regardless of intellectually, imaginatively and spiritually bankrupt you may be.