baratunde.com

cross-posted to Jack & Jill Politics

Update 2:43am: more on Bob Johnson's horribleness, claiming the estate tax is racist, etc.
Update: check out this post from Too Sense titled Founder of Modern Minstrelsy Goes After Obama. Ouch!!

This political theater is incredible and hilarious. We can't even get Sunday off around here. Of all the black people in the world who would attack Obama on behalf of the Clintons, it would be Bob Johnson, founder of Black Exploitation Television. Gimme a break!

This is #7 on our incident tracker wiki.

His comments while introducing Hillary Clinton at an event in South Carolina

And to me, as an African-American, 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 since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood –­ and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book – ­when they have been involved...

That kind of campaign behavior does not resonate with me, for a guy who says, ‘I want to be a reasonable, likable, Sidney Poitier ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.’ And
I’m thinking, I’m thinking to myself, this ain’t a movie, Sidney. This is real life.

Since making these statements, Johnson said he wasn't talking about drug use at all. He sloppily tried to explain that what had happened was...

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.

That results oriented leadership — even as a young person — is the reason I am supporting Hillary Clinton.”

Come! On! Now! You really don't expect me to believe that when you said he "was doing something in the neighborhood - and I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in the book..." that you were referring to community organizing??! I mean I'm sure it's hard for you to recognize community organizing, especially if it targets your claim to fame, but you are clearly a little rusty on how to run a media empire.

In fact, you know what this excuse sounds like. SHUCKIN AND JIVIN!! See, Mr. Cuomo? This is an appropriate use of the term, and I'm allowed to say it, because that's what Johnson is doing.

Bob Johnson is not new at the game of selling questionable products to black people.

Obviously there have been, shall we say, issues with the programming of BET even before he sold it to Viacom, one of those six massive mega media companies with not a drop of concern nor obligation to the communities they reach.

On top of that, as Black Agenda Report (no fan of Obama) covered in 2002, Johnson was out working on a Bush commission to privatize (and thus destroy) social security by claiming that because black people die younger, we get nothing out of it.

Here's a question: why don't you ask Mrs. Clinton why she is so proud to have the support of a man who pimped stereotypical images of black people and worked to privatize social security?