Robert Johnson, the billionaire founder of BET and a supporter of Hillary Clinton, is reportedly advancing an anti-Obama message identical to that of Geraldine Ferraro.
The Dallas Morning News reports in a brief item on its website that Johnson is suggesting that Obama is only within striking distance of the Democratic Party's nomination for president because he is black.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Wading back into the Democratic presidential race, Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson said Monday that Barack Obama would not be his party's leading candidate if he were white. Mr. Johnson, a longtime friend of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, was criticized in January for making what some called a thinly veiled reference to Mr. Obama's teenage drug use.As with Ferraro's controversial comments in March, Johnson is obviously implying that Obama is the beneficiary of some sort of electoral affirmative action. The only other possible meaning is that being a black man in America is inherently advantageous when seeking the presidency - which is insane.
So, even before the bitter taste of "Bitter-Gate" has cleared the palate, the Clinton camp is back to playing the reverse-discrimination race card against Obama. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that this is coming from yet another prominent, yet unofficial, surrogate for Hillary.
The Clintonistas might want to be careful on this one, though. They might have trouble selling the notion that Obama is an out-of-touch, ivory-tower elitist and a malt liquor-swilling, food stamp-cashing welfare recipient both at the same time.
