After some prodding and cajoling, TNR has resuscitated Jon Chait's seminal article on Robert Johnson, one of America's more loathsome figures and one of the Clinton campaign's new attack dogs. Johnson, one of the founders of Black Entertainment Television, wandered in front of some microphones this week to say the Clintons "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 his book." Drugs. Drugs is what Johnson was talking about. But the Clinton campaign, trying to pretend we're all idiots, released a press statement in which Johnson clarified, "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." Ah yes, community organizing, the activity which Johnson fears to mention in public. Beyond the dark insinuations and nasty campaigning, Johnson has long been a right-wing shill who, as Chait says, plays the race card to defend viciously regressive policies. He's done it to repeal the estate tax ("Elimination of the Estate Tax will help close the wealth gap in this nation between African American families and White families."), to encourage Social Security privatization, and to generally make himself rich and protect some of the worst element's in American politics. And now he's cozying up to the Clintons. Sort of makes you wonder...
