Syl Jones: Rich, anti-Obama and wrong

Funny how excess money and power can garner media attention. Take African-American billionaire Robert Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television and now cheerleader for Hillary Clinton. Johnson doesn't like Barack Obama, and that's not surprising. There are a million reasons to dislike and even be suspicious of Obama. ¶ It's easy to find fault with a guy who tells the media that he would have "left" his former pastor's church if that pastor -- who married him and baptized his children -- hadn't stopped vilifying America. It's much harder to explain that Jeremiah Wright's point of view reflects the anger of many well-educated African-Americans who aren't running for or from anything. ¶ It's harder still to say that some of Wright's indignation dwells inside Obama himself, the biracial son of a single-parent family who grew up confused about his identity. Likewise, Obama's tendency to say he "misspoke" when challenged on issues such as the obvious bitterness of certain poor whites shows that he lacks a particular kind of moral fiber. These are valid reasons to question Obama. ¶ But it appears that Johnson dislikes the man because, according to an interview with the Charlotte Observer, if Obama were a white guy named Jerry Smith, he wouldn't be where he is today.

This is the second time Johnson has used street tactics in an assault on Obama. Earlier, Johnson referenced Obama's drug use as a young man, in order to discredit him. Most recently, Johnson made it a point to link his comments to those of Geraldine Ferraro, who also claimed that if Obama were white his candidacy wouldn't be so successful.

Now, think about it: If Geraldine Ferraro's name had been Gerry and she'd been a "he," "Gerry" would not have been asked to serve as a vice presidential candidate. And, to be kind, would how likely is it that Robert Johnson would have become the head of the BET if he hadn't been black? Clearly, race and gender have a lot to do with who and what we are.

But maybe it's time someone took out the brass knuckles and used them on Johnson, a first-class hypocrite who is stumping for the Clinton Clan as if the nomination were a street fight and he were little more than a thuggish mercenary.

Johnson is singlehandedly responsible for the greatest single assault on traditional African-American values since D. W. Griffith. On his watch at BET, he pumped out "entertainment" that glorified gangsters, drug use, prostitution and the vilification of black women. While he made millions sending false messages about the life of the average black person -- forcing many an African-American woman to explain while traveling overseas that she did not enjoy being called a "ho" -- Johnson never repudiated drug use, violence in the black community or any of the other nefarious activities from which he profited.

In fact, Johnson was "Gangsta No. 1" in black America's war against the destruction of traditional community values. African-Americans were so fed up with Johnson's BET negativity that they formed a group called Enough Is Enough. They picketed his home and boycotted products made by BET's corporate sponsors.

The hypocrisy doesn't end there, however. Johnson has a bad habit of cozying up to whoever is in power at the time. Being a personal friend of Bill Clinton's didn't stop Johnson from stumping for President Bush, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

"... when Bush ran into trouble with his campaign to roll back the estate tax, Johnson came to the rescue -- in a way that showed a lot more imagination than can be seen on BET, his primary channel. Johnson, a billionaire in his own right, rallied a group of fellow African-American business leaders in an all-out campaign, arguing that support of the estate tax was an attack on black people by 'very wealthy white people.'"

Say what? Since when is the estate tax -- a part of the tax code that is perhaps least familiar to black families -- an attack on African-Americans? The point is, Johnson long ago proved that he would say anything and do anything to build his empire. Which is why his support of Hillary Clinton makes sense. What doesn't make sense is to assume that he has any credibility. He may be rich, but let's keep in mind that rich people can be stupid, too.

Syl Jones, of Minnetonka, is a journalist, playwright and communications consultant.