Sheila Johnson, Billionaire Co-Founder of BET, Ex-Wife of Robert Johnson, Mimics Creigh Deeds, Democratic Va. Governor Candidate's Stuttering

Sheila Johnson, billionaire co-founder of Black Entertainment Television and ex-wife of Robert Johnson, apologized Monday for pretending to stutter at a campaign event in Virginia as she mocked Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for governor. She stunned Virginia political observers in July when she endorsed Republican Bob McDonnell in the governor's race, though she was a major donor to President Barack Obama, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and other Democrats. In a YouTube video posted by Democratic blogger Ben Tribbett from a September 25 McDonnell reception, Johnson tells a small crowd that Virginia needs a governor "who can really communicate, and Bob McDonnell can communicate." 

"The other people I talk to, especially his op-op-op-o-opponent, di-di-did this all through my interview with him," she said to muted laughter. Then she added, "He could not articulate what needed to be done." Dang. That is just cold. Am I surprised? No. Here's another person associated with Robert Johnson who doesn't know the meaning of the word diplomacy. Remember Bob Johnson talked about then-candidate Barack Obama's drug use during the presidential campaign when he supported Hillary Clinton.

Of course, Johnson has sought to twist her statements to seem politically correct. In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press, she said she sought to highlight Creigh Deeds' inability to "clearly communicate effective solutions" on important issues. "I shouldn't have done it in the manner in which I did and for that I apologize for any offense he, or others, may have taken," Johnson said. Right. How is deriding him for stuttering a smart move, when it is a known problem among many people in this country?

Stuttering is nothing to laugh about, though many afflicted with this condition are teased or bullied.  It affects one percent of the population. Stuttering is a brain-function disorder that is mostly physiological rather than psychological and is often genetic in nature. I would venture to guess that each person knows someone who suffered from stuttering at some point in their lives. My half-sister was afflicted with the disorder when she was a youngster, but she outgrew it with therapy during her childhood. There are so many people who have succeeded in all walks of life having been afflicted with stuttering at some point in their lives. Actor James Earl Jones, former Genera Electric CEO Jack Welch, journalist John Stossel, politicians such as Winston Churchill and Vice President Joe Biden.

Deeds, a state senator from Bath County, occasionally hesitates and stumbles over words in ordinary conversation, speeches and media interviews. He has joked about his unpolished speaking style. What Sheila Johnson did was a low and just dirty. I thought the woman had more class.