BET founder Robert Johnson says he has it from Senator Clinton’s own lips that she’ll accept the vice presidency:
Hillary Clinton is “absolutely ready” to discuss the vice presidency with Barack Obama and has authorized supporters to encourage Obama to pick her if he feels that will help unify the party and help Democrats win the White House, according to Robert Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television and a prominent Clinton supporter.
Johnson said he began discussing the vice presidency with Clinton last month and that they talked about it at a dinner in Puerto Rico last Saturday and again by phone and e-mail on Tuesday. “Let me be clear,” Johnson said in a telephone interview Wednesday morning. “She said if asked to do this, she must accept because she believes that it is in the best interest of the party that the party come together and win in November.”
Johnson launched an effort to create an Obama-Clinton ticket Wednesday morning with a letter to Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who endorsed Obama on Tuesday morning. In the letter, Johnson said the best way to unify the party is with an Obama-Clinton ticket. “I believe that the most important step that you can take now is to encourage the Congressional Black Caucus to urge Senator Obama to select Senator Hillary Clinton as his Vice Presidential running mate,” he wrote.
Johnson is always entertaining, but he probably doesn’t have much clout with Obama. Remember this great quote?
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.”
I’m guessing Obama does not have Mr. Johnson on speed-dial.