The founder of the BET Network has said that the Democrat party has gone too far left:
America’s political establishment is riven with partisanship that has become “very wicked and very mean,” said entrepreneur and media mogul Robert Johnson, who added that the Democratic Party has become too liberal for his liking.
“The party in my opinion, for me personally, has moved too far to the left,” Johnson, the founder of cable network BET and RLJ Companies business network, told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble Tuesday.
“And for that reason, I don’t have a particular candidate (I’m supporting) in the party at this time,” he said. “I think at the end of the day, if a Democrat is going to beat Trump, then that person, he or she, will have to move to the center and you can’t wait too long to do that.”
Johnson described himself as a long-time centrist and Democrat. He publicly supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. However, he has since expressed admiration for some of Donald Trump’s policies, particularly those related to the economy.
“I think the economy is doing great, and it’s reaching populations that heretofore had very bad problems in terms of jobs and employments and the opportunities that come with employment … so African-American unemployment is at its lowest level, ” Johnson said.
Johnson became the country’s first African-American billionaire after selling Black Entertainment Television in 2001, according to Forbes.
“I give the president a lot of credit for moving the economy in a positive direction that’s benefiting a large amount of Americans,” he said. “I think the tax cuts clearly helped stimulate the economy. I think business people have more confidence in the way the economy is going.”
Despite the U.S. dispute with China over trade, Johnson said that “overall, if you look at the U.S. economy … you got to give the president an A+ for that.”
‘No give or take’
Johnson expressed concern that there is “really no give or take in terms of trying to come to an understanding of how best to run the country” between President Trump and the Democratic Party.“If business people are concerned about anything, it’s the clear, clear partisan politics that’s become very wicked and very mean. And that’s not helping the American people, and it’s not helping America as a global nation.”
Asked about Trump’s style of leadership —considered divisive by many in America and beyond — Johnson remarked that Trump has “got his own style,” though he perhaps needs to “step back a little bit from some of his showmanship.”
“A lot of people are not going to like that style,” he said, “but when he says he’s going to try to do something economically, you have to give him credit for taking some specific steps to do that.”
“At the end of the day, the American people are looking for someone who can deliver economically and deliver on opportunities,” he said. (source, source)
Since the 1960s, Blacks have consistently voted in a majority bloc (>90%) for Democratic candidates. Nothing says this will change for the future yet. However, what appears to be changing is the Democrat party.
Many would agree that the perception of the party is a bunch of old radicals with funny looks and crazy ideas. This contrasts with the Republican party, that while not better in essence, has a better public presentation on many issues.
The Democrat party right now is embroiled in the Epstein scandal, which has a significant chance of implicating major Democrat leadership and taking them down as well. However, as I have pointed out, this crisis is but an opportunity for the party to be reborn.
Expect not the philosophy of the Democrat party to change, but rather the execution. the “far left” will likely become even more far “left”, but rather will differ in that it will be presented in a more socially acceptable manner. This is the real threat, as something that is known to be evil can be targeted, but if one cannot identify it, nothing can stop it.