BET founder for McDonnell
Bob McDonnell, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, picked up the support yesterday of one of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's largest donors.
Sheila Crump Johnson of Middleburg, a billionaire and co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, pointed to the struggling economy and said she thought McDonnell would do more to help create jobs in Virginia than Democrat R. Creigh Deeds.
Johnson has donated more than $600,000 since 2005 to Kaine and his political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward. She paid $1,500 for Kaine's air transportation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver last August.
Johnson said she had notified Kaine by phone yesterday.
"He respects my decision, and we both said we are friends first and foremost," said Johnson, who appeared with McDonnell at the General Assembly Building in Richmond.
She also said she has nothing against Deeds, a state senator from Bath County.
"Creigh Deeds is a great guy," she said. "He would make a good governor, but Bob McDonnell will make a great governor. From the very beginning, Bob McDonnell has been very clear about the economy and the need to create jobs."
During the recent Democratic primary, Johnson gave $1,000 each to Deeds' opponents, Terry McAuliffe and Brian J. Moran, according to numbers provided by the Virginia Public Access Project, which monitors campaign financing.
Johnson said she is a lifelong Democrat and remains a Democrat.
Of McDonnell, she said "he is the only one who has really laid out a roadmap from the very beginning . . . so if you are just now hearing it today or yesterday it's because oh, this is a wakeup call," she said.
Deeds laid out his economic plan yesterday.
McDonnell said at the news conference that he has had several conversations with Johnson. He called her "one of America's most accomplished business leaders."
"We share a mutual commitment to revitalizing Virginia's economy, getting Virginians back to work . . . ," he said.
Johnson is developing a resort spa, Salamander Resort and Spa, near her Middleburg home. The resort, set on 340 acres, is scheduled to open in spring 2011.
Johnson is a part owner of the Washington Mystics of the WNBA, the NBA's Washington Wizards and hockey's Washington Capitals. She also owns an aviation company and is a film producer.
Johnson and her former husband, Robert Johnson, founded Black Entertainment Television. They sold BET to Viacom in 2000 for $3 billion.
Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or
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Reader Reactions
“Posted by ( Reverend ) on July 21, 2009 at 2:42 pm
TravisBickle makes a good point, ideology may be a better indicator of your true leanings that the party with whom you reside.
However qhgirl brings to point the encompassing base that within each party allows variants. You CAN have a Socio-liberal Conservative Economic Democrat, and Vice Versa.“
And you raise a good point. When all is said and done, there is not a lot of difference in the stated party platforms, and you have some democrats that are more conservative than some republicans. And vice versa on the liberal side (at least in the American sense - dont use those terms to an international).
That is why I have never registered with a party. I am a solid conservative. One of the best governors we had (during the 3 1/2 years he was not running for president) was Doug Wilder. He is a democrat, but he governed like a fiscal conservative.
Well said frojunk. If everyone would start making decisions based on substance instead of party line, this country might actually climb out of the downward spiral we’re in.
I really admire an individual who relies on their personal beliefs & principal over party loyalty. My guess is she is a woman who thinks for herself - who may take a bit of a “hit” perhaps in social circles for breaking party rank - but is strong enough to care less what others think. No wonder she made a fortune!
Too bad we can’t have the election next week. I’d like to run Kaine out of town ASAP before he closes the state!
Excellent idea Reverend! Though cumbersome to some, such a method of assessing a candidate’s stance on issues may aid the voter in determining the candidate’s position relative to the individual voter’s choice and belief system with regard to governance. If nothing else, it would be an improvement over our current methods for assessing candidates.
@ghgirl…
Hear, hear! Well-said!
Agreed that the lack of competitive third party candidates is indeed a dilemma for many of us at election time. We Libertarians need to become more visible, more vocal, and better organized on the local level – that’s where we can make in-roads to governance – national elections are more challenging. Mr. Paul stirred up much of the electorate during the most recent Presidential campaign, meeting with measurably more success than previous Libertarian candidates. However, our candidates are too often perceived, whether rightly or wrongly, as cut from a “whacky” mold. We must become more mainstream in our presentation of ideas and candidates if we are to unseat incumbents, be they D, R or I. As you imply, we have a long way to go to appeal to the voters on a national level. But I live on hope.
TravisBickle makes a good point, ideology may be a better indicator of your true leanings that the party with whom you reside.
However qhgirl brings to point the encompassing base that within each party allows variants. You CAN have a Socio-liberal Conservative Economic Democrat, and Vice Versa.
If each party were able to code, and rank based on the positions of social norms, economics, defense, and general civil liberties, that would be a good way to truly get a feel for a candidate.
Good discussion, something to think about.
Travis,
I agree that the party lines can be blurred.. I actually subscribe more to the libertarian bent myself.. I have had a difficult time in recent years identifying with the agendas of either party because they both seem to intrude into our lives (in different ways). Unfortunately, there are rarely any really competitive 3rd party or independant candidates on a state or national level for us to support. However, I have a feeling after we are done with the 4 years of Obama.. it may be a time ripe for a 3rd party to emerge and become more viable.
@ghgirl..
In the literal sense, no, General Powell is not a Republican. The issue here is not so much with one’s party “label” (D or R), but rather one’s core principles. The party labels have become muddied in recent years and are largely irrelevant today. However, as you allude to, a “conservative” or “liberal” label is considerably more relevant than “D” or “R.” By using labels such as conservative or liberal, I can at least assess one’s position on the role of government in our daily lives. I am unable to do that with D and R.
Travis..
So Colin Powell is not a Republican? I mean he did support a Democrat for president.
As the reverend stated.. both parties have people to the left, right and center.. It is certainly possible for a conservative democrat and a liberal republican to have a lot of the same ideals and goals.
I see nothing wrong with someone actually looking at the issues and the individual candidate instead of just looking for the (D) or (R) after someone’s name. In fact I would much prefer that the voter be educated about the individual candidates instead of just voting along party lines.
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