Appearing as a panel member on Saturday's AM Joy, MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson -- known for his many race-obsessed comments and his column at The Root -- fretted that, allegedly unlike white men, California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris would face questions about her "competency" if she runs for President in 2020.
After remarking that "When you're a white guy, competency is not usually the issue," Johnson minutes later contradicted himself by declaring that, in 2008, President George W. Bush was "so bad" that "People were like, 'We'll give it to a black guy now.' I mean, literally, that's how bad things got."
Near the end of the show, after host Joy Reid asked if being a woman would make it more difficult for Harris, Johnson went right to suggesting that she would face racism as an obstacle:
She is a woman, she is a woman of color, she is a woman in an interracial relationship, she's a woman from California. All of these things are going to work against her is she were to become a national candidate. And in addition to the fact that there will be comparisons -- non-positive comparisons to Obama -- which is, "Here we go with someone else who has only been in the Senate for 15 minutes."
After Reid injected that "Donald Trump is President of the United States," Johnson then claimed that "competency" is not likely to be an issue if "you're a white guy" as he continued:
When you're a white guy, competency is not usually the issue -- let's just be candid -- with certain kinds of voters. But this is the problem because, if we were in a fair, open America, of course she would be considered a great candidate. If she were a white male, of course people would be saying she's the next Kennedy. But, unfortunately, we have seen with the turn of the worm over our last election system that this kind of person, it may be a while before Kamala Harris or anyone else like that can really challenge the national stage.
Former Vice President Dan Quayle and 2000 presidential candidate George W. Bush -- pummeled with the "gravitas" issue against Vice President Al Gore -- might disagree with Mr. Johnson on that analysis.
But, moments later, Johnson himself brought up George W. Bush as he claimed that "black guy" Obama was only elected because Bush "was so bad." After Reid wondered how long it would be before a woman would be elected President, Johnson predicted:
A lot of it has to do with how bad this administration goes because I think in large part, you know, Obama got elected because Bush was so bad. People were like, "We'll give it to a black guy now." I mean, literally, that's how bad things got.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Saturday, July 28, AM Joy on MSNBC:
11:52 a.m. ET
JOY REID: Does Erika (Alexander) have a point that just being a woman sort of puts you almost in this country maybe out of (inaudible)?
JASON JOHNSON, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: She is a woman, she is a woman of color, she is a woman in an interracial relationship, she's a woman from California. All of these things are going to work against her is she were to become a national candidate. And in addition to the fact that there will be comparisons -- non-positive comparisons to Obama -- which is, "Here we go with someone else who has only been in the Senate for 15 minutes."
REID: Donald Trump is President of the United States.
JOHNSON: Exactly. ... (inaudible) ... When you're a white guy, competency is not usually the issue -- let's just be candid -- with certain kinds of voters. But this is the problem because, if we were in a fair, open America, of course she would be considered a great candidate.
If she were a white male, of course people would be saying she's the next Kennedy. But, unfortunately, we have seen with the turn of the worm over our last election system that this kind of person, it may be a while before Kamala Harris or anyone else like that can really challenge the national stage.
(...)
REID: It does seem to me that it was easier to elect a black man, in a sense, than it was to elect any woman.
JOHNSON: Right.
REID: So what are we talking about? Are we going to be the last Western country on Earth to get -- what are we talking about? Ten years, twenty years? When is this country going to be ready?
JOHNSON: A lot of it has to do with how bad this administration goes because I think in large part, you know, Obama got elected because Bush was so bad. People were like, "We'll give it to a black guy now." I mean, literally, that's how bad things got.
