At a recent rally for Republican Bob McDonnell, who’s running against Democrat Creigh Deeds in Virginia’s gubernatorial election, BET co-founder and major McDonnell donor Sheila Johnson went after Deeds’ tendency to stutter and stammer when he’s speaking. Johnson pretended to stutter and said that it showed Deeds was “not articulate” and couldn’t communicate effectively:
JOHNSON: We need someone who can really communicate, and Bob McDonnell can communicate. The other people I talk to, and especially his op-p-p-p-ponent (INAUDIBLE). He could not articulate what needed to be done. So communication is hugely important.
Watch it:
Not Larry Sabato noted that when McConnell went up to speak, he didn’t comment on Johnson’s “joke.”
Update
The McDonnell campaign has put out a statement attacking people for criticizing Johnson:
“Creigh Deeds has been unable to express any vision for Virginia’s future, and he regularly takes two positions on important issues,” said McDonnell spokeswoman Crystal Cameron. “Democratic businesswoman Sheila Johnson was noting that fact. Why the Deeds campaign wants to attack a prominent supporter of both Governor Tim Kaine and President Barack Obama, while reminding voters that she strongly supports Bob McDonnell for governor, is beyond us.”
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