Dem: Wilson's outburst was 'carefully calculated'

Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) outburst was "carefully calculated" and "winks at racist element" of society, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said today.

Johnson had stirred up controversy for suggesting that a growing racial undertone in the country would lead to "white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside."

But writing today in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Johnson defended those remarks and said that Wilson was attempting to ignite the "fringe element" of the political discourse.

"Wilson is a canny politician," Johnson wrote. "His outburst was a carefully calculated appeal to a particular constituency who question the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s presidency."

Johnson argued that while most opposition to Obama is legitimate, there is undeniably a racist element present.

"It would be ludicrous to imply that all or most such dissent is motivated by racism," he said. "But it is equally ludicrous to ignore the alarming increase in extremism, hate speech, threatening behavior and outright racism that has accompanied the decline of reason and civility that tainted this summer’s debates."