No, I’m not talking about the former Miami Vice star (though certainly he might haunt the dreams of some).
I am refering to former Congressman Celete “Don” Johnson (D-GA).
Johnson had a distinguished and successful career in Georgia politics. He was a graduate of the London School Of Economics who served as staff counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee. Then he spent time in the Georgia State Senate before winning election to the US House in 1992.
In his 1992 campaign for the 10th Congressional District he ran as a moderate to conservative Democrat, promising that he would be an independent voice for the voters regardless of who was President (at the time nobody knew for sure whether Bush or Clinton would be around in 1993).
When he got to Washington though he supported Clinton on a number of key issues, including a controversial crime bill that banned certain guns and several other measures.
In 1994 he lost re-election. And when I say he lost I mean he *LOST*, by 31 points to be precise, one of the biggest defeats on record. During his campaign that year he was booed off the platform at campaign events, the local newspaper (which had strongly backed him in 1992) took the unusual step of apologizing to the voters for the mistake.
Now I am certainly not suggesting 2010 will be another 1994. Indeed I am one of those who thinks such predictions from the right are just as silly as the predictions from the left that the GOP is doomed to extinction. However the recent series of retirements in Arkansas suggest that there may be some very nervous Democrats right now.