"The Magic Negro" Part 2: GOP Chair States that He Was "Appalled"

by Damozel |  James Richardson at The Skepticians calls it "an excercise of political suicide."

Meanwhile, the RNC leadership are hastily attempting to demonstrate that no, the GOP is not about light-hearted racial slurs against Barack Obama...except of course that we've seen multiple instances of racism during the campaign among white Republican morons who feel a certain derring do when giggling over a racial slur, a certain "Us Against Dem" naughty thrill up the spine and who---being morons--- still haven't grasped that the existence of the internets ensures that this sort of "inner circle" only joshing is going to leak out to the public.  What price the "Obama-on-a-food-stamp-with-fried-chicken-and-watermelon;" "Obama as shoeshine for Sarah Palin" or the Obama monkey doll?

But the RNC leadership is shocked---yes indeedie, THEY ARE SHOCKED!!!!---that Saltsman would have the poor taste to circulate such a disc.  Especially the current Chair---who happens to be trying to keep his Chair--- is shocked. 

Duncan's statement, in full: "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party. I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it clearly does not move us in the right direction." (Politico)

Naturally Newt weighed in:

“This is so inappropriate that it should disqualify any Republican National Committee candidate who would use it,” Newt Gingrich, a Republican former House speaker, said in an e-mail message. Referring to Mr. Obama, Mr. Gingrich said, “There are no grounds for demeaning him or for using racist descriptions.” (NYT)

Meanwhile Saltsman continues lamely insisting that it was all just good, clean light-hearted fun and blames Democrats for rebuking after African-American film critic David Ehrenstein (who wrote here about Barack-as-"Magic Negro," giving not-racist-a-TALL Rush Limbaugh and his minions an idea for the parody.

James Richardson sees this one off:

Saltsman’s response is typical post-gaffe political maneuvering: He knows he did wrong, but his ego — and campaign — can’t afford to admit it. You’ll note there was no degree of remorse in his statement, only the reactionary condemnation of media bias. Moreover, if Ehrenstein’s column was, as Saltsman claims, “irresponsible,” why then is Shanklin’s satire of the subject just good wholesome fun? Simple answer: It’s not.

No, and never was.  Note to GOP pols:  If you heard it on Rush's blatherfest, you should automatically exclude it from your campaign, however small or local (as this was not).  And if African-American candidate for the RNC Chair  J. Kenneth Blackwell tells you that it's "hypersensitivity," I strongly recommend that you not listen to him. 

Limbaugh does many things on his show, but "simple fun" is not now, and has never been, part of the format.  I remember when the whole "Magic Negro" thing began.   

Limbaugh stated: "The term 'Magic Negro' has been thrown into the political presidential race in the mix for 2008. And the term 'Magic Negro,' as applied to Barack Obama has been done by an L.A. Times columnist, David Ehrenstein." Limbaugh later asserted:....Limbaugh continued to refer to Obama as the "Magic Negro" throughout the broadcast -- 27 times, to be exact -- and at one point sang "Barack, the Magic Negro" to the tune of "Puff, the Magic Dragon." Limbaugh defended his use of the song, stating, "Well, that's what we always do here. We do parodies and satires on the idiocy and phoniness of the left."  (Media Matters)

Because bloviating wingnut blowhards like Limbaugh are the greatest reframers of reality the world has ever seen----give them that---I think it only fair to say I think that Limbaugh does, in fairness, now own the term.

It's not because we think these particular individuals are racist that we so deplore their attitude:  it's that they think being racist doesn't matter and CAN be "light-hearted" and funny and that it's wrong for liberals to keep insisting that the insensitivity (demonstrated time and again) of Limbaugh, Shanklin, and Shanklin's pal Saltsman DOES matter and should matter.

Anyway, I think what one can infer from each instance of racism on the part of party officials is AT BEST a severe blind spot on the part of all these "What, Me Racist?" GOPpers who keep stepping in it over and over and over and who never learn or---like Rush---just don't give a damn.

Steve M. of  No Mister Nice Blog sums it up...quite nicely:  "The tent is just as small as you thought it was."  And adds:

Oh, and:

...among the 41 tracks on the CD, there are other racist, barf-inducing tracks such as "The Star Spanglish Banner."

I just want to point out what Saltsman said in response to a questionnaire distributed to all the candidates for RNC chair by Morton Blackwell,

By action and deed, we must convince minority voters to trust the Republican Party again. We must take the members-only sign off the clubhouse door and throw out the welcome mat. The party of Abraham Lincoln can do no less.

You've made a helluva start, Chip.

Matt Bastard said:

I’m also sick of that special breed of conservative white pundit and pol who eagerly latches on to anything negative (or that can be spun as ‘negative’) black people say about/to each other.  Bloviating leeches like Rush Limbaugh, Paul Shanklin, Chip Saltsman, et al have apparently managed to convince themselves that conveniently subcontracting their racism to a dusky proxy (while disingenuously hiding behind the ’satire’ bulwark)  automatically absolves them of any personal responsibility for their actions. Well, we have already witnessed the logical political consequences of the GOP’s willful disregard for minority voters....

Political marginalization is a small price to pay for a little bit of innocent fun at the expense of oversensitive PC types who can’t appreciate “light-hearted political parodies” from a “conservative” perspective. Besides, there’s always the so-called Oogedy-Boogedy wing to keep the Republican Party solvent south of the Mason-Dixon while it (and those who slavishly adhere to its underlying political philosophy) languish in the wilderness for the foreseeable future. 

Hey, and Peter Yarrow weighed in!  Hi, Pete!

Also Saturday, Peter Yarrow, who co-wrote "Puff the Magic Dragon," called Saltsman's decision to distribute the parody tune "offensive," and "shocking and saddening in the extreme."

"It is almost unimaginable to me," Yarrow wrote in a statement sent to CNN, that Saltsman "would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree."

Yarrow, a member of the 1960s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, was a contributor to Obama's presidential campaign

Jazz Shaw said at TMV:

Suffice to say that Chip should probably abandon his plans to chair the RNC and keep his head down for a while. For me, this story serves as yet another reminder of the nagging question as to why Republicans and conservatives in general continue to keep Rush Limbaugh’s ship afloat.....[I]sn’t Rush supposed to be a serious political commentator for the conservative Right wing?

Erm, yeah, okay.  I guess as conservative right commentators go, Limbaugh's "serious." 

From his earlier substance abuse problems to incident after incident such as this, Rush has long since become an embarrassment to the party and the conservative movement in general. And yet his ratings remain strong and he garners the support of many GOP pundits and politicians. Why? (TMV)

And he asks:

 Is this really how Republicans wish to have themselves portrayed?  (TMV)

Seemingly so.

More at Memeorandum.

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Comments

[willliambanzai7]

BUSH THE FECKLESS CONMAN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GOP
(to the melody of Barack the Magic Negro or Puff the Magic Dragon)
WilliamBanzai7

Bush, the feckless conman brought to you by the GOP
Frolicked with the hypocrites of the grand old party of dishonesty,
Little Dicky Cheney loved that rascal Bush,
And brought him water boards, illegal wire taps and other fancy stuff. oh

Bush, the feckless conman brought to you by the GOP
Frolicked with the hypocrites of the grand old party of dishonesty
Bush, the feckless conman brought to you by the GOP
Frolicked with the hypocrites of the grand old party of dishonesty

Together they would travel on a Presidential yacht filled with felons, child molesters, liars and corrupt political appointees.
Dickie kept a lookout while Dubya huffed and puffed and failed his own country,
Hastert, Delay, Foley, Craig, Vitter, Gonzalez, Libby, Stevens, Brownie, Rummy the list's too long to explain,
Somali pirate ships should all lower their flags to honor the Republican hall of shame. oh!

Bush, the feckless conman brought to you by the GOP
Frolicked with the hypocrites of the grand old party of dishonesty
Bush, the feckless conman brought to you by the GOP
Frolicked with the hypocrites of the grand old party of dishonesty

A dragon lives forever but not so the two faced, lying and corrupt
West wings and campaign finance rings make way for boy toys behind bars.
One grey night it happened, Barack came knocking on the White House door
And Bush that cagey conman, ceased his feckless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow, the neocons cried in pain,
Dickie could no longer play along the Camp David lane.
Outside the oval office, Dubya could not be brave,
So Bush that feckless conman sadly slipped into his Crawford cave. oh!

Bush, the feckless conman brought to you by the GOP
Frolicked with the hypocrites of the grand old party of dishonesty
Bush, the feckless conman brought to you by the GOP
Frolicked with the hypocrites of the grand old party of dishonesty

[bob tanner]

i think the "parody" song is nothing more that slime written by slime and distributed by even bigger slime.

[bob tanner]

im not surprised...you filter the truth an a minute by minute basis.

[bob tanner]

im not surprised...you filter the truth an a minute by minute basis.