"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."
- Republican National Committee Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, who is running for reelection.
"Unfortunately, there is hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race. This is in large measure due to President-elect Obama being the first African American elected president. I don't think any of the concerns that have been expressed in the media about any of the other candidates for RNC chairman should disqualify them. When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal. All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people."
- Former Ohio secretary of state Ken Blackwell, who, if elected, would become the first black RNC chairman.
Both men were responding to a mailing of a music CD sent out to RNC members by Chip Saltsman, who is also running for the RNC chairman post. The CD contains a Barack Obama parody made popular by Rush Limbaugh, "Barack the Magic Negro." The song, set to the tune of the 1960s pop hit "Puff the Magic Dragon," was first played on Rush Limbaugh's radio show in 2007. Its title was drawn from a Los Angeles Times column that suggested Obama appealed to those who feel guilty about the nation's history of mistreatment of African-Americans.Saltsman, a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, was a top advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and managed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign.
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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."
In a statement sent to CNN, Yarrow wrote, "It is almost unimaginable to me [that Saltsman] would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree."
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"Barack Obama The Magic Negro"
plez sez: i'm not sure who came up with the parody, but it is low class, kind of juvenile, and not very funny... i guess rush's listeners will laugh at just about anything that lampoons the opposition. limbaugh's listeners are mindless trolls!
you just have to ask yourself: "what was this yahoo, chip saltsman, thinking?" and what the HECK was he trying to prove by including this miserable parody on something that was sent out with his name on it?
didn't the republicans just take a major ass whuppin' in november? aren't they thisclose to losing the senate to a super majority of democrats? didn't "BARACK the magic negro" damn near lap john mccain in the election with popular and electoral votes? and wouldn't the republicans like to have just a few of those former red states (like virginia, north carolina, and indiana) back? in the near future!?
does plezWorld find the song offensive? NO! i have a pretty thick skin and something this stupid doesn't even move my "knee jerk reaction" needle.
but plezWorld recognizes this as the most ass-backwards act of an imbecile in quite a long time. black people voted about 95 to 96 percent for barack obama, one of the main contenders for the rnc chair is a black guy (that shufflin' grinnin' ken blackwell)... and the chipster is sending out music cd's with music that is offensive to black people!
hmmm... so much for the republican's BIG TENT!
it's been seven weeks since the election and the leadership of the republican party still hasn't figured out why they lost in a landslide!
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and i have no comment about the utterance of ken blackwell ("...all of my competitors are fine people."), except i hope he wins! i really do! *smile*
~ ~ Citations ~ ~
Read the Washington Post article about RNC reaction to the Obama parody.
Read the New York Times article about "that song."
Read the CNN.com article about RNC members' reactions.
Read the CNN.com article about Saltsman defending his decision to send the song.
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3 comments:
As I noted at the home blog, this highlights two problems: republican tone deafness and the party's indifference to blacks as a constituency. Republicans don't make this kind of casual mistake with the sensibilities of interest groups they give a crap about.
I think things like this exposes more of who and what the Republicans fear than anything else.
yeah... they come off as petty and pathetic.
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