Rush Limbaugh first played the song Barack the Magic Negro in the Spring of 2007. It is sung by an Al Sharpton impersonator (horrible impersonation) complaining that Obama is not Black Enough to be President. Here it is.
The issue to date is that Chip Saltsman – who was Mike Huckabee’s campaign manager for his failed run for President – sent this song via CD out on his GOP mailing list as a Christmas card.
Saltsman is running for the chairmanship of the RNC. The dust up is not so much the political correctness of the song as it is who will take control of the present disarray in the Republican Party. Columnist Clarence Page weighs in on the issue.
It is no surprise that First Christian Mike Huckabee has come out to defend Saltsman and the lowball nature of the song. It is an example of how the American Right-wing has corrupted Christianity out of all recognition. Somehow over the past 30 years or so Christianity has become the religion of hate and war rather than love and peace. Its amazing…
Ken Blackwell – a black conservative also running for the RNC chair – also defends Saltzman and the song. Blackwell was the Attorney General of Ohio who made a name for himself refusing to count contested ballots, in leading the cause against not only gay marriage but gay unions as well, and who is now a member of The Family Research Council. Mr Blackwell does not require silver, he will sing any Republican song for 30 pieces of coal.
On the other side is the present RNC chairman Mike Duncan who said he was “shocked and appalled that anyone would think Saltsman’s CD moves the party in the right direction.”
Also running for the RNC chair is Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis who also voiced his pain over the negative perception it brings to Republicans when they should be moving from exclusiveness to inclusiveness.
Though not running for the position, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida – one of the few voices of reason left in the GOP – also weighed in calling it divisive.
This story has legs because it will be our first indicator of where the GOP plans to go in the coming years. This will be decided come January 30th, 2009 when the Republicans meet in Washington DC to vote.
Will it go to the evangelical right represented by Saltsman or Blackwell? Or to the more moderate views of Duncan or Anuzis?
On the big screen we see the conservative base represented by the most popular figures in the GOP – Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. We also saw all the Republican moderates in the Northeast thrown out of office making the the more moderate pragmatists – Charlie Crist and Arnold Schwarzenegger seem dust in the wind.
The Republican base controls not only the GOP primaries but its platform and its ideological direction. At the moment I would put my money on them going back to their core values of religious intolerance, happyfeet bigotry, unregulated free markets and tax breaks for the wealthy.
Sounds like a winner to me!
That’s what Rush and Sean are pushing on the rado. Its what Sarah Palin stands for! Intelligent Design has failed the GOP. I am especially happy that my dog has become smarter than a Republican!
SIT! STAY! LAY DOWN. DONT BITE YOUR BALLS! GOOD BOY! See….