GOP Piles On Saltsman For "Magic Negro" CD, Blackwell Defends Him
The Republican Party is starting to react to the recent actions of Chip Saltsman, a candidate for the RNC chairmanship who sent a gift bag to committee members that included a CD with a satirical song called "Barack The Magic Negro." Not surprisingly the reaction has been mostly negative -- but not entirely:
• The current RNC chairman Mike Duncan, who is seeking re-election against a wide field of challengers, was quick to condemn Saltsman. Duncan declared that the 2008 election was a "wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," and that he was "shocked and appalled" that anyone would think this was appropriate.
• Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis, who is also a candidate, said the CD was in bad taste. "Just as important, Anuzis said, "anything that paints the GOP as being motivated in our criticism of President-elect Obama by anything other than a difference in philosophy does a disservice to our party."
• Interestingly enough, Saltsman does have one prominent defender in rival RNC candidate Ken Blackwell, one of two black contenders for the chairmanship, who blamed "hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race." Blackwell also added: "When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal."
Duncan and Anuzis have some obvious reasons to condemn Saltsman, besides basic morality: They would want to simultaneously show they can take the moral high ground, while also discrediting one of their rivals. As for Blackwell: If Saltsman implodes, his supporters might just appreciate Blackwell having stuck up for their guy.
Hopefully, Chip Saltsman will win. Blackwell would be a good pick as well. Whatever it takes to drive the final nail in the republican coffin is fine by me.
December 28, 2008 1:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, to borrow Josh's phrase when Mitt Romney was running out of gas, "I still believe in Chip's dream." This is exactly the kind of leadership that the Sarah Palins, Joe-the-Plumbers, and Elizabeth Doles out there need. Win with Chip!
December 28, 2008 9:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Blackwell is such a moron. I'm sure he would help to "drive the nail into the coffin" but I just hate to see that sleaze bag's carrier advance.
December 28, 2008 1:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Blackwell was just being Uncle effing Tom.
December 28, 2008 1:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
or Uncle Ruckus
December 28, 2008 3:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
or Uncle Ruckus
December 28, 2008 3:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hold Me, Hold Me, never let me go, hmmmmmm this should assure the Democrats a have a nice new stick for the 2012, and gee what a beating they'll give with this little meme, happily provided by the RNC.
There's an appropriate term for people like Blackwell, look no further than the Supreme Court for a primary example for the proper expletive.
You could say he was Brown Nosing but you'd have to look close to see if that was actually true the colors do blend ya know.
December 28, 2008 2:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Saltsman or Blackwell for RNC chair!
December 28, 2008 2:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Shorter version of the criticisms: "Don't say it in public, you moron!"
December 28, 2008 3:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Proper context my ass! The word negro stirs up all kinds of images for anyone that knows anything about history. Then you add GOP + Southerner + Rush Limbaugh and that never equals anything pleasant. When people do things like this (another example- the guy who called the Obama's uppity), I don't buy that all-in-good-fun or "I didn't mean anything by it" or "that's not what I meant" or "you took it out of context" - BULL!!! They've seen this "hypersensitivity" before and they've seen what happens - so what makes their attempt any different? How completely thick headed!!
December 28, 2008 9:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
So the Republicans want to bring in more people. Do they mean "black" people?
Just how dumb are they?
The party of the very deep, very Old South will not sell seats in the "big tent" to very many people of color after the 2008 presidential campaign with Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and "magic negroes". Who the Hell are they kidding?
December 28, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome! These guys are brilliant. They will be the party of 4 states next presidential cycle and get hammered again in congress. Then, bye bye racist gop. The dustbin of history awaits you buffoons. They are sooooo dumb, they don't deserve any political power at this point.
December 28, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ken Blackwell's response is not surprising, he was always an 'Uncle Tom.'
December 28, 2008 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ken Blackwell has to prove he hates black people too if he hopes to have a shot at it.
December 28, 2008 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
December 28, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
This should be called the Twenty Percent Song.
It appeals to the twenty percent of the public who are staunch republicans, extremists if you will, who believe in social darwinism, believe that anything different is a threat, and still think Bush was a great (not good mind you) president.
This trial balloon of sorts, the probing of what they can get away with, failed miserably. It also shows that they still don't, and probably never will, get it. This why they lost; this is the message that was rejected. People are beyond tired of this; in the state that the country is in the republicans continue to use the Atwater, Rove, Fox methods of politics.
Keep it up GOP, move so far to the right that the democrats become the "center right" party that you claim to be.
December 28, 2008 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't understand why there's not more outrage over this. Figerald above is right in calling it the Twenty Percent Song, but it's unbelievably racially offensive as it sounds. I learned on Wikipedia it has some history going back to 2007 and a newspaper article. Wikipedia is written by average Joes (some brighter than others, obviously), not professionals, and some subgenius wrote that the song is a "parody of Puff the Magic Dragon." What a nutty way to put that, eh? I just fixed that wording and added the notion of racial derision, which was missing entirely.
December 29, 2008 5:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
change isn't easy.
the change we seek from electing barack obama will not come easy.
just imagine the gop try to change from their race-baiting ways from the last 40 years...it won't be easy.
December 29, 2008 11:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Excerpt from: "MAGIC NEGRO SONG STIRS RACIAL CONTROVERSY"
FULL ARTICLE:
http://okwassup.blogspot.com
December 29, 2008 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink