RNC Rivals Discuss Racial Song
Would-Be Chairman Who Sent CD With Parody Blames Media
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 28, 2008; A05
Republicans who are vying to lead the national party offered a mix of reactions yesterday to the decision by one candidate for the job to mail out a music CD including the song "Barack the Magic Negro."
Chip Saltsman defended his actions, telling the Hill newspaper that the song -- and others on the CD, which was mailed to party members -- was nothing more than a lighthearted parody. But his rivals in the contest to chair the Republican National Committee said it carried an inaccurate message about what the GOP stands for.
"In my opinion, this isn't funny and it's in bad taste," said Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis. "Just as important, 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."
Current national chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, who is running for reelection, said he was "shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate."
"The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party. . . . [This] clearly does not move us in the right direction," he said. Duncan, Anuzis and Saltsman are all white.
But some of Saltsman's rivals responded more mildly. Former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael S. Steele, one of two black candidates for the job, said Saltsman's "attempt at humor was clearly misplaced," adding that the leadership of the party needs to "be a lot smarter about such things and more appreciative that our actions always speak louder than our words."
"Our actions and our words are oftentimes used to define who we are as Republicans," Steele said in a statement.
And former Ohio secretary of state Ken Blackwell defended Saltsman and attacked the media.
"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," Blackwell, who is black, said in a statement.
"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," he said. "When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal. All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people."
Saltsman adopted a similar line yesterday, calling out the media for reporting on his holiday gift.
"Liberal Democrats and their allies in the media didn't utter a word about David Ehrenstein's irresponsible column in the Los Angeles Times last March. But now, of course, they're shocked and appalled by its parody on 'The Rush Limbaugh Show,' " Saltsman said in a statement, referring to the op-ed article that reportedly inspired the song lyrics.
"I firmly believe that we must welcome all Americans into our party and that the road to Republican resurgence begins with unity, not division. But I know that our party leaders should stand up against the media's double standards and refuse to pander to their desire for scandal," Saltsman added.
Some of the other tracks on the CD called "We Hate the USA,", "John Edwards' Poverty Tour," "The Star Spanglish Banner," "Wright Place, Wrong Pastor" and "Ivory and Ebony." The hit single on the album, however, has to be "Barack the Magic Negro," set to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon" and first popularized by Rush Limbaugh in 2007. There are supposed to be 41 tracks on the CD. How this can be seen as a joke and funny is beyond me. Even the title is not funny by any stretch of the imagination.
Showing posts with label RNC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RNC. Show all posts
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Update to yesterday from Washington Post..RNC candidate's Gift
As I stated in my earlier post, they wonder why they are losing members of thier party!!! They are divisive, racist, and they think this is funny?? Some of the comments that were made during the presidential campaign by the chair people of the RNC were terrible. This is why they are losing members and they are still wondering why. Until they figure that out, they will continue to lose members. This entire CD is filled with garbage, it isn't just one track, it is all of it. But, then after finding racist emails on the state's computers in Alaska and nothing yet from the Governor about disavowing them, nor even that she didn't know about them, the area's she thought were the best parts of the USA were the area's that have the most problems with this kind of stuff. Her "Team Sarah" web site is full of this kind of trash and she does nothing to stop it. What else do you expect from the group that claims she is their choice for 2012. It may be very interesting in 2012, with a racist group backing Sarah Palin and the Mormans backing Mitt Romney. Quite a primary for the Republican's don't you think??
Republican's Gift Held Racial Parody of Obama
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 27, 2008; A05
Chip Saltsman, a candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent committee members this month a holiday music CD that included "Barack the Magic Negro," a parody song first aired in 2007 by talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Created by conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, the song puts new lyrics to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon," and it is performed as if black activist Al Sharpton were singing it. Limbaugh played it after the Los Angeles Times ran an opinion piece with the same title.
"A guy from the LA paper said it made guilty whites feel good, they'll vote for him and not for me cuz he's not from the hood," the song goes. "Oh, Barack the magic negro lives in DC, the LA Times they called him that because he's black but not authentically."
The CD accompanied holiday greetings from Saltsman, a Tennessee resident who managed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee's campaign for president. Saltsman announced his bid to lead the Republican Party this month.
He did not return a call seeking comment last night. Saltsman had earlier told the Hill newspaper, which first reported the incident, that the song is meant as a joke. "Paul Shanklin is a longtime friend, and I think that RNC members have the good humor and good sense to recognize that his songs for 'The Rush Limbaugh Show' are light-hearted political parodies," he told the newspaper.
Another candidate to lead the GOP, South Carolina party chair Katon Dawson, drew headlines this fall by resigning his membership of 12 years in a whites-only country club, weeks before launching his run for the national job.
The incidents for both men come as Republicans are reeling from losing the presidency and dozens of House and Senate seats, and as many in the party are trying to improve relations with African Americans, who voted in record numbers for Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates last month.
Among the candidates for RNC chairman are two African Americans: Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland; and Ken Blackwell, a former secretary of state in Ohio. Neither could be reached last night for comment.
A spokesman for President-elect Obama also declined to comment.
The RNC is scheduled to vote for chairman at the end of January.
Republican's Gift Held Racial Parody of Obama
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 27, 2008; A05
Chip Saltsman, a candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent committee members this month a holiday music CD that included "Barack the Magic Negro," a parody song first aired in 2007 by talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
Created by conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, the song puts new lyrics to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon," and it is performed as if black activist Al Sharpton were singing it. Limbaugh played it after the Los Angeles Times ran an opinion piece with the same title.
"A guy from the LA paper said it made guilty whites feel good, they'll vote for him and not for me cuz he's not from the hood," the song goes. "Oh, Barack the magic negro lives in DC, the LA Times they called him that because he's black but not authentically."
The CD accompanied holiday greetings from Saltsman, a Tennessee resident who managed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee's campaign for president. Saltsman announced his bid to lead the Republican Party this month.
He did not return a call seeking comment last night. Saltsman had earlier told the Hill newspaper, which first reported the incident, that the song is meant as a joke. "Paul Shanklin is a longtime friend, and I think that RNC members have the good humor and good sense to recognize that his songs for 'The Rush Limbaugh Show' are light-hearted political parodies," he told the newspaper.
Another candidate to lead the GOP, South Carolina party chair Katon Dawson, drew headlines this fall by resigning his membership of 12 years in a whites-only country club, weeks before launching his run for the national job.
The incidents for both men come as Republicans are reeling from losing the presidency and dozens of House and Senate seats, and as many in the party are trying to improve relations with African Americans, who voted in record numbers for Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates last month.
Among the candidates for RNC chairman are two African Americans: Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland; and Ken Blackwell, a former secretary of state in Ohio. Neither could be reached last night for comment.
A spokesman for President-elect Obama also declined to comment.
The RNC is scheduled to vote for chairman at the end of January.
My Thoughts about Right Wing Nuts and the Losers of the GOP
The GOP is wondering why they are losing member's, they are wondering why they are losing election's, they are trying to figure out what to do in order to change direction of their party.
During the campaign this year there were several instances of this we saw. High ups in the GOP saying something totally off the wall about Barack Obama being African American. Did they think no one knew that? Was that the problem? Then there was the scare tactics. He is going to do something awful, he is a Muslim, he isn't like the rest of us, he isn't a citizen, he wasn't born in the USA, oh the list could go on and on. It is still happening.
There are still lawsuits trying to prove he isn't a citizen, that he wasn't born in the USA, that he doesn't have a birth certificate. I even had someone in my family tell me that on Christmas Day. I couldn't believe it. Not sure why, but it just blew my mind. I told him what I could, and he said oh ok but I am sure I didn't convince him of anything. I also told him I was going to call him a right wing nut job...lol and he didn't like that.
Even now, they are still working to try to do something, I am not real sure what they hope to accomplish, stop him from taking office or something, do the election over. What, put in Sarah Palin? God forbid. We would really be in trouble then. Even if somehow they could do something unprecedented, like getting him disqualified, Joe Biden would take over, for the short amount of time it would take to get this stopped and then it would just continue with PE Obama's policies going forward, so what did they really accomplish??
Furthermore, WHY?? Why are they doing this? What benefit are they getting from trying to prove something that they can't prove? Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Dick Morris, Philip J. Berg, Leo Donofrio, and Andy Martin have all tried in differing ways to denounce, deny and basically destroy PE Obama. From lies in the media to filing lawsuits saying he is not a natural born citizen, to even trying to get his birth certificate in Hawaii, they have been almost relentless.
As, I asked, why?? Because he is different, because he is a Democrat. Because he is not one of them. Because as he said he doesn't look like all the other presidents we have had. He doesn't fit the stereotype. Because they are afraid, because he might succeed, because he might turn our country in a different direction. Because we are sure not headed in the right direction now.
So, we are just a few days away now from the election being certified. The electoral college will go in front of the senate, the votes will be cast, the inauguration will be held on the 20th of January and that will be the beginning of a new presidency. So, then what next for all the right wing nuts. Will they stop??
No, I don't think so. From what I have been seeing and hearing, they are just shifting focus. Some of them still have lawsuits pending. The ones who don't are now just moving their focus to the stimulus package PE Obama and VPE Biden are trying to put together. They are trying to re-write history again. Saying that FDR was a failure, he didn't bring us out of the Depression. So, therefore nothing that PEBO would do along those same lines will help now. It is too big, we can't spend that much money, the deficit is already too big.
But you know, I have to wonder where all these budget watchers were the last 8 years. No one seemed to mind when Bush and the Republicans were running up the deficit. They spent like drunken sailors and it sure didn't seem like Hannity and Limbaugh minded then.
Of course, that was when Bush was cutting their taxes at the same time, to help them out and make sure they could afford to put more money in the bank. Now, it's time to help us little people out, the middle class, the lower class, so the outrage is there.
Well, guess what guys. Go back to your corners. We will let you know when we want to hear from you again. Because right now, we don't. So, sit down, shut up and let the smart people talk a while.
During the campaign this year there were several instances of this we saw. High ups in the GOP saying something totally off the wall about Barack Obama being African American. Did they think no one knew that? Was that the problem? Then there was the scare tactics. He is going to do something awful, he is a Muslim, he isn't like the rest of us, he isn't a citizen, he wasn't born in the USA, oh the list could go on and on. It is still happening.
There are still lawsuits trying to prove he isn't a citizen, that he wasn't born in the USA, that he doesn't have a birth certificate. I even had someone in my family tell me that on Christmas Day. I couldn't believe it. Not sure why, but it just blew my mind. I told him what I could, and he said oh ok but I am sure I didn't convince him of anything. I also told him I was going to call him a right wing nut job...lol and he didn't like that.
Even now, they are still working to try to do something, I am not real sure what they hope to accomplish, stop him from taking office or something, do the election over. What, put in Sarah Palin? God forbid. We would really be in trouble then. Even if somehow they could do something unprecedented, like getting him disqualified, Joe Biden would take over, for the short amount of time it would take to get this stopped and then it would just continue with PE Obama's policies going forward, so what did they really accomplish??
Furthermore, WHY?? Why are they doing this? What benefit are they getting from trying to prove something that they can't prove? Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Dick Morris, Philip J. Berg, Leo Donofrio, and Andy Martin have all tried in differing ways to denounce, deny and basically destroy PE Obama. From lies in the media to filing lawsuits saying he is not a natural born citizen, to even trying to get his birth certificate in Hawaii, they have been almost relentless.
As, I asked, why?? Because he is different, because he is a Democrat. Because he is not one of them. Because as he said he doesn't look like all the other presidents we have had. He doesn't fit the stereotype. Because they are afraid, because he might succeed, because he might turn our country in a different direction. Because we are sure not headed in the right direction now.
So, we are just a few days away now from the election being certified. The electoral college will go in front of the senate, the votes will be cast, the inauguration will be held on the 20th of January and that will be the beginning of a new presidency. So, then what next for all the right wing nuts. Will they stop??
No, I don't think so. From what I have been seeing and hearing, they are just shifting focus. Some of them still have lawsuits pending. The ones who don't are now just moving their focus to the stimulus package PE Obama and VPE Biden are trying to put together. They are trying to re-write history again. Saying that FDR was a failure, he didn't bring us out of the Depression. So, therefore nothing that PEBO would do along those same lines will help now. It is too big, we can't spend that much money, the deficit is already too big.
But you know, I have to wonder where all these budget watchers were the last 8 years. No one seemed to mind when Bush and the Republicans were running up the deficit. They spent like drunken sailors and it sure didn't seem like Hannity and Limbaugh minded then.
Of course, that was when Bush was cutting their taxes at the same time, to help them out and make sure they could afford to put more money in the bank. Now, it's time to help us little people out, the middle class, the lower class, so the outrage is there.
Well, guess what guys. Go back to your corners. We will let you know when we want to hear from you again. Because right now, we don't. So, sit down, shut up and let the smart people talk a while.
Friday, December 26, 2008
RNC chair candidate sends out controversial Obama song
A candidate for Republican National Committee chairman said Friday it was clear the content of a CD he sent committee members for Christmas — that included lyrics from a song called “Barack the Magic Negro” — was intended as a joke.
“I think most people recognize political satire when they see it,” Chip Saltsman told CNN. “I think RNC members understand that.” 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.
The song, set to the tune of “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 said the song, penned by long-time friend Paul Shanklin, should be easily recognized as satire directed at the Times.
The parody CD sent to RNC members this Christmas, first reported by The Hill Friday, is titled “We Hate the USA”, and includes songs referencing former presidential John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.
“I think most people recognize political satire when they see it,” Chip Saltsman told CNN. “I think RNC members understand that.” 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.
The song, set to the tune of “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 said the song, penned by long-time friend Paul Shanklin, should be easily recognized as satire directed at the Times.
The parody CD sent to RNC members this Christmas, first reported by The Hill Friday, is titled “We Hate the USA”, and includes songs referencing former presidential John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.
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