WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Republican National Committee said Saturday that he was “shocked and appalled” that one of his potential successors had sent committee members a CD this Christmas featuring a 2007 song called “Barack the Magic Negro.”
In the wake of RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan’s admonishment, former Tennessee GOP leader Chip Saltsman said that party leaders should stand up to criticism over sending out the song on a CD. He earlier defended the song as one of several “lighthearted political parodies” that have aired on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.
Saltsman, who managed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, is seeking the RNC chairmanship. During the presidential campaign, GOP officials denounced efforts by those in the party who criticized or mocked Democratic nominee Barack Obama along racial lines.
A spokesman for President-elect Barack Obama, Ben LaBolt, declined to comment on the matter.
The ditty by conservative comedian Paul Shanklin refers to a March 2007 opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times by David Ehrenstein headlined “Obama the ‘Magic Negro.’ ” In the article, Ehrenstein argued that voting for Obama helped white voters alleviate guilt over racial wrongs in the past.
Shanklin’s parody is sung to the music of “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” Among other Shanklin tunes on the 41-track CD that Saltsman sent with a Christmas message: “I Can Talk Like a Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Love Client 9” and “Down on the Farm with Al Gore.”
“Barack the Magic Negro” calls into question Obama’s racial identity. Born to a black father and white mother, the president-elect was raised primarily by his white grandparents.
“The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party,” Duncan said in a statement. “I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it clearly does not move us in the right direction.”
In a statement, Saltsman said: “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.
“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,” he said.
