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'Barack the Magic Negro'

(From the Chicago Tribune)

What do you think about the controversy swirling around Republican National Committee chair candidate Chip Saltsman sending out a "comedy" CD to fellow party officials with the song, "Barack the Magic Negro?"

Conservative satirist Paul Shanklin wrote the song, which ran on Rush Limbaugh's show with an Al Sharpton impersonator. Here’s an excerpt (click here for more on Alternet):

Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.
The L.A. Times they called him that
'cause he's not authentic like me...

"Yeah the guy from the L.A. paper
said he made guilty whites feel good
they'll vote for him and not for me
'cause he's not from the hood..."

Inspiration for the song apparently came from a March, 2007 Los Angeles Times op-ed piece called “Obama the Magic Negro” in which liberal writer David Ehrenstein, an African-American gay rights activist, tried to dissect the ‘Magic Negro’ myth.

The ‘Magic Negro’ in folk culture is a black person (typically male) who makes white people feel less bad about the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history. He’s a benign figure, stripped of the dangerous, hyper-sexual black male stereotypes.

In a recent statement, Saltsman responded to the controversy of his sending out the album: "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.' 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."

We can argue that satire is satire, and won’t be everybody’s cup of tea. Indeed, sometimes some people will be offended. (Shanklin's CD, by the way, included songs disparaging Hispanics and others.) But should politicians be sending around such satire? How do Saltsman's deeds affect the Republican party's goal of expanding its tent?