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Sensing an opening in the race for the RNC chairmanship,
rivals of Chip Saltsman are criticizing the candidate for sending out a CD to
members with a song called “Barack the Magic Negro.” “The 2008 election was a wakeup call for Republicans to
reach out and bring more people into our party,” current Republican National
Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, who is again running for the position, stated. “I
am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it
clearly does not move us in the right direction.”
Saltsman, in a Christmas greeting to RNC members, send a
CD that included the song about the president-elect as well as other tracks
lampooning liberals that were written by conservative
satirist Paul Shanklin. “Barack the Magic Negro”
was presented to a broad audience by conservative talk show host Rush
Limbaugh.
When The Hill first reported about the CD, Saltsman noted that “Paul Shanklin is a
long-time 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.”
Michigan Republican Party
chairman Saul Anuzis, who is also seeking the RNC chairmanship, said the song
is not his idea of “appropriate humor.”
“In my opinion, this isn’t
funny and it’s in bad taste,” he added, noting that the GOP is not helped by
criticism of Obama that does not stem from philosophical differences with the
president-elect.
Saltsman hit back with a statement on his website
criticizing “liberal Democrats and their allies in the media” for not “uttering
a word” when David Ehrenstein penned a column in the Los Angeles Times last year with the same title.
“I firmly believe that we must welcome all Americans into
our party and that the road to Republican resurgence begins with unity, not
division,” Saltsman stated. “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.”
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