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GOP chair 'appalled' by 'Magic Negro' CD

Mike Allen � Sat Dec 27, 1:12 pm ET


Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan issued a statement
Saturday distancing the party�s leadership from one of the GOP�s
best-known operatives, Chip Saltsman, who distributed a CD containing
�Barack the Magic Negro� as part of his campaign to be elected
chairman of the Republican National Committee next month.

Duncan, who has served the campaigns of five presidents dating back to
Richard Nixon, is seeking reelection as the party�s 60th chairman in a
hotly contested race that includes Saltsman and several other viable
candidates.

Saltsman, 40, was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee�s campaign
manager during the Republican presidential primaries.

Saltsman sent Republican National Committee members, who will choose
the next chairman, a CD by conservative political satirist Paul
Shanklin, �We HATE the USA.� It contains the controversial track,
which was popular on conservative radio. Shanklin�s Web site promises
�absolutely the best parodies in talk radio.�

Duncan's statement, in full: "The 2008 election was a wake-up call for
Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party. I am
shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it
clearly does not move us in the right direction."

Saltsman�s candidacy for national party chair is endorsed by Huckabee
and fellow Tennessean Bill Frist, the former Senate majority leader.

Saltsman defended his song selection to The Hill�s Reid Wilson, who
first reported the gift.

�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,� Saltsman told The
Hill.

Saltsman said in a statement later Saturday that the title was a
reference to an opinion article in the Los Angeles Times in March 2007
with the headline, "Obama the 'Magic Negro," which argued that "The
Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized,
less-than-real black man."
 
Saltsman's statement 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. ... 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."

Saltsman�s marketing campaign comes as Republicans grapple with ways
to offer a counterpoint to President-elect Obama at a time when the
country is largely supportive of his appointments and policies.

The national GOP ticket lost badly in November among many growing
voter groups � including young people, Hispanics and suburbanites.
Party officials says that a voter base consisting of the South plus
social conservatives is not a dependable way to win elections.

In the �Republican Plan for Victory� that is Saltsman�s platform in
the chairman�s race, he writes: �I believe that countering an
emboldened Democratic Party, led by the Obama-Reid-Pelosi troika,
requires an aggressive national strategy. This campaign�s message
cannot depend upon traditional media outlets or communication methods.
It will require building upon new media and developing and mastering
new tactics.�

The disclosure by The Hill was met with an odd silence from Republican
leaders. The story was posted at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, was quickly
picked up by Talking Points Memo, and for a time was the banner
headline on The Huffington Post, later replaced by Israeli�s strikes
on Gaza.

Duncan issued his statement after Politico noted the party�s 22-hour
silence.

Politico has exchanged e-mails with an aide to Saltsman, and will post
a response when it arrives.

Saltsman is a former development director of the National Republican
Senatorial Committee, and was elected chairman of the Tennessee
Republican Party in 1998.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081227/pl_politico/16876;_ylt=AglSuKyT2sHD07tPO33.0LSs0NUE