Political Masochism
In an exercise of political suicide, Republican National Committee Chair hopeful Chip Saltsman distributed a controversial CD by conservative satirist Paul Shanklin to national committee members this month for Christmas.
First played on Rush Limbaugh’s popular, though often taboo, radio show, the 41-track CD, entitled “We Hate the USA,” featured the racially-charged song “Barack the Magic Negro.” After all, nothing says “Christmas” like racial insensitivity…
Defending the ill-conceived Christmas goodie bag as a good humored joke, Saltsman told The Hill: “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.”
HA HA, get it, “negro” is a funny word.
Saltsman’s decision to distribute the “light-hearted” CD to RNC members – three of which are African American – is quite the revealing faux pas. Granted, he didn’t pull a George Allen and personally call Obama a “magic negro,” but sending a CD with those lyrics shortly after electing the first African American President – one supported by nearly 97% of the African American community – shows a serious lack of judgment, tact, and the necessary level of racial sensitivity expected of public officials. And while I’m sure Saltsman doesn’t espouse racist sentiments, this will undoubtedly be spun as an angry, white Southerner stoking the flames of racial tensions after losing to a minority candidate. Hell, why don’t we go ahead and give ‘em the other 3%, too, Chip?
Advancing a woefully intolerant agenda may help the Party in Saltsman’s back yard, Tennessee, but it stands to reason that it will further marginalize moderates, independents, and the few remaining African American Republicans.
Among those vying for the Chairmanship are two African Americans, Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State, and Michael Steele, former Maryland Lieutenant Governor. Steele, a FOX News contributor and well known Republican commentator, has been particularly adamant the Republican Party aggressively reach out to minority communities, though I’d wager this wasn’t what he had in mind. Republicans, still reeling from our collective inability to positively address issues of race, simply cannot afford racially-insensitive leaders, or, for that matter, those with 12 year memberships at whites-only country clubs. To be sure, Obama has proved to be an elusive target for trigger-shy Republicans, but Saltsman and Dawson are either shooting blanks or armed with the wrong ammunition.
I’m not making the case the next Chairman should be taking photo-ops in subsidized housing areas, but they at least need to be cognizant of these sticky issues. Saltsman’s ignorant and inexcusable actions here should exclude him from ever running anything again, except weight-loss enthusiast Mike Huckabee’s next campaign.
Katon Dawon’s campaign just breathed a huge sigh of relief.
UPDATE: The Moderate Voice’s Jazz Shaw weighs in on the matter of the “curious” Christmas gift.
UPDATE II: Mike Duncan, current RNC Chairman, is rather dismayed with Saltsman’s actions. From a statement forwarded to Skepticians by a Duncan aide: “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.” Indeed.
UPDATE III: Following Duncan, Ken Blackwell and Saul Anuzis have now given comment — both over 24 hours after news of the story initially broke. Mirroring much of the public’s response, two of the three total candidates to offer comment have forcefully criticized Saltsman’s actions, but the former Tennessee political operative refuses to apologize for the gaffe.
When first cornered by The Hill’s Reid Wilson, Saltsman was forced to defend his gift as “good humored” political satire, but now we see the problem was not with his gift — and by proxy his judgment — but rather the media’s flawed interpretation.
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.
See, I was just overreacting. He believes we must welcome “all Americans,” even those magic negroes “into our party.”
Saltsman’s response is typical post-gaffe political maneuvering: He knows he did wrong, but his ego — and campaign — can’t afford to admit it. You’ll note there was no degree of remorse in his statement, only the reactionary condemnation of media bias. Moreover, if Ehrenstein’s column was, as Saltsman claims, “irresponsible,” why then is Shanklin’s satire of the subject just good wholesome fun? Simple answer: It’s not.
Republicans cannot win elections by blackballing news outlets, crying foul, and crusading against “unfair” media bias.
UPDATE IV: CNN, noting the typical reaction of young(er) Republicans, quotes me HERE.
The Prez elect chose to run on the black half of his genetic makeup, he could have run on the white half.
It’s been the liberals, leftists, and Dems who’ve repeatedly brought up the race issue … Jackson, Sharpton, Wright, Franken, Farakan, Bill Clinton, Obama himself, and even Michelle O.
Most Americans, even many who voted for BHO, are informed enough to see through this charade of yours/
How is this a “charade”?
I worked on the campaign against Obama — and routinely called him out when his campaign was wrongfully using the issue of race. That being said, Republicans must be mindful of public perception, i.e. we’re led by old, white men and are supported by old, white Southern men (In case you were unaware, we’ve all but lost the Northeast now, save two US Senators).
If you enjoy being a “Southern Party,” then, by all means, support Saltsman. Not that he has a chance anyways…
Huh. Guess Saltsman didn’t really want the job. Well, that *must* be it since this was such a monumental PR blunder that he would have trouble being appointed Official RNC Doorkeeper afterwards.
Lord, save us from the idiots in the Republican Party…
Please, more Saltsman, more Limbaugh. With guys like these continuing to represent the most public face of the GOP, Republicans will have a helluva time drawing votes outside of Mississippi and Idaho by 2016 … and the Dems won’t have to lift a finger to make it happen.
All y’all who are criticizing little Chippy Saltsman are guilty of mis-diagnosin’ !
Clearly you need to listen to The Doctor, and then you will see Chippy in the RIGHT way.
According to Chippy’s website at http://www.chipsaltsman.com , former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist has very recently diagnosed Chippy as “a skilled manager and thoughtful tactician for Republicans nationwide.”
All you small-minded critics who think this is some kind of brain-dead blunder or embarrassin’ mess — well, apparently you need to ask Dr. Frist to fix you up with some kind of RNC Leadership Prescription, so that you, too will be able to see that this “mess” is really just part of Chippy’s skilled managin’ and thoughtful tacticianizin’ !
I bet you feel silly that you didn’t perceive Chippy the way Dr. Frist sees Chippy.
[...] well. Political marginalization small price to pay for a little bit of innocent fun at the expense of oversensitive PC types who can’t [...]
What’s even more worrisome is that Blackwell is willing to stand in defense of this.
What is really disgusting is how the right-wingnuts HAVE NOT A CLUE how grotesque they are… their racist vulgarity is a badge of honor!
Off the cliff they go… good riddance, they can’t jump off fast enough.
[...] apparently I was just overreacting. He believes we must welcome “all Americans,” even those ‘magic negroes’ into the party. [...]
Media Bias or Just Personal Incompetence?…
Following Mike Duncan’s public statement, Ken Blackwell and Saul Anuzis have now broken their notable silence on “CD gate” — both statements coming over 24 hours after news of the story initially broke. Mirroring much of the public’s response, two of t…
[...] apparently I was just overreacting. He believes we must welcome “all Americans,” even those ‘magic negroes’ into the party. [...]
[...] apparently I was just overreacting. He believes we must welcome “all Americans,” even those ‘magic negroes’ into the party. [...]
“The Magic Negro” Part 2: GOP Chair States that He Was “Appalled”…
by Damozel | James Richardson at The Skepticians calls it “an excercise of political suicide.” Meanwhile, the RNC leadership are hastily attempting to demonstrate that no, the GOP is not about light-hearted racial slurs against Barack Obama…except …
James,
You sound like a full-fledged lefty in this post!
Well, except for the part about worrying more about how Saltsman’s actions looked, rather than on whether or not they were actually racist. That’s just your political operative side coming through. ;)
Confronting the media’s outrageous pro-left bias isn’t reactionary; it’s self-defense by means of the truth.
You mischaracterize Shanklin’s parody. It was never meant to be “just good wholesome fun.” It was satire. It is grossly unfair to suggest that a satire of the left’s racial obsessions has to be racist itself.
“HA HA, get it, “negro” is a funny word.”
Oh, please, James, you’re smarter than that. “Negro” is just a word that describes one of the races of mankind. Just like the word “Caucasian.”
“Republicans cannot win elections by blackballing news outlets, crying foul, and crusading against “unfair” media bias.”
And Republicans cannot win elections by suggesting that their fellow Republicans are advancing woefully intolerant agendas because they dare to criticise (or satrize) the likes of David Ehrenstein and Al Sharpton.
[...] diligently maintaining my holiday sugar high, but James Richardson was around to summarize why Saltsman is an utterly embarrassing drag on the GOP: In an exercise of political suicide, Republican National Committee Chair hopeful Chip Saltsman [...]
As a 60 year old, gun-owning, hunting, fishing, white, middle-class, small town, male, independent voter, fiscally conservative Marine Corps veteran, I should be part of the Republican Party’s natural constituency. Instead, the Bush Administration’s ineptitude at home and abroad, the 2000-2006 Republican Congress’s utter abdication of fiscal responsibility, McCain’s inept campaign, the ignorant Sarah Palin, and the racism/tone deafness/stupidity of Saltsman and other Republicans during and after the campaign have utterly driven me away. The Republican Party is rapidly devolving into a party of angry white men who despise anything and everything except themselves. If the GOP’s and conservatism’s future is that of Saltsman, Palin, Limbaugh, Hannity and the like, it will have lost those of us in the broad middle for a generation or more. Earlier this year I would have characterized my estimation of the GOP as one of contempt. Now, I simply regard it as irrelevant to solving the problems we face. Barack Obama has more than earned a chance to help us steer in the right direction, even if his party has not. The GOP, on the other hand, is politically bankrupt and intellectual dishonest. “Country first???” Bullshit.
Tom Mattis
Walla Walla, Washington
LOL @ “satire”. Why do these folks always try to run and hide behind “jokes”, and “satire”???
These folks need to be HONEST and state that the only minorities they are willing to give the time of day to are ones who walk/talk/act the way they do (because heaven forbid they have to be in a *gasp* uncomfortable situation with a “negro”).
And please note: No one really uses that word to describe blacks/african-americans.
I’m a White, suburban Mom who is disturbed mostly that this was sent out as a “Christmas greeting” to the RNC. Anyone, of any religion (or NO religion), race, or ethnicity, should read Luke 2:14, and embrace that as an appropriate Christmas greeting.
[...] song “Barack the Magic Negro” has been mixed. James Richardson, a former RNC staffer, called it “political suicide.” Current RNC chair Mike Duncan said he was “shocked and [...]
Ken Blackwell is not the standard for African Americans. And Michael Steele is doing a fine job of becoming Blackwell’s understudy. The Republican Party will suffer a cruel and public period of rejection as a result of its lack of seriousness over the last forty yearss
Forget the stupid song for a minute. Yes, it was a PR blunder and the song is tasteless.
More important are the points that Richardson makes. These are some of the most solid, positive points on race that I’ve seen written on a mainstream political site in a long time.
As he points out, 97% of African-Americans voted for Obama. That makes it clear that race _does_ matter: Has any candidate ever gotten 97% of any significant minority segment before? Racial pride must have helped elect Barack Obama.
Furthermore, by not attacking African-Americans’ racial pride, Richardson shows that racial pride is okay. Black pride has never been stronger, and personally, I say: good for them. Black really *is* beautiful. I really mean that. Maybe Obama’s election and the dawning of a “post-racial” America is really a sign that America can accept that race exists, and that racial pride isn’t necessarily bad.
It’s also clear that the Republicans stand ZERO chance of getting a substantial amount of the black vote if they run a white person against Obama in 2012.
So clearly they _should_ take Richardson’s suggestion. Just do it: relinquish the 3% of the black population. It’s a statistically insignificant number, barely a blip on the radar. Instead, take the lead on positively addressing issues of race.
Why? Because the 3% of black people that we give up would be more than compensated for by catering to a larger demographic: white people. A solid conservative white person (probably a man, of course) could attract a large number of white people by simply saying some of the things that many white people _think_ but never _say_, such as
“Why should lesser-qualified black people get into colleges instead of more highly qualified white people?”
or
“Why is it that even after 150 years of increasingly preferential treatment of blacks, black-on-white violence is multiple times more common than white-on-black violence? And shouldn’t we consider them hate crimes, even though that implies stiffer penalties for more black men?”
or
“Why should we continue to allow immigration of poor Africans, Caribbeans, Mexicans, and other foreigners when it doesn’t help us maintain our culture as a civilized Western society?”
After all, Richardson nails the point that “Republicans [are] still reeling from our collective inability to positively address issues of race [and] simply cannot afford racially-insensitive leaders.” As long as the Obama election has made it perfectly clear that blacks are in it for the blacks, maybe we should also see that whites should be in it for the whites! Not “White Supremacy”, mind you, or mistreatment of or hatred of blacks, but simply a white preference for whites that mirrors the (understandable and apparently acceptable) black preference for blacks?
What a positive way to address racial issues: “Whites, it’s okay to be white! It’s okay to love being white! You don’t have to hate blacks to love being white, either!”
Now, maybe you think that I’m a racist jerk, but I simply read what Richardson wrote and thought about it rationally. I’m not saying that you have to accept African-American racial pride as a given, as Richardson did, or that you have to accept European-American racial pride as a given, as I have outlined. All I’m saying is that if you accept the one, you have no reason not to accept the other, and if you repudiate the one, then you should repudiate the other. To do otherwise is an unprincipled exception.
Personally, I don’t think that racial pride is a bad thing. I don’t have to hate or persecute other families to love mine, and I don’t have to hate or persecute other races to love my own. I would guess that racial pride is natural.
More importantly, as long as we take the political consequences of black racial pride in stride, we should figure out what that means for white racial pride, hispanic racial pride, and so on, as well.
By the way, yes, I know Richardson didn’t mean what he wrote in the way that I took it. I responded because he rhetorically asked whether Republicans should give up the other 3% of the African-American population. It sounds like he thinks the answer is “no”, but 3% of a minority is a tiny slice of the population. The intuitively obvious answer is therefore “yes”. The only worry is that you would lose other _whites_, not that you would lose blacks. If race matters, it clearly doesn’t matter in the way that Richardson thinks it does.
Putting aside any moral qualms one may have about your suggestion, Jake, pragmatism renders your suggestion political suicide. Obama won 53% of the overall vote with only 43% support from white voters. That’s 2% better than Kerry in 2004 but 4% worse than Gore in 2000. Try and run a campaign with such a naked appeal to white voters against the first black president will not only cost the GOP minority voters, but will turn off enough of white Independent or Democrat voters to win. Are you trying to hand Obama an easy reelection in 2012? He already will have the powerful sybmol of being the first black president AND incumbency in his favor, why hand him this as well?
Adding morality to this, I find such a move more than bit repugnant.
It doesn’t have to be a “naked appeal to white voters.” It just has to not care about the 3% so much. I rarely think about race, and so I’m always amazed at how much the left wing of the political spectrum does. That makes me wonder why the right wing of the political spectrum pays its homage to the left wing. Are even our conservatives liberal?
With respect to morality, do you have any moral qualms about the black pride shown at the election of Obama?
My point is only that if the question is “does 3% of black voters matter?” then the answer is probably “no”, and that if the question is “is racial pride acceptable?” then the acceptable answer appears to be “yes, as long as you’re not white.” It’s that double standard that I’m annoyed with, and I think Richardson and people like him should be able to argue against a stupid song without making it sound like we have to kow-tow to nonwhite racial pride.
Mine is a simple voice in the crowd. Forget that the RNC no longer understands the demands of a diverse America, forget that no less than a high ranking party official would distribute this, forget that it is to represent the spirit of a CHRISTIAN holiday, forget that his is one of the most powerful voices in our government.
Is this the message of our representatives? Is this the direction to those of us who hold local positions? As a councilmember, am I to hand a CD like this to my neighbors? Is my direction now to be given by talk show hosts and satire musicians?
Wars on two fronts, industrial turmoil, educational deficits, the list goes on. And our leadership is focused firmly on the wrong issue, that of creating division among the citizenry.
I will run as a conservative. But not as a member of the RNC. Thanks for nothing.
>>It doesn’t have to be a “naked appeal to white voters.”<<
Your 3 questions were exactly such an appeal. A GOP campaign which followed your suggestion against an incumbent president, who is also the first black man to hold that high office, practically guarantees Republicans will fail again to pick off enough Independent & Democrat voters to win. Again I ask you: Are you trying to hand Obama an easy reelection in 2012?
Fair enough, my questions were. But the candidate in question wouldn’t have to ask the questions in such a blatant way, just answer truthfully when such questions were asked.
And I’m not really trying to influence the 2012 elections at all. I seriously doubt that these thoughts will make it into the mainstream. I’m trying to point out that losing 3% of a minority is not an electoral crisis for the Republican party (as long as there are compensating gains, of course), and that EITHER the racial pride exhibited by black Obama supporters is reprehensible, or that white racial pride is not.
This is a great article that highlights the predicament that me and millions of other potential Republican voters find themselves in election after election.
I am in my late 20s and, despite having voted in every election since I turned 18, I have never voted for a Republican. Is it because I’m a die-hard Democrat? No. The Democratic party routinely annoys me. Given a reasonable, moderate Republican candidate, I would absolutely consider voting for them. But that has never happened. Why? Because the Republican platform on social issues is straight out of the 1950s, and everytime I think I’ve found a Republican candidate I like, he says something like “Global warming isn’t really a problem,” or “Gay marriage threatens the sanctity of marriage for everyone else,” or “We need to bring the death penalty back to this state!” or “We shouldn’t give equal pay for equal work” or “More protections for gun owners is the answer!” OR he makes some racially bigoted or extremely ignorant comment when a microphone is left on. Or he distributes a CD featuring “Barack the Magic Negro.” It’s laughable. I am simply NEVER going to vote for someone whose views on any social issue are more conservative than my 85-year-old Catholic grandmother’s.
Now, you can try to explain to me why my views on any of those issues are wrong or why the Republican platform on social issues best represents the views of real, hard-working, patriotic, Christian Americans, or whatever. That’s not the point. The point is that unless the RNC reforms its social agenda, it will continue to lose (or utterly fail to pick up) the votes (and resources) of young, upwardly mobile, future-soccer-moms-of-America like myself. And it’s not just me. It’s my friends. It’s my colleagues. It’s my neighbors. We’ve all had this exact same discussion.
Catherine said, “Is it because I’m a die-hard Democrat? No.”
Of course not. It’s because you’re a die-hard liberal. The label “Republican” or “Democrat” doesn’t matter as long as the belief system is the one you want: pro-gay-marriage, anti-death-penalty, enforced-gender-equality, anti-gun-rights government.
You are welcome to believe that the group of people who disagree with you is small and shrinking — it may be, in fact — but the Republican party certainly won’t be rejuvenated by becoming more like the Democratic party. As the Republican party leans more to the left, the Democratic party becomes even more extreme, and there are a lot of people who would like to reverse that trend and see a real conservative party arise from the ashes of the McCain campaign.
>>But the candidate in question wouldn’t have to ask the questions in such a blatant way, just answer truthfully when such questions were asked.<>I seriously doubt that these thoughts will make it into the mainstream. I’m trying to point out that losing 3% of a minority is not an electoral crisis for the Republican party (as long as there are compensating gains, of course), and that EITHER the racial pride exhibited by black Obama supporters is reprehensible, or that white racial pride is not.<<
You are aware that Richardson was quoted in an article by CNN the other day, right? Just the position he once held in the RNC is enough to increase traffic here by Independents and Democrats, let alone those Republicans you might castigate as being liberals. Your comments do nothing more than reinforce in their minds the stigma the GOP wears: it is the party of racism. This isn’t about what’s fair (as if politics ever is) or how things should be, it’s about dealing with the realities that exist and if you believe change is warranted moving in that direction in a productive manner to achieve this. Acting petulant, demanding that folks see things -your way only may rally some of the faithful but turns people not-disposed to views completely off. Is this how you want the GOP to keep the 47% it won this year as well as chip away at least 3.1% from the Dems to win the White House again? Good luck with that strategy…
>>but the Republican party certainly won’t be rejuvenated by becoming more like the Democratic party.<>As the Republican party leans more to the left, the Democratic party becomes even more extreme, and there are a lot of people who would like to reverse that trend and see a real conservative party arise from the ashes of the McCain campaign.<<
Yet a social conservative, especially against Obama, will not fit the bill. Or are you casting out fiscal & defense conservatives who are also social moderates or liberals? Being against gay marriage doesn’t make one Republican, the millions of Dem voters who are also against gay marriage would be surprised to hear that.
Ok, the first part was cut off so let me try this again…
>>but the Republican party certainly won’t be rejuvenated by becoming more like the Democratic party.<<
Agreed, but what does this entail? That GOP stands for “God’s Own Party”? There are plenty of voters who agree with Republicans on many issues but cannot support the alliance they have with religious groups – especially the fundamentalist ones.
I agree with John. The Republican party lost this last election (and not just the one for the presidency) because it lost independents, moderates, women, young voters, and minorities. Becoming MORE conservative is not going to pick up any of those groups.
The trend in this country has always been towards more rights for more people. Granted, there are occasional periods of conservative reentrenchment, but over time, the country has ALWAYS become more liberal. That’s why even the most die-hard conservatives in this country are no longer arguing that women shouldn’t have the right to vote or that we should pass a constitutional amendment banning inter-racial marriage.
By updating its platform on social issues, the GOP *might* lose some of the voters on the far right of the party (at worst, they wouldn’t show up at the polls because, lord knows, they’re not going to vote for a democrat), but look at everyone it stands to gain: independents, moderates, women, young voters, and minorities, particularly in swing states.
You can dismiss me, as Jake does, as being a “die-hard liberal” (although, being pro-life, I find that label questionable), and that’s fine… I’ll keep voting Democrat, and the RNC will keep losing Virginia and New Hampshire. And eventually North Carolina and Colorado. The party has to evolve. Pandering the fringe is not going to work.
[...] in the race, calling upon the mantle of political moderation. And while I certainly applaud and agree with Greer’s position on “CD gate”, he is, at best, a third tier candidate in this race – [...]
[...] if Chip Saltsman’s racially-charged Christmas gift wasn’t enough to sink his long-shot candidacy, it seems the social conservative community [...]
[...] lends itself to personal and even misleading attacks. Highlighting perceived vulnerabilities – media faux pas, ideological speeding tickets, charges of racism – is a staple of modern political dog fights. …
[...] charges of ideological impurity to gain the upper-hand. Highlighting perceived vulnerabilities – media faux pas, ideological speeding tickets, charges of racism – is a staple of modern political dog fights, [...]
[...] charges of ideological impurity to gain the upper-hand. Highlighting perceived vulnerabilities – media faux pas, ideological speeding tickets, charges of racism – is a staple of modern political dog fights, [...]
[...] charges of ideological impurity to gain the upper-hand. Highlighting perceived vulnerabilities – media faux pas, ideological speeding tickets, charges of racism – is a staple of modern political dog fights, [...]
Hey, John Gillmartin… do you remember the “One Drop Rule” from the South?
Racial insensitivity, whether under rouse of fun, or not – is unacceptable.
Limbuagh is a drug-addicted moron… and I suspect with his lack of judgment, Saltsman may well not be far behind them.
And… Blackwell shouldn’t be in charge of running anything. He screwed up my great state — we’ve spent years trying to overcome that “worthless nuts” thing, and then along comes the “good” conservative what… nut job.
Hey Blackwell… do us a favor – Move to Pennsylvania.
[...] Well, we all know it’s perfectly acceptable to joke about racially sensitive topics when you’re Republican. In fact, in the pursuit of viewers and readers, the media encourages it. [...]
[...] Well, we all know it’s perfectly acceptable to joke about racially sensitive topics when you’re Republican. In fact, in the pursuit of viewers and readers, the media encourages it. [...]
[...] Well, we all know it’s perfectly acceptable to joke about racially sensitive topics when you’re Republican. In fact, in the pursuit of viewers and readers, the media encourages it. [...]