A White Hood Was Too Obvious?

On a March 2007 broadcast of "The Rush Limbaugh Show", Limbaugh aired a song called "Barack the Magic Negro", which was based on an editorial in the "Los Angeles Times" from an author of African American descent. Written and recorded by Paul Shanklin, a conservative political "comedian" and impressionist, Shanklin sings the parody to the tune of "Puff, the Magic Dragon". Shanklin impersonates Al Sharpton by using a megaphone to sing the lyrics, including "Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.; The L.A. Times, they called him that; 'Cause he's not authentic like me" and "See, real black men like Snoop Dog or me or Farrakhan; Have talked the talk and walked the walk; Not come in late and won".

When Limbaugh played the ridiculous song almost two years ago, unfortunately the media did not provide much coverage on the situation. However, what is even more pathetic is the lack of media coverage when the song resurfaced again at the end of December. Chip Saltsman, the manager of Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign and (believe it or not) a candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, sent a Christmas CD filled with satirical songs to numerous members of the RNC. As is common with the majority of the right wing, Saltsman did not see anything wrong with his actions: "Our party leaders should stand up against the media's double standards and refuse to pander to their desire for scandal." Former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) surprisingly served as the voice of reason by stating "This is so inappropriate that it should disqualify any Republican National Committee candidate who would use it".