5 Republican Party Resolutions for 2009
Politics Daily — ... Barack Obama has, yet again, set his sights on kicking cigarettes for good. Rod Blagojevich, meanwhile, has resolved to remain a very painful thorn in the Democrats' foot. But what of the Republican Party? In the wake of their electoral trouncing, do the GOP have any corrective measures in mind? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Be less racist. As the "Barack the Magic Negro" episode shows, this is still an utterly tone-deaf group. 2. Reclaim the "fiscal conservative" brand if you can. ...

Around the Web in 80 Seconds, 12.30.08
The Latest on Air America — ... as a nation. On the Bowers Progress-O-matic? Meh.  Here's Rachel on the weather and then with Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, who discusses Obama's stimulus package: RNC Chair candidate Chip Saltsman may have helped himself by sending out that "magic negro" viral according to Politico. Who says being a con-tarded bigot doesn't pay? Here is Amnesty International's take on the human cost of the hostilities between ...

"Barack The Magic Negro" Fallout
QandO — ... How ever this stupid sideshow turns out really makes no difference to me. Politico is now reporting that the backlash may have actually increased Saltsman’s chances of becoming the RNC chair rather than killed them altogether. I don’t know if that’s true or not, and I really don’t care. Who wins the party’s chairmanship is not my concern. However, if the next chairman is as tone deaf as Saltsman, then we had better get used to one-party rule for awhile. Perhaps a long while.

Saltsman gets a boost
Political Animal — ... that Saltsman would likely see conservatives "rally around him, protecting him from those who 'can't take a joke.'" And with that in mind, the Politico 's Andy Barr reports today that the "Magic Negro" flap may have " inadvertently helped " Saltsman's RNC candidacy, with some RNC officials "rallying around" around him. Alabama Republican committeeman Paul Reynolds said the fact the Saltsman sent him a CD with the song on it "didn't bother me one bit." "Chip probably could have thought it through a bit more, but he was doing everyone a favor by giving us a gift," he said. ...

Heil Saltsman!
Talking Points Memo — I see the GOP's devious plan to become the party of southern whites over the age of 50 continues apace. Wholly unable to confirm this, but I'm told the talk is now that Mike Duncan may have to perform in black face at the upcoming RNC meeting to remain a credible candidate for the job. ...

If he had called him "Boy" it'd be a landslide
Rising Hegemon — ... Apparently, calling an African-American a "Negro" now makes you not only a "laugh-riot" but the object of sympathy in the Republican Party as a victim of discrimination. ...

Is "Magic Negro" CD Helping Saltsman In RNC Race?
TPM Election Central — ... The Politico reports that some RNC members appear to be rallying behind chairmanship candidate Chip Saltsman, after he sent all of them a gift CD that included the racially-charged song. Committee members from Oklahoma to Alabama and even Maine are now going on the record defending Saltsman, and some observers think current RNC chairman Mike Duncan and Michigan chairman Saul Anuzis may have damaged their candidacies by denouncing the CD. ...

Is Saltsman Candidacy for RNC Chairman Salvageable?
PoliPundit.com — Is Saltsman Candidacy for RNC Chairman Salvageable? A new and interesting angle is being played out in the latest chapter of the Chip Saltsman Christmas gift CD saga. With some of his rivals for the position condemning him for sending out the CD, and one candidate, namely Ken Blackwell, standing up for him, everyone forgot to ask the actual RNC members who will be doing the voting, how THEY felt about this issue : The controversy surrounding a comedy CD distributed by Republican National Committee chair candidate Chip Saltsman has not torpedoed his bid and might have ...

The “Magic Negro” Party
Matthew Yglesias — ... during the Republican presidential primaries, there was a lot of sentiment that sure Rudy Giuliani was a baby-killer and didn’t hate gays, and sure he lacked relevant qualifications for the presidency, and sure he seemed to be involved in a bit of corruption and cronyism, but, hey, he pissed off a lot of liberals so he must be doing something right. I think that’s the spirit in which you have to understand the boost being given to RNC Chair candidate Chip Saltsman by the fact that he’s a bit racist: ...

Quotes of the Day
Shakesville — Republicans continue to react to the fallout from party chair candidate Chip Saltsman's Christmas CD, which contained a track parodying "Puff the Magic Dragon" called "Barack the Magic Negro." "When I heard about the story I had to figure out what was going on for myself. When I found out what this was about I had to ask, 'boy, what's the big deal here?' because there wasn't any."—Mark Ellis, chairman of the Maine Republican Party. "Didn't bother me one bit. ... This is just people looking for something to make an issue of."—Alabama Republican ...

'Magic Negro' flap might help Saltsman
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News — ... with a few questioning whether the national media and his opponents are piling on. “When I heard about the story I had to figure out what was going on for myself,” said Mark Ellis, the chairman of the Maine Republican Party. “When I found out what this was about I had to ask, ‘boy, what’s the big deal here?’ because there wasn’t any.” Alabama Republican committeeman Paul Reynolds said the fact the Saltsman sent him a CD with the song on it “didn’t bother me one bit.” Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16919.html

GOP officials divided over whether "negro" is a slur
AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth — And that is why the Republican party is in so much trouble. Their anger and their intolerance has been so internalized that they're actually having a debate as to whether "negro" is an appropriate term for an African-American, let alone for the incoming president of the United States. ...

Republicans Popping Up To Defend Saltsman For "Magic Negro" CD
TPM Election Central — ... • Another person defending Saltsman has been Mark Ellis, the GOP state chairman in Maine -- not the sort of place you would automatically expect someone to stick up for this: "When I found out what this was about I had to ask, 'Boy, what's the big deal here?' because there wasn't any." ...

Ignorance and racism, alive and well in the GOP
The Reaction — ... As the Politico is reporting, Chip Saltsman's fortunes haven't quite dimmed as expected. The former head of the Tennessee GOP is even benefitting from the controversy, with party members actually rallying to his side. ...

Hullabaloo — ... I think that you can find a fair amount of consensus across parties and ideologies that the country is in a mess. There are two wars, an economic crisis, rapid climate change, rising ranks of the unemployed and uninsured, etc. So to see one of the two major national political parties grappling with the question of whether it's OK to send out a parody song called "Barack the Magic Negro" isn't just a sad commentary on racial sensitivities. It suggests that conservative Republican "leaders" are simply living in an alternate universe, without any recognition of reality ...

Let's just call them "The Confederate Party" from now on, shall we?
Brilliant at Breakfast — ... • Another person defending Saltsman has been Mark Ellis, the GOP state chairman in Maine -- not the sort of place you would automatically expect someone to stick up for this: "When I found out what this was about I had to ask, 'Boy, what's the big deal here?' because there wasn't any." ...

Republican party hacks: ‘Barack the Magic Negro’ isn’t bigoted
pandagon.net - we are the public option — ... Well, who’s surprised at this from the party of yesteryear? The controversy surrounding the incredibly dumb idea by RNC chair candidate Chip Saltsman to send a CD including “Barack the Magic Negro” to committee chairs has drawn interesting reactions in the party—it was condemned by Mike Duncan, the current chair, and brushed off by unoffended homophobic house negro fellow chair candidate Ken Blackwell. Even Newt Gingrich said it was a bigoted move. ...

The Magic Negro May Bring Saltsman Success
PoliGazette — ... In what can be called the most ironic story of 2008 (and the beginning of 2009), Republican National Committee chairman candidate Chip Saltsman’s decision to distribute a CD with a song called “Barack the Magic Negro” on it may have helped rather than hurt his candidacy. ...

Matthew Filipowicz: Chip "Barack The Magic Negro" Saltsman's RNC Campaign Ad
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... Now, you'd think that after Saltsman showed his racist stripes, his chances to win the RNC chair would be slim to none. But, these are Republicans we're dealing with. And a whole slew of them are rallying around Chip's right to be an ignorant bigot. And make no mistake, this is America. You have that right. ...

Steele Slams Saltsman: ‘Magic Negro’ Stunt ‘Reinforces Negative Stereotype’ Of The GOP
Think Progress — ... Some RNC members have said that Saltsman’s controversial Christmas greeting may have actually helped his candidacy for chairman. Politico reported that “some of those officials are rallying around the embattled Saltsman, with a few questioning whether the national media and his opponents are piling on.” ...

Obama vs. Rush?
Firedoglake — ... One of the candidates for RNC chair gave a CD of songs from Rush's show as a christmas gift. You may have heard about one of the songs, Barack the Magic Negro (you'll be amazed to hear that he didn't get in too much trouble for that. Politico actually thought it might help). Then someone contacted the press and flagged another song on the CD. ...

Young Voters, the GOP, and Race
The Next Right — ... communities. For instance, in late December 2008, candidate for RNC Chair Chip Saltsman, the former campaign manager for the Huckabee presidential campaign, distributed a CD of songs including a track entitled "Barack the Magic Negro", prompting outrage and a rather public and embarrassing moment for the Republican Party. Perhaps even more surprising, some leaders within the Republican Party rushed to Saltsman's aid as POLITICO ran a story with the headline "'Magic Negro' flap might help Saltsman". ...