Duff, you have to admit that the "holiday gift" of a CD including "Barack the Magic Negro" was a stunningly boneheaded move for one who would chair the RNC. Only slightly less boneheaded are those lining up to defend the aforementioned clown. Yes, there's a place for satire, but I don't think that Christmas packages from RNC leaders--who are busy talking about how they need to reach minority voters, right?--isn't the right place, and this certainly isn't the right time.

Egg, careful - I'm pretty sure that your 11% number is low, since I'm among the number in question. *laugh*

Actually, I think that the LA Times hits the nail on the proverbial head. They answer the "is he racist?" question with a hearty "who cares," but then point out:

But Saltsman still deserves to be raked over the coals. Not for anything to do with Obama, per se, but for campaigning with cultural references that are decades out of date.

"Puff the Magic Dragon?" You've got to be kidding. Was he on another planet Nov. 4? Did he miss how Republicans lost 66% of the vote of people age 30 and under? Thirty-year-olds weren’t even born when Peter, Paul and Mary's hit came out in 1963. Sure Limbaugh used the parody and his crowd loved it, but the average Limbaugh listener is 51. Then there's the parody itself and the faux Sharpton. Sure the Rev. deserves the disdain and disapprobation he earned for his outrageous behavior during the Tawana Brawley hoax case, but that happened in 1987. The World Wide Web wasn't even invented then, which means young people have never heard of it. To them, Sharpton is just that black guy from New York with the funny hair.

It's a given that Republicans are done trying to appeal to black voters, but are they really ready to give up everyone else who isn't white? Because if not, here's the thing: it’s not much of a stretch for Latinos and Asians -- who also voted overwhelmingly for Obama -- to imagine how a president-elect of their ethnicity also could be the target of such lighthearted Republican fun. "Mike the Magic Jap” and “Maria the Magic Mexican” probably wouldn't go over that well either.

Whoa - my apologies for sounding condescending...such was most certainly not my intent.

I like political satire as much as the next guy, but one has to be in a position to employ it. I don't think that this guy is a racist, but rather hamhanded; the Republican "brand" isn't in a position to employ satire where minorities are concerned. That's why I thought that the LA Times analysis was spot-on-target...

Tazz, I have no desire for a one-party state. There is much to be welcomed from the conservative viewpoint, but the Republicans have done a horrendous job of practicing conservatism. I'd like to see someone lead the RNC to more expansive positions on traditional conservative beliefs, instead of merely pandering to the moral conservatives.

As far as the "outrage" is concerned, I'm not outraged; I don't even think that the guy in question is a racist. All I said was that it's pretty dumb (politically) to offer satire to audiences one hopes to attract. Duh.