Turn Maine Blue has a post and a diary today noting a Politico story with a quote from Maine GOP Chair Mark Ellis. Ellis expressed his approval of RNC Chair candidate Chip Saltsman's decision to distribute a CD to RNC members that included the song Barack the Magic Negro. Gerald uses the quote as proof that the GOP is "the party of white people".
While the GOP does have a problem with endemic racism, this particular incident isn't nearly so cut and dry. Ellis wrote more about the subject on his own blog, and explains that he came to his view of the song after comparing it to his own personal experiences with racism.
I listened to the entire CD and, aside from fueling my growing disdain for "conservative" talk radio (many of these tracks have found their way onto Rush Limbaugh’s show), I didn’t find anything offensive. In fact, Shanklin strikes me as a gifted parodist[...]
Blackwell points to the "hypersensitivity" of the press on racial issues as the cause of the controversy and I agree. Relative to experiences with racism, I’ll go toe to toe with anyone who wishes to engage in the game of one-upmanship; I’ve got five decades of personal experience with the beast and this ain’t it. There isn’t even a hint of it here.
No hint of racism?
According to wiki: " Negro is a term referring to people of Black African ancestry. .... Now it is often considered an ethnic slur"
Now, I may not have five decades of experience, but the use of ethnic slurs counts as racism in my book.