RNC Head Michael Steele Apologizes for Calling Rush Limbaugh "an Entertainer" During an Appearance of D.L. Hughley’s Show

To the left, to the left…. That’s basically what’s happening in the Republican Party when conservative nutjob Rush Limbaugh is criticized. An apology always comes. So, Rahm Emanuel was absolutely right when he said that Limbaugh is the head of the GOP. I cannot believe that Michael Steele, who recently made some comments about Limbaugh while on the “D. L. Hughley Breaks the News, ” has apologized to the Almighty Rush.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.” “My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.” The dust-up comes at a time when top Democrats are trying to make Limbaugh the face of the Republican Party, in part by using ads funded by labor. Americans United for Change sent a fund-raising e-mail Monday that begins: “The Republican Party has turned into the Rush Limbaugh Party.”

Steele told CNN host D.L. Hughley in an interview aired Saturday night: “Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh — his whole thing is entertainment. He has this incendiary — yes, it’s ugly.” Steele, who won a hard-fought chairman’s race on Jan. 30, told Politico he telephoned Limbaugh after his show on Monday afternoon and hoped that they would connect soon. “I went back at that tape and I realized words that I said weren’t what I was thinking,” Steele said. “It was one of those things where I thinking I was saying one thing, and it came out differently. What I was trying to say was a lot of people … want to make Rush the scapegoat, the bogeyman, and he’s not.” “I’m not going to engage these guys and sit back and provide them the popcorn for a fight between me and Rush Limbaugh,” Steele added. “No such thing is going to happen. … I wasn’t trying to slam him or anything.” On Monday’s show, Limbaugh reacted both to the comment and to the assertion on CBS’s “Face the Nation” by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that the radio host is “the voice and the intellectual force and energy behind the Republican Party.” Source: Politico

Well, Michael Steele punked out. As a result of his actions, he is now a very diminished leader of the Republican National Committee. First of all, I took offense when he excused Limbaugh as an entertainer. I am no fan of this guy, but since when is it an automatic disqualifier from political life to be an entertainer? Wasn’t Ronald Reagan an actor before he became the governor of California and later served as the President of the USA for eight years? If you can’t choose your words carefully and speak with some semblance of knowledge and diplomacy, then Steele is simply not ready to be in such a leadership role. Also, I am still wondering why every Republican that says something contrary to Rush Limbaugh ends up apologizing? What gives? If Limbaugh is the new voice of the GOP, then they are in way more trouble than they care to admit.

Filed under: Apology, Entertainer, Michael Steele, National Republican Committee, President Ronald Reagan, Rahm Emanuel, Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh

Chip Saltsman, RNC Chairmanship Candidate Distributes CD with Controversial Song "Barack the Magice Negro," Calls it Political Satire

UPDATE

Well, we have an Uncle Tom vying for the RNC chairmanship who didn’t see anything wrong with Saltsman’s distribution of the song. Ken Blackwell, an African-American himself, has defended Saltsman, dismissing the criticism as “hypersensitivity in the press:”

“Unfortunately, there is hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race. This is in large measure due to President-Elect Obama being the first African-American elected president,” said Blackwell, who would be the first black RNC Chairman, in a statement forwarded to Politico by an aide. “I don’t think any of the concerns that have been expressed in the media about any of the other candidates for RNC chairman should disqualify them. When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal. All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people.”

But there was a voice of reason who took offense to the comments.

The current chairman, Mike Duncan, has issued a statement saying that he is “shocked and appalled” that Saltsman could have thought this was funny or appropriate in any way: “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.”

So I am guessing from this latest dust-up that conservative nutjob Rush Limbaugh is the new face of the Republican Party. RNC chairmanship candidate Chip Saltsman sent committee members a music CD with lyrics from a song called “Barack the Magic Negro.” And I am guessing he’s is dumb enough to think that would go over well with everyone. He just blew his chances of being considered for the chairmanship. I heard about this early yesterday, but decided to wait a while to see if it would gain any traction and it did! According to The Hill, the song was first played on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.

“I look forward to working together in the New Year,” Saltsman wrote. “Please enjoy the enclosed CD by my friend Paul Shanklin of the Rush Limbaugh Show.” The CD, called “We Hate the USA,” lampoons liberals with such songs as “John Edwards’ Poverty Tour,” “Wright place, wrong pastor,” “Love Client #9,” “Ivory and Ebony” and “The Star Spanglish banner.”

Several of the track titles, including “Barack the Magic Negro,” are written in bold font. The song, which debuted on Limbaugh’s show in late March 2007, latches onto an opinion column in the of the same title. That column, penned by cultural critic David Ehrenstein, argued that Obama could serve as a balm to whites who felt guilty about past treatment of African Americans. Limbaugh first highlighted the column the day it ran, according to a contemporary report by Media Matters, the liberal watchdog agency. Media Matters reported Limbaugh repeated the phrase more than two dozen times the day the column ran.

The following month, Shanklin debuted his version of the song, sung to the tune of “Puff the Magic Dragon” and performed in Shanklin’s impression of Al Sharpton.“See, real black men, like Snoop Dogg, or me, or Farrakhan, have talked the talk, and walked the walk, not come in late and won,” one verse in the song says.

Saltsman said he meant nothing untoward by forwarding what amounts to a joke more at Ehrenstein’s expense than at Obama’s. “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,” Saltsman said. Source: The Hill

Once again, the RNC appears to engage in very petty acts of opposition to Barack Obama. They have not realized that criticizing Barack Obama for things he has no control over does not sit well with Americans. They are small-minded and they have obviously forgotten that Barack Obama’s late mother was a white woman. I can just see the path the RNC will go down if Chip Saltsman is appointed their new chairman. The RNC has lost its sense of direction and it’s leadership is the primary reason why. I have yet to hear one senior Republican condemn this song. As a conservative who has voted for a Republican on several occasions, cheap gimmicks like this is one of the primary reasons why I could not in good conscience vote for a Republican in the presidential election. Rush Limbaugh has appointed himself the moral compass for the Republican Party and that is very troubling. He tried to use Barack Obama’s race against him and it backfired. Funny, Rush Limbaugh couldn’t possibly walk in Obama’s shoes or any other highly educated politician. He is so vocal and knows everything. I wish he would run for elected office instead of sitting on the sidelines grumbling and criticizing every move being made by Barack Obama. Sheesh.

Filed under: Barack the Magic Negro, Chip Saltsman, Paul Shanklin, Rush Limbaugh, Satire

General Colin Powell Unleashes on the GOP, Rush Limbaugh

Retired General Colin Powell has unleashed on the GOP and Rush Limbaugh. I can’t say I blame him, but I have to wonder about his timing. He is usually correct in his analysis and I have to applaud him for going after the Republicans once again. Gen. Powell said that the GOP must stop “shouting at the world” and start listening to minority groups if it is to win elections in the 21st century. Ouch.

In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria for Sunday’s “GPS” program, President Bush’s former secretary of state said his party’s attempt “to use polarization for political advantage” backfired last month.”I think the party has to take a hard look at itself,” Powell said in the interview, which was taped Wednesday. “There is nothing wrong with being conservative. There is nothing wrong with having socially conservative views — I don’t object to that. But if the party wants to have a future in this country, it has to face some realities. In another 20 years, the majority in this country will be the minority.”

Powell, who crossed party lines and endorsed President-elect Barack Obama just weeks before the election, said the GOP must see what is in the “hearts and minds” of African-American, Hispanic and Asian voters “and not just try to influence them by… the principles and dogma.” “I think the party has to stop shouting at the world and at the country,”Powell said.

“I think that the party has to take a hard look at itself, and I’ve talked to a number of leaders in recent weeks and they understand that.” Powell, who says he still considers himself a Republican, said his party should also stop listening to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. “Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?” Powell asked. “Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?” Source: CNN Political Ticker

I have always felt that Rush Limbaugh feels that he is the moral compass of the right wing. In reality, that’s furthest from the truth. Limbaugh is quick to berate Barack Obama and the Democrats on just about everything, but what has he proposed to do instead? I wish he would run for elected office and really be the voice of the right wing that he feels he is. Rush Limbaugh spews hot air and nothing else. He, along with Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, have been put on a pedestal and seem to think they speak of the majority of Republicans.

General Powell is absolutely correct in his statements and if the GOP is to rebuild itself and be taken seriously by African Americans, Latinos and Asians, then they need to lose these self-righteous goons. I have crossed party lines, much like Mr. Powell, and have voted for a Republican who, but I cannot bring myself to support a party that literally ignores blacks and Latinos. The reality is that the face of America is changing. Whites, who are a majority in the Republican Party, will be a minority in this country in a few years. So, if they do not change their mindset and be more inclusive, they will be in for a rude awakening. The GOP will be the loser in this scenario. They will have no one to blame but themselves. John McCain ran one of the worst campaigns I have ever seen, but the blame does not lie solely with him. There was a serious breakdown in the GOP and they will be faced with the same problem again in the next election. Unless, of course, Barack Obama fails miserably, which I have serious doubts about. I don’t think he could sink lower than President Bush and his administration.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Bill O'Reilly, Fareed Zakaria, General Colin Powell, John McCain, Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity

NY Gov. David Patterson Says "Once You Go Black, You Don’t Go Back" at Girdiron Dinner

New York Governor David Patterson has put his foot in his mouth, but is it fair to hold his feet to the fire? He reportedly said “once you go black, you don’t go back.” These comments were made at the Gridiron dinner, which is an off-the-record dinner with journalists and politicians who sing songs, do skits and make fun of each other.

Paterson’s speech was certainly no exception. Even though he became governor of New York in quite a surprising fashion, it’s not the governor title that he wants, apparently. Paterson’s real goal, he said, is to follow in Barack Obama’s footsteps and be president of the United States, because: “Once you go black, you don’t go back.”

He also joked about how he’s receiving all these phone calls from people seeking to take HRC’s Senate seat and played real voicemails from HRC, Chuck Schumer (who were in on the gag) and even himself. Source: Politico

Well, here we go. I can see the pundits and others throwing a hissy-fit over this one. I wish they would focus on the economy and the fact that Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain is fighting to get his $10 million even though the company literally imploded.

Schumer: “Hi Dave. It’s Chuck Schumer. I thought I would let you know my view on the Senate race. I have one criteria above all. I would like a devout Evangelical. That way, there will be no competition for Sunday press conferences.”

Hillary recommended that he not name a replacement, just have Schumer do both jobs. “Why does New York need two senators, anyhow? I know it’s a stretch, but I promised him I’d ask you,” her message says.

And Paterson’s own message to himself ends with: “Actually, I was thinking. If Chuck Schumer held both seats, that would be countervailing to the concept of one man, one vote. So we change the law to one ego, one vote.”

Personally, I am not offended by his comments. If he had deliberately insulted Hillary Clinton or made an offensive statement, then I would be the first to demand an apology. But for people to say he should step down for these comments is utterly ridiculous. The dinner was an off-record affair and the comment was clearly meant in jest. I wouldn’t lose sleep over this one but of course, I am sure people like Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and Pat Buchanan probably will.

Filed under: Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Gov. David Patterson, Gridiron Dinner, Pat Buchanan, Racial Comments, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Sen. Charles Schumer

John McCain Reportedly Pays More Than $5,000 to Tifanie White for Cosmetic Services

This is totally ridiculous on so many levels. It seems that John McCain reportedly paid more than $5,500 to Tifanie White, the makeup artist who works on “American Idol,” for similar cosmetic services. Yeah, another “Hail Mary” pass. This is another incident of a politician spending big bucks for good looks, which are questionable in this case.

The hypocrisy in this is that earlier this cycle, former Sen. John Edwards was subjected to days of ridicule over the fact that he had made two separate payments of $400 for two haircuts. Yeah, another self-professed man of the people spending the equivalent of a few months rent and basic expenses, on personal grooming. Back then, several high-ranking and prominent conservatives were also leveling the mockery. Rush Limbaugh, the right wing nutcase, asked whether the North Carolinian would be our nation’s “first female President.” Mike Huckabee quipped that Democrats had the propensity to spend “more than John Edwards in a beauty shop.” Wow, these same people are silent now.

The Republican National Committee put together a document calling Edwards a “pricey haircut enthusiast” and declaring that “the former North Carolina senator’s populist drive has hit a series of troubling land mines” because of his two expenditures. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) went to New Hampshire and, in a dig at Edwards, got a $400 haircut of his own. The normal price was $17; the difference between the amounts was given to charity.

So now that McCain has spent 13 times as much on makeup as Edwards did on haircuts, but we won’t hear from these people. This comes on the heels of John McCain forgetting how many houses he and his wife has, as well as the fact that they have 13 cars, some foreign-made. This seems to be a big contradiction to me. There is a serious disconnect between the message that John McCain is touting and his actions. There’s nothing wrong with being rich, filthy rich, but don’t insult the intelligence of the middle class by acting as though you care. Please, the money he spent on cosmetic services were a waste. The man still looks terrible. To echo the words of Barack Obama and John McCain: “if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.”

Filed under: American Idol, John Edwards, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Rush Limbaugh, Tifanie White

Sheila Jackson-Lee Says Hurricanes should be Given "Black-Sounding" Names

I have no other recourse but to give you the entire article and my position as I read it on World Net Daily about Sheila Jackson-Lee’s latest campaign. I guess Ms. Jackson-Lee is trying to get on the good side of her constituents, but if you ask me, she’s perpetuating negative stereotypes. Read on…..

Do devastating hurricanes need help from affirmative action? A member of Congress apparently thinks so, and is demanding the storms be given names that sound “black.” The congressional newspaper the Hill reported this week that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, feels that the current names are too “lily white,” and is seeking to have better representation for names reflecting African-Americans and other ethnic groups. Again, this is an insult to any decent, self-respecting, hardworking, law-abiding black citizens.

“All racial groups should be represented,” Lee said, according to the Hill. She hoped federal weather officials “would try to be inclusive of African-American names.” A sampling of popular names that could be used include Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn, according to the paper.
Jackson Lee’s call is brewing its own storm of response across America.

Enter Rush Limbaugh….

Radio talk-show giant Rush Limbaugh says he was having dinner with his wife when he first learned of the proposal. “I just threw up my hands. I said, ‘Has it come to this now?'” Limbaugh recounted on his show. “There’s discrimination and actually elected officials wandering around worried about the discrimination in the name of hurricanes. And hurricanes are destructive. You know nobody’s very excited when a hurricane’s heading their way, and yet here she is demanding that hurricanes be named after black people.

“You know it used to be that hurricanes were named only after women because they were destructive and unpredictable. And that’s the reason. The feminists grew upset about that, demanded that hurricanes be named after men, and so now, the civil rights leaders are demanding black names for hurricanes. (Let me interject, Sheila Jackson-Lee is no civil rights leader!)

Limbaugh continued his analysis, saying it was not the mainstream populace responsible for what he called the “Balkanization” of race relations in America. “It is these elected black leaders, the civil-rights coalitions – they’re the ones that keep causing all this racial divide, they’re the ones that keep calling attention to all this,” said Limbaugh. “They’re the ones that keep stirring this pot. They’re the ones who don’t want there to be any colorblind society. They’re the ones who keep being agitated and trying to agitate others over all this, and now it’s descended into the meaningless element of the names of hurricanes.”

Historical context….

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, hurricanes were for centuries named after the Catholic saints’ days on which the storms fell. In 1953, the United States abandoned as confusing a two-year-old plan to name storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie) when a new, international phonetic alphabet was introduced. That year, weather services began using female names for storms.

The practice of naming hurricanes solely after women came to an end in 1978 when men’s and women’s names were included in the Eastern North Pacific storm lists. In 1979, male and female names were included in lists for the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Final thoughts……

Sheila Jackson-Lee and all the people who agree with her proposal are, in essence, perpetuating negative stereotypes about so-called black names. It is also idiotic for her to suggest that the emergency management service utilize speech that more in line with how blacks speak. It is insulting that she could stoop to such a level. How is Ebonics going to help blacks in this country? Are we so insecure as blacks that we want to have hurricanes named after us? Ms. Jackson Lee and her cronies are engaging in a dangerous pattern of behavior that reinforces the opinions and positions of people such as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Pat Buchanan, among others. Didn’t she learn anything from Hillary Clinton, who has worked tirelessly for issues that affect children? If a white person had such a proposal, the entire mainstream media and everyone else, would call them racists and even go as far as to start boycotts. The bottom line is that there are way more important issues for the government to address, such as stemming the escalating gas and food prices we are confounded with, massive job layoffs across all industries and ensuring that what happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will never occur again. Just my thoughts, you be the judge…….

Filed under: Ann Coulter, Ebonics, NOAA, Pat Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh, Sheila Jackson-Lee

Washington Post Journalist Says Barack Obama More White than Black

I came across this article on Think Progress website and I must say that it is amazing at how we quantify race in this country. According the Think Progress, during a washingtonpost.com web chat, a questioner noted that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has launched a new presidential campaign television ad, claiming it is “playing up his white family.” “Until now he’s been ‘African American;’ now suddenly he’s a white Midwesterner?” wrote the questioner. He or she then asked Post reporter Jonathan Weisman if Obama would be “criticized” for allegedly changing his image. Weisman responded by saying Obama’s “great irony” is that he “is much more white than black“:

Alexandria, Va. commenter: Obama’s new ad (which plays a lot in Alexandria) shows pictures of his mother and grandparents, playing up his white family. Until now he’s been “African American”; now suddenly he’s a white Midwesterner? During the primary Hillary was criticized for changing her image too many times. Won’t Obama be criticized for doing the same thing?

Jonathan Weisman: I haven’t heard that criticism, but it is striking. Not a single picture of his father. Now, that really is consistent with his upbringing. He really did not become immersed in black American culture until he left college and went to Chicago. The great irony is that he is much more white than black, beyond skin color.

Another questioner told Weisman, “I would caution against making statements such as ‘he’s more white than black,’” adding, “The problem is that this is a discussion the media (and perhaps society) is not familiar with, and consequently generalizes in a rather simplistic fashion.” Seeming to recognize his error, Weisman responded, “I expected this response, and I defer to you.”

This is truly unfortunate that as a Washington Post reporter, Weisman’s rhetoric is echoing that of right-wing nutjobs like Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. Beck once described Obama as “colorless” and said that “as a white guy…you don’t notice that he is black. So he might as well be white.” In 2007, Limbaugh said Obama should “renounce” his race and “become white.” Nearly a year later, he claimed that “Obama has disowned his white half. He’s decided he’s got to go all in on the black side.”

The levels some people sink to is really unconscionable, but a journalist is supposed to be fair and balanced (not Fox News’ interpretation, at least). Isn’t Barack Obama’s father black and his mother white? So, how is he more white than black? Totally ridiculous and insulting comments coming from a journalist at an establishment with so much history and respect as the Washington Post. Just my thoughts, you be the judge….

Filed under: Ann Coulter, Barack Obama, Glen Beck, Jonathan Weissman, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Think Progress

Barack and Michelle Obama Fist Bump Raising Eyebrows in Media

I cannot believe that the media would make an issue out of Barack Obama and his wife Michelle’s fist bump. So, the man is hip. What’s the big deal? “Fist bump of hope!” wrote one Internet poster about the couple’s hand-to-hand show of solidarity. Obama told NBC‘s Brian Williams Wednesday night he is proud of that magical moment. “It captures what I love about my wife, which is that there is a reverence about her and a sense that for all the hoopla that I’m her husband and sometimes we’ll do silly things. “She’s proud of me and she gives me some credit once in a while, but I actually pull some things off.” So, I guess after Bill Clinton, no one can really expect or believe that Barack Obama and his wife could really love each other deeply and not have an agenda or doing it for a photo opportunity.

In my opinion, the affectionate 11-second exchange before Obama claimed victory as the Democratic presidential nominee highlights his youth and ability to transcend the stereotyped political gestures of campaigns past. If John McCain gives his wife a fist bump, then look out, someone call the paramedics. Yeah, the media had to get some psychological thoughts on the issue. “I would imagine to a young voter, this was another sign that these people are one of us,” said psychologist Drew Westen, author of “The Political Brain: The Role Of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.” “People saw their willingness to display their affection in the way they really do – at home, or in private moments.”

Yeah, I remember Al and Tipper Gore‘s way-too-long nationally televised liplock, which the media said was done to deflect his wooden image or Bill and Hillary Clinton, in swimsuits, cavorting on a Virgin Islands beach, which the media said was the deflect the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit. You can’t win with the media, especially the right wing media that is looking to pick Barack and Michelle Obama apart.

As the couple met on the stage before a raucous crowd, Obama kissed her cheek as they hugged. The two exchanged a few quick words before Michelle raised her right fist, and Obama bumped it with his left. Michelle Obama then flashed a quick thumbs up and headed offstage, with her husband patting her gently on the lower back as she exited. Did anyone stop to think that this woman was just really proud of the accomplishment and major feat her man had just achieved?

“If it’s calculated, it’s a very good calculation,” said Dr. Judy Kuriansky, the well-known psychologist. “America wants to see what’s going on in the relationship.” The fist bump, she said, “was very hip, very cool, an ‘I’m-with-it’ move. It’s almost cocky.” Yeah, so now Michelle Obama is cocky? At least she cannot be called an airhead or a bitch, like some spouses. I won’t name anyone in particular.

To me, that was an unscripted moment that showed two people ecstatic about what had just transpired. Hey, I can’t recall seeing President Bush and his wife show any affection in public. Hell, I can’t say I ever saw Dick Cheney and his wife do anything slightly affectionate in public. John McCain, forget it! That would be totally out of his character. The way this fist bump is being responded to is so inane but it is actually partisan, in my humble opinion. Watch out, the conservative media including Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh may make this an issue. I read a comment to an article about this in the NY Daily News and I was actually baffled at how stupid some people are:

uberchristian Jun 5, 2008 8:24:35 AM Has Black Osama announced what gang he is affiliated with yet? I’m thinking he has to be a Crypt. Does an Osama Obama presidency mean that Crypts along with Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Putin and Fidel Castro will be attending White House State dinners for special events on Freedom? Wow, the substitute teacher will be at the head of the biggest classroom in the world. Maybe Osama Obama can hire David Dinkins and Marion Barry as is advisors. “Don’t diss your sis” Dave and “Crack is back” Marion can advise him on how to run his classroom. O’ Canada…………..

Filed under: Ann Coulter, Barack Obama, fist bump, Michelle Malkin, Michelle Obama, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity