| | Some Republicans embrace 'Magic Negro' message
 The enduring controversy over a prominent Republican's appeal to racially charged sentiments in his bid to become the party's chairman may actually be paying off.
Chip Saltsman, a candidate to lead the Republican National Committee, distributed a CD to RNC members containing the parody song "Barack the Magic Negro."
The song created a stir among some party members worried that Saltsman would damage the RNC's ability to appeal beyond its dwindling base of Southern whites; current chairman Mike Duncan condemned Salter for distributing the CD as did Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis, another candidate in the RNC chair race.
Now some party members are coming forward to defend Saltsman from the criticism. In the view of these Republicans, there are no racial overtones in a song sung to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon," whose verses deliberate whether Barack Obama is black enough. The only problem, to them, is suggesting that there's anything wrong with such a parody.
“Those are two guys who just eliminated themselves from this race for jumping all over Chip on this,” one committee member told Politico. “Mike Duncan is a nice guy, but he screwed up big time by pandering to the national press on this.”
GOP officials from Main, Alabama and Oklahoma all jumped to Saltsman's defense. Ken Blackwell, the former Ohio Secretary of State who is trying to become the RNC's first black chairman, also spoke up for Saltsman, saying concerns over the CD were "minimal" and calling Saltman one of the "fine people" seeking the top RNC post.
The debate over the "Magic Negro" song, which parodies a 2007 Los Angeles Times column, is a microcosm of a larger reckoning that has engulfed the GOP since the party's Election Day rout.
Recognizing that presidential nominee John McCain lost ground on President Bush's performance four years ago everywhere aside from a small band of southern counties, some Republicans are emphasizing a need to reach out more to independent voters and minorities. Others -- like Saltsman, perhaps -- believe the party's problems lie in the fact that its base wasn't energized. To them, a few more Sarah Palin appearances, or maybe some Rev. Wright harping, would have put McCain into the White House.
The fact that Obama flipped nine states from red to blue between 2004 and 2008 suggests that demographic shifts and his broadly appealing message are aiding Democrats. And while Rush Limbaugh or Michelle Malkin or Alabama's top Republican aren't bothered by songs about "Barack the Magic Negro," it's unlikely that an average voter in Northern Virginia or North Carolina or Nevada would be as unperturbed.
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