Poof goes the GOP

Chicago Tribune: Just how stupid are Republican Party leaders? We’re about to find out.

Chip Saltsman, a candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent a compact disc to committee members over the holidays. It includes a tune titled “Barack the Magic Negro,” which first aired on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show in 2007.

The song is a parody of “Puff the Magic Dragon” by conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, who does it in an impersonation of Rev. Al Sharpton.

Political operative

Saltsman, a veteran political operative who managed Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, told a Capitol Hill newspaper that the song is just a lighthearted parody, a little joke. RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said he was “appalled” by the song, but some of Saltsman’s competitors for Duncan’s job have defended it.

There’s going to be a little more interest now in who wins the race for chairman of the Republican National Committee. If it’s Saltsman and company, the party is going to be in the wilderness for a long time.