Some Say Obama Parody 'Insulting'

WMAQ-Chicago ^ | May 21, 2007 | NBC5 staff

[Baladas]

CHICAGO -- When former talk radio host Don Imus recently made racist remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team on his radio show, he lost his job.

Now, some are wondering if radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has also gone too far, NBC5 reported on Monday.

Weeks before Imus controversy, Limbaugh began airing a song about Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president. The song, a parody of the folk song "Puff The Magic Dragon," contains the line, "Barack, The Magic Negro." Some have begun to wonder if Limbaugh has been getting a free pass.

"It's insulting," said Michael Harrison, publishers of Talkers Magazine. "It's in bad taste, but it's legitimate political satire."

The voice on the song is a white political satirist imitating civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton.

"This is basically the radio equivalent of a black face minstrel show," said Paul Waldman of Media Matters for America. "You know, going back to 'Amos and Andy' and all of those kinds of racist shows."

Media watchdogs said there was no hue and cry to stop Limbaugh because he speaks to a niche audience who either expects this or was willing to let him slide, and that his target in this case is a public figure, not a college women's basketball team.

Obama said he doesn't listen to Limbaugh, but said being targeted is part of being a politician. In his broadcasts, Limbaugh suggest that the song is a parody based on a newspaper column about Obama written by journalist David Ehrenstein.

"The 'magic negro,'" was chiefly a term used when talking about films, in which you'd have black characters who would suddenly come out of nowhere and come to the rescue of white characters," Ehrenstein said. "I was just simply trying to get a conversation going. How it's gone is another question."

Waldman said Limbaugh has no excuse.

[Baladas]

"Some" = Soros front group onlyliberalmediamatters. Must have forgotten about the Condi Rice incident.

[Luke Skyfreeper]

Not to defend Rush on this but frankly, as far as I’ve seen so far, Obama’s main talent and qualification is the color of his skin.

But that’s typical Democrat. It’s all about politics, all about image. Form before substance.

[alaskamomma]

There is a poll with the article..

I voted..

[Baladas]

Didn’t even notice. Now 53% “no”, Rush’s comments were not worse than Imus’, 45% say “yes”, 2% “don’t know”.

A push poll based in Chicago.

[iowamark]

This is old!

Old news is no news.

[CalvaryJohn]

They’re trying so hard to gin up outrage over this and they just can’t get it going. It must just drive them bonkers. Rush’s parody works because it’s true an it’s funnier than hell.

[BnBlFlag]

“Some say”.........uh huh. So what?

[Sapper26]

“Some” say that the Left should park the old Racecar D into the garage and leave it there.

[FreedomCalls]

From RushLimbaugh.com:

I went to bed about 1:30, two o'clock, so I didn't get up to see what the Today Show did today, but I knew what they were going to do before they did it because I predicted it to you on Friday. I just want you to know what happened. We sent them reams of data. H.R. spoke to the producer three times Friday afternoon. They interviewed Michael Medved about it to get a voice agreeing with my side. They didn't use him at all. They just used this hack from the George Soros funded front group for the Democrat Party, Media Matters for America.

It's pathetic. They're posting the lowest ratings they've posted in years, they're just barely ahead of Good Morning America -- they've got a smaller audience than we do. They had to try to get this wrong. There's no other way this could happen. They don't even understand the point of the parody, "Barack, 'the Magic Negro'." It's a piece on Al Sharpton. It's not even a hit piece on Obama, and everything in it was originated by libs. ... they just don't want to get it right. ... It's just a smear. This happens every day to me. ...

The more I think about it, I think they did this in a perfunctory way. I think they want me to start railing against them because the Today show's numbers are in the tank, folks. ... these are some of the worst ratings in over a decade for the Today show. Snerdley's point was, "You know, they saw that little dust-up that you had with the CBS affiliate out there in Sacramento, and they saw how many website hits that little station got and all the publicity it got. I think they're just trying to get you to give them a bump, because there's no news value in this thing, ... It's a two and a half month old story and nobody is talking about it other than these Democrat front group websites."

[johnpannell]

Of course the perpetually offended never bother to listen to the lyrics!

“...The L.A. Times they call him this,
because he’s black but not authentically...”

Said by an Al Sharpton impersonator! Sharpton is the real subject of this parody.

[expatguy]

"Not to defend Rush on this but frankly, as far as I’ve seen so far, Obama’s main talent and qualification is the color of his skin."

BINGO!

Thanks for nailing that one home, but you left out one thing... he is also half Muslim.

[Voter#537]

I was tackled the other day and held down and forced to listen to Rush.
I couldn't change stations.

[The_Media_never_lie]

I was tackled the other day and held down and forced to listen to Rush. I couldn't change stations.

Hope that I might be so lucky today.

[PeteB570]

There’s a whole bunch of us out here in that “niche audience”.

They still don’t get the song or it’s origin. And they report “News”.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Some Say Obama Parody 'Insulting'

Ever since the XVth Amendment (or was if Brown v. Board of Education?) it has been unconstitutional to hurt the feelings of the Colored. This demostrates the need for "fairness". OK, so let someone on NPR insult W. Problem is, who'd ever know?

[Jeff Chandler]

Some say, some say not.

[Right Wing Assault]

Limbaugh suggest (sic) that the song is a parody based on a newspaper column about Obama written by journalist David Ehrenstein

No, he doesn't SUGGEST it, he SAYS it.

[rlmorel]

Boy, he sure does have the number of liberals, does he not?

[sgtbono2002]

There really is nothing “Magic” about Obama.

He is simply a mulatto who used his white grandparents money and threw them off and became black. Nothing new in that either, Haile Berry threw her mother off on national TV.

[Marauder]

Boy, he sure does have the number of liberals, does he not?

He definitely has them figured out, which is not only the key to his success, but the reason they hate and fear him so much. According to Rush, those who think of liberals as stupid completely miss the mark. They are after the destruction of our way of life, and nothing points this out more clearly than George Soros' anti-American agenda and his network of like organizations.

Therefore, "stupid" doesn't exactly work for the so-called liberal progressives, but "traitorous" does.

[mewzilla]

Obama The 'Magic Negro'-Senator Lends Himself to America's Idealized, Less Than Real Black Man

Funny, I don't recall anyone complaining about the LAT article...

[Thermalseeker]

Rush’s parody works because it’s true an it’s funnier than hell.

And the Left knows it. That's why they are trying so hard to hang Rush with it, even though the roots of the parody are of their own making.

Rush is doing nothing more than what he does best with this parody: illustrating the absurd by being absurd. (and I agree it's one of his funniest parodies yet)

[Sacajaweau]

I’ll never understand the Imus firing. I didn’t learn the word Hoe from the white folks I hang with. Guess the blacks have a monopoly on their language.

[Hardastarboard]

some are wondering

The mysterious "some" is the media's way of going after someone or something they don't like by attributing it to a faceless, nameless, imaginary group who is concerned about an "issue". It's a good device to use for the uncritical sheeple who read their crap. It only enrages me, since I know the real agenda.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: Media Matters

smatter def: To study or approach superficially; dabble in. To prattle.

It's Media Smatters.

IMO it's no small thing that these single-purpose, simple-minded smattering clowns picked Don Imus first. The unintended consequence for them is in his name, I'm us.

All Americans had better keep that in mind.

No more cowering responses to the left's contumelies. Almost fifty years of giving in is enough!

Rush has detailed this over and over -- as is the wont of the leftist pukes they try to make the man the issue and not debate the substantive aspects.

[mewzilla]

I’ll never understand the Imus firing.

It's the free market. Which is fine by me. Imus can still spew his insults for free anywhere he likes.

This assault on Limbaugh, however, is a different kettle of fish. Not to mention the fact the free market's on Limbaugh's side. Earth to MMfA....

[alrea]

They had to try to get this wrong

intentional manipulation is nothing new.

[sergeantdave]

Some say the democrat party supported slavery. Some say the democrats invented Jim Crow segration. Some say the democrats are still racists.

[SoFloFreeper]

...yet another lame attempt to attack a conservative powerhouse: Limbaugh.

[don-o]

This is old! Old news is no news.

Yet, the Today show was supposed to do a piece on it yesterday. Did not hear if they went ahead with it...

[gitmo]

In his broadcasts, Limbaugh suggest that the song is a parody based on a newspaper column about Obama written by journalist David Ehrenstein.

Rush didn't "suggest" it was based on the LA Times article. Rush read the article on the air, and introduced his parody. The parody is a commentary on the article and on Obama's popularity based on ... what???

Ehrenstein's article was entitled, Obama the 'Magic Negro'. Rush also mentioned he had never heard the term 'Magic Negro' before this article.

Media watchdogs said there was no hue and cry to stop Limbaugh because he speaks to a niche audience

Funny, Rush's audience dwarfs each of the network news audiences and include a huge number of Democrats, yet it is a "niche market"

[LantzALot]

"Some Say ..."

Yeah, I just heard one of them say it the other day.
Doesn't mean they're right.

[Lord Basil]

When the topic arises with liberals, I tell them he has less experience than Dan Quayle.

[aruanan]

"This is basically the radio equivalent of a black face minstrel show," said Paul Waldman of Media Matters for America. "You know, going back to 'Amos and Andy' and all of those kinds of racist shows."

Oh, wait. Media Matters. Isn't that a front organization?

[Baladas]

Some say MediaMatters is a front group.

[deaconjim]

I agree, it is insulting. It was very well done, too.

[Laverne]

I was clicking through the stations last night, and Dan Abrhams (sitting in for the olberidiot) had a segment on this...I didn’t hang around to watch it, but stayed long enough to hear MSNBC say that Rush is getting a free pass, he has done stuff like this for a long time, he is a racist, yada yada yada. The had the guy from media matters on, along with John Fund. No one mentioned the LA times article (at least for the minute I stayed to watch it).

Typical hate speech, lies and sheer propaganda from NBC/MSNBC. Their “reporters” have gone down the tubes with their shill speech; the station needs to go off the air. Its a waste of time and energy....hate speech and lies from morning to night.

[Sue Perkick]

Generally parodies are insulting. Comedy is often at someone’s expense. Most people just get over it.

[x1stcav]

Waldman is ignorant.

Amos and Andy wasn’t racist. It was one of the best TV situtional comedies of all time. When I was a kid in the 50’s it was one of my favorite shows.

I’ll bet Mr. Waldman has never even seen a single episode.

[an amused spectator]

Oh, man - now that the famous political commentator Sumsay has spoken, we must act!

BTW, did you know that Sumsay is good friends with Katie Couric? She was ALWAYS quoting him on the TooGay Show when she was head cheerleader...

[an amused spectator]

I’ll never understand the Imus firing.

One word: Hillary.

She needed a bloody head on the Tower Gate to remind the other "journalists" what the consequences of crossing Her Queeness are in the runup to 2008.

[Pablo64]

"No, he doesn't SUGGEST it, he SAYS it."

Not only does Rush say it, the lyrics of the song say it!

Like Rush said, these clowns have to be trying to get it wrong.

[Jabba the Nutt]

"Ehrenstein said. "I was just simply trying to get a conversation going. How it's gone is another question.""

Ah, you didn't want to get the conversation going, you wanted to control it. And is it now a rule, that only black satirits can imitate blacks. Can black satirists imitate whites? Is that racist?

I tell ya, this parody is really getting under their skin.

[barb-tex]

The original radio program, Amos&Andy,in thirties was so popular, that it was broadcast in the movie houses so that patrons woudn’t miss a single episode. They would have stayed home if they had to miss A&A.
barbra ann

[MortMan]

I tell ya, this parody is really getting under their skin.

White, black, green, or purple - "they" share one overarching skin feature...

It's all THIN!

[NeoCaveman]

It’s an over two month old parody that makes fun of Al Sharpton. If Al Sharpton isn’t fair game anymore then this is not a free country.

[newcthem]

Many of us are far more offended by what passes for “news” on NBC........but it is unlikely that will make the front page of the Chicago papers.

[Vision]

"It's insulting," said Michael Harrison, publishers of Talkers Magazine. "It's in bad taste, but it's legitimate political satire."

It's in great taste and exposes Sharpton as the charlatan he is.

[usmcobra]

"This is basically the radio equivalent of a black face minstrel show," said Paul Waldman of Media Matters for America. "You know, going back to 'Amos and Andy' and all of those kinds of racist shows."

Hypocracy Thy name is liberalism.

[Cuttnhorse]

BTW, did you know that Sumsay is good friends with Katie Couric? She was ALWAYS quoting him on the TooGay Show when she was head cheerleader...