What kind of a chip is a Chip Saltsman? A cow chip? Perhaps a sheep chip? You get my drift.
In any event, as a progressive Democrat, I'm rooting for Horse Chip Saltsman, who used to be Mike Huckabee's campaign manager, to be the next head of the Republican National Committee.
In case anyone missed it, Mule Chip Saltsman is the sensitive soul who sent RNC members a musical CD featuring, among other offensive classics, a tasteless little ditty called "Barack, the Magic Negro," which was first performed on Rush Limbaugh's radio show in April of 2007.
You've got to hand it to both Limbaugh and Goat Chip Saltsman. The song sure has catchy lyrics, like:
"some say barack's articulate and bright and new and clean the media sure love this guy a white interloper's dream"
Other numbers on this Yuletide CD, sung by right wing satirist Paul Shanklin, include "Love Client #9," "John Edwards' Poverty Tour," and, just to make absolutely clear that he is an equal opportunity offender, "The Star Spanglish Banner" ("Jose can you see ... cross the border we sailed as the gringos were sleeping").
According to Burro Chip Saltsman, "I think most people recognize political satire when they see it." Actually, and more importantly, most people recognize insensitive bigotry when they see and hear it.
The mere fact that Buffalo Chip Saltsman is a credible candidate for the RNC chairmanship speaks volumes. With him at the helm, the Republican Party will certainly get Ann Coulter's vote. And Sean Hannity's. And Diane Fedele's.
Diane Fedele? For those who haven't memorized all the Republican tasteless gems of the 2008 presidential campaign, she's the wit who produced the "Ten Dollar Obama Bucks" food stamp showing the then Democratic candidate's head superimposed on a donkey's body surrounded by a chunk of watermelon, ribs, a pitcher of Kool-Aid, and a bucket of fried chicken.
Bison Chip Saltsman is also likely to get Marcia Stirman's support. She's the chairwoman of the Otero County Republican Women in New Mexico who wrote in the Alamogordo Daily News that "I believe Muslims are our enemies," and that "Obama isn't a messiah or a Democrat. He's a Muslim socialist."
Another kindred spirit is Jeffrey M. Frederick, the Chairman of the Virginia Republican Party who likened Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden in a pep talk to campaign volunteers, explaining that "Both have friends that bombed the Pentagon. That is scary."
To their credit, some Republicans have reacted with appropriate disgust. "This is so inappropriate that it should disqualify any Republican National Committee candidate who would use it," observed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. And Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, the current RNC chairman who is running for reelection, said that "I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate." But so far we haven't heard from George W. Bush, or Dick Cheney, or John McCain, or Mitt Romney, or Rudy Giuliani, or Tim Pawlenty, or Mike Huckabee, or, for that matter, Sarah Palin.
As a partisan, I'd like nothing better than to see someone like Jackass Chip Saltsman, who gets his inspiration from Rush Limbaugh, head the GOP. But as an American, I recognize that such combination of bigotry, stupidity and insensitivity is not at all good for either our country or its body politic.
In a recent interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Colin Powell counseled his fellow Republicans against continuing "to use polarization for political advantage," and pointedly asked, "Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh? 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?"
All those Republicans who have not yet spoken out about Generic Farm Animal Chip Saltsman would be well advised to give General Powell's words some serious consideration.
Menachem Rosensaft is a lawyer in New York City
Every day they will keep on telling their kids, recruits, etc., that the problems of the world are REALLY the fault of the dems, and that somehow Obama was behind everything bad that's ever happened in the entire world since Clinton turned over the White House to Obama. See? Clinton passed power to Obama. And Hillary is still secretly running things for Bill.
Some of the R's think the RNC should just go ahead and sign over everything to Limbaugh and be done with it.
Hey, it's been the same for decades. The problem isn't racism, bigotry, sexism, homophobia and/or blind hatred revealed in tasteless, cruel and crude jokes. The problem is how many people apparently lack a sense of humor. Course, make a joke about an evangelical minister, and suddenly the Right can agree that "hate speech" DOES exist.
Go GOP... GO! GO! GO!
Palin / Bachmann 2012.
"The base" is fired-up now.
Get Chip Saltsman on the job, then hire Alan Keyes.
The future of the Republican Party is in their hands.
"The South will rise again!"
When Newt Gengrich says a persons actions are 'inappropriate', you have gone far beyond the pale.
I want the Republican Party to wake up. Our two party system works when voters have two viable alternatives. Instead, they have one party that is on our side ideologically, but gets low marks for performance (with the exception of the brilliant work so far of our President Elect). The rest of them... Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dodd... they aren't wowing me.
And on the other side, we have a circus. They were dangerous in power. Now that they are on the sidelines, they are a joke. There are a few serious Republicans who need to take the party back from the ignoramuses like Saltsman and need to keep the new Democratic power structure on their toes if this government is going to work.
If there is one thing the economic crises has taught us it is that the political infighting doesn't really help any of us. Not when the whole crew is asleep at the wheel.
But for the GOP / RNC to even consider the likes of Chip Saltsman or Ken Blackwelll to head up the party is utterly mindboggling. And infantile "toilet" type humor is anything but amusing, and doesn't even come close to qualifying as "satire."
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!
should we not protest it? we should
evil flourishes when good people say nothing..it is not funny
but I also believe in karma and all their bad stuff will come back to bite them in the end
(BTW my cat is named Chip)
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There is no way this can be casually dismissed as "political" satire. The design was to denigrate and diminish those targeted. Everything about re-Thug "humor" is mean - it's all they understand. The fact that THEY think it is actually funny is tremendously revealing.
They now stand naked before all America -- and it's vulgar and ugly.
I have trouble being dismissive of the collective effort and intent.
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