Barack the Magic Negro

Michael Balter 1/01/2009 07:25:00 AM Politics
Yesterday's New York Times carried an editorial about the split in Republican ranks over the "Barack the Magic Negro" song. Entitled "Talk About Out of Touch," the editorial recalls the various race-baiting tactics used against Obama during the presidential election campaign and then says the following:

We thought after all that — and, oh yes, losing the election — everyone in the Republican Party leadership would have figured out that race-baiting alienates young, minority and all reasonable voters.

Clearly, not everyone has.

The Times finds that unfortunate, and concludes:

Maybe they like the hole their party is standing in and want to dig it even deeper. That’s their right, but it does the country no good.

Well, personally, I think it does the country a whole lot of good, for precisely the reasons stated: It ensures that the Republicans will remain the party of the rich white men (and women) who got us into all of our current messes, and it insures that Obama will have 8 years to do his best to set the country on a different path. This is also why I am supporting Sarah Palin for president in 2012.

Obama is not magical, and certainly not a savior, but his election has created the conditions that allow Americans with some sense of history and vision the best chance they have had in generations to remake this country. The weaker and more discredited the opposition to that progressive agenda, the better. Rave on, Republicans!
Michael Balter

Posted by Michael Balter

I have been a working journalist for more than 40 years, beginning in Los Angeles as an investigative reporter and then in Paris as a travel, food, and science writer. For more than 20 years I have covered anthropology and archaeology writer for Science, Audubon, Scientific American, SAPIENS, and other publications. I have also covered sexual misconduct for The Verge, Scientific American, and others; I write about mental health, especially schizophrenia; and I engage in occasional media criticism. I returned to the USA in October 2017 after 30 years in Paris, and now live in the New York City area, where I currently teach journalism at City College of New York (I previously taught journalism at Boston University and New York University.) For more about me and what I do, copies of my articles, information about my book, and other goodies, please visit MY WEB SITE

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2 Comments

Anne Gilbert said…
What the Republican Party is doing now, with this "Barack the Magic Negro" thing is almost as appalling and disgusting in its way as what the Israelis continue to do in Gaza. Worse, they have learned absolutely nothing from this election. And they will continue to learn nothing, by the looks of things. I think it is this aspect that the New York Times was editorializing about. And if the people who continue to call themselves Republicans don't do something about this, yes, the party will continue to be run by rich white people who got us into this mess, but fortunately, I don't think people will listen to them for very much longer.
Anne G
January 2, 2009 at 12:09 AM
LL said…
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March 4, 2009 at 12:46 PM
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