How Chip Saltsman could create songs this disturbing is beyond me:

The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, “Barack the Magic Negro” is not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme. It flies in the face of America’s deeply held hope for a new era in which common ground and mutual respect characterize the exchanges between our national leaders.

I and my co-writer of “Puff,” Lenny Lipton, have been eagerly awaiting an end to the mean-spiritedness, outright disrespect and bigotry that was commonplace prior to this last presidential election. What might have been wearily accepted as “the way it was” in the campaign, is now unacceptable. Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not — and taking a children’s song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.

It is almost unimaginable to me that Chip Saltzman who sent the CD, would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree.

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Black television networks never felt the need to cover a Presidential Inauguration before, but things have changed:

TV One and BET, the television networks aimed primarily at a black audiences, haven’t paid much attention to presidential inaugurations before.

Both networks are planning extensive coverage for Jan. 20, when Barack Obama is sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. While it will be followed as a news event, network executives said the installation of the first black president will be as much a celebration as a story.

“This is an opportunity for us to be the best that we can be,” said Stephen Hill, BET’s programming chief. “We see this as an opportunity to inform and inspire our audience, which is what we always try to do.”

BET covered President George W. Bush’s last inauguration with a news brief, to say “Oh, it happened. What a shame,” he said.

BET will cover the swearing-in and parade from four locations, including ground and rooftop sites on Pennsylvania Avenue. Hill Harper, Rene Syler and Jeff Johnson will be anchoring the coverage.

The networks will take a particular interest in speaking to people who have traveled to Washington to witness the event. On election night, their ratings peaked shortly after the general news networks declared Obama the winner - when black viewers turned to the stations to soak it in with the people on the air.

TV One will follow the inauguration for 21 straight hours, from 6 a.m. EST on Jan. 20 to 3 a.m. EST the next day. Radio talk-show host Joe Madison and Art Fennell of CN8, the Comcast Network, will be the hosts. It’s already a big week for TV One: Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday the weekend before marks the fifth anniversary of the network’s launch.

With all that time on the air, TV One will do its best to give its audience a real flavor of being there, Rodgers said.

“We will show the parade,” he said. “We will not overwhelm the parade with a lot of pundits and other stuff.”

The connection between King’s work and Obama’s election will be a major theme for the networks; BET will speak to King’s children for their thoughts on Obama and is making a special, “King to Obama: Repurposing the Dream.”

BET is preparing several reports to air during the coverage, including a look at Michelle Obama; on the people who helped elect the new president; on his international appeal; and on his security, asking, “Who is willing to take a bullet for a black man?” BET, as the older of the two networks and the one with the wider reach, believes it has an advantage over TV One because BET is the only one with a news division.

BET will include simple historical explainers about presidential inaugurations throughout the day; the network reasons that many who will be watching have never seen one before.

“This is the first time in a long time a lot of people in our audience feel they are really part of the process of selecting a leader for the United States of America,” Hill said.

BET is planning a prime-time entertainment special taped earlier, “Yes We Will: The BET Inaugural Celebration,” and will also sponsor its own inaugural ball, which will be featured in live cut-ins. TV One is reporting from the scenes of Obama’s inaugural balls from 10 p.m. EST to midnight.

General news networks are still formulating their coverage plans. It’s unclear whether reporters will be assigned specifically to cover the black perspective on that day, but it obviously will be a big part of the story, said Paul Friedman, CBS News senior vice president.

“I don’t know how you don’t cover that story virtually all the way through,” he said.

Times are changing. Black networks didn’t even cover Clinton’s Inauguration. Wasn’t he the first Black president ??? SMH !!!

Obama attends service for the woman who was like a mother to him:

Barack Obama celebrated the life of Madelyn Dunham, the woman who was like a second mother to him at a private Honolulu memorial service on Tuesday.

The service held at the First Unitarian Church, was closed to the media, and Obama’s aides said only that only he and his wife, Michelle, his half-sister, Maya Santoro-Ng, and her husband, Konrad, attended the ceremony. Durham’s ashes were later scattered by loved ones at Lanai Lookout, the same spot where Obama scattered the ashes of his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, after her death in 1995 according to the Honolulu Advertiser.

Dunham - nicknamed “Toot” - died of cancer at the age of 86 on the eve of the presidential election.

Barack suspended his campaign to visit Dunham, whom he affectionately called “Toot.” He said he had hoped she would have lived long enough to see him elected.

“She was one of those quiet heroes that we have all across America,” Barack said of Dunham. “They’re not famous, their names aren’t in the newspapers, but each and every day they work hard. They look after their families. They sacrifice for their children and their grandchildren.”

It’s sad that she nor her daughter lived to see the man that they raised and guided become President.

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This racist idiot created a cd that’s perfect for all of you Republicans that are still salty about Obama’s historical win:

Chip Saltsman, a candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent committee members this month a holiday music CD that included “Barack the Magic Negro,” a parody song first aired in 2007 by talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

Created by conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, the song puts new lyrics to the tune of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and it is performed as if black activist Al Sharpton were singing it. Limbaugh played it after the Los Angeles Times ran an opinion piece with the same title.

“A guy from the LA paper said it made guilty whites feel good, they’ll vote for him and not for me cuz he’s not from the hood,” the song goes. “Oh, Barack the magic negro lives in DC, the LA Times they called him that because he’s black but not authentically.”

The CD accompanied holiday greetings from Saltsman, a Tennessee resident who managed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s campaign for president. Saltsman announced his bid to lead the Republican Party this month.

He did not return a call seeking comment last night. Saltsman had earlier told the Hill newspaper, which first reported the incident, that the song is meant as a joke. “Paul Shanklin is a longtime friend, and I think that RNC members have the good humor and good sense to recognize that his songs for ‘The Rush Limbaugh Show’ are light-hearted political parodies,” he told the newspaper.

Light hearted parody ??? Wow. This guy is delusional. Som people are racist and they don’t even realize it. SMH.

Source

Now maybe all of the Obama haters can move on to the next order of business:

An internal review prepared for Barack Obama found his incoming chief of staff had multiple conversations with the Illinois governor’s office, but said the talks did not involve any deal concerning whom the governor would appoint to replace Obama in the Senate.

The report was released Tuesday as a transition official disclosed that Obama and two of his top aides, Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, have been interviewed in connection with the federal investigation into Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The transition official, speaking on a condition of anonymity before the report’s public release, also confirmed that Emanuel had been captured on wiretaps taken as part of the investigation.

Blagojevich was charged on Dec. 9 with plotting to use his governor’s authority to appoint Obama’s Senate replacement and make state appointments and contracts in exchange for cash and other favors. He has denied any criminal wrongdoing and has resisted multiple calls for his resignation, including one from Obama.

Incoming White House attorney Greg Craig, who conducted the internal review at Obama’s request, found that the president-elect had no contact with Blagojevich or any of his staff about the Senate seat Obama vacated to take over the presidency.

Emanuel, Obama’s pick for White House chief of staff, was the only Obama adviser to talk to Blagojevich and his top aide, John Harris, Craig found. The two men have been arrested as part of a federal corruption investigation.

Emanuel had one or two conversations with Blagojevich and four with Harris on the subject of the Senate seat, according to the review. The report said Obama authorized Emanuel to pass on the names of four people he considered to be highly qualified to take over his seat - Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, Illinois Veterans’ Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

“In later telephone conversations, Mr. Emanuel - also with the president-elect’s approval - presented other names of qualified candidates to Mr. Harris including Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Ms. Cheryle Jackson,” the report said. “Mr. Harris did not make any effort to extract a personal benefit for the governor in any of these conversations. There was no discussion of a Cabinet position, of 501c(4), of a private sector position or of any other personal benefit to the governor in exchange for the Senate appointment.”

The report said that earlier, Emanuel recommended Jarrett for the Senate seat without Obama’s knowledge, and Jarrett later accepted a job as a senior White House adviser.

Craig revealed his findings into a memo to Obama. The memo was dated Tuesday, but a transition official said an initial copy was given to Obama on Dec. 15. On that day, Obama announced that the report was ready but that he was withholding it from public release for a week at the request of the U.S. attorneys still conducting their investigation.

In the meantime, the transition official said, Emanuel was interviewed by federal officials who replayed a wiretapped conversation for him. He then was able to give Craig more details about what he said, and those details were included in the final report, the transition official said. Transition officials discussed the final version with Obama on Monday as he vacationed in Hawaii.

Source

President-elect Barack Obama’s two young daughters haven’t been asked to appear on Disney’s Hannah Montana, a source within the Obama camp tells Usmagazine.com.

Billy Ray Cyrus — the father of Hannah Montana singer Miley Cyrus — told Access Hollywood on Monday that Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, “probably will” appear on an episode in April. “The invitation is there,” he said.

But the Obama source tells Us, “Folks within Obama-land know of no such request.”

Still, Miley wouldn’t mind having them around.

“I think that would be really cool and, if anything, have them visit the set,” she said.

After all, Miley noted, “They are kind of like me before I started my own career.”

Source

Greg Howard

The Jackson County School Board has taken action against a teacher who apparently made racial commentary on presidential candidate Barack Obama.

According to parents and students in Greg Howard’s seventh-grade social studies class, Howard on Friday, Sept. 26 asked the class a question regarding Obama’s call for change, and proceeded to write out what the letters C-H-A-N-G-E stood for.

“She told me that he wrote on the board ‘Can You Help A (expletive) Get Elected, and then laughed about it,” said Shelia Christian, a mother of one of Howard’s students.

Jackson County Superintendent Danny Sims said that description of this incident was “pretty accurate.”

Sims said Howard apparently repeated the action in more than one class, having made the comment in “a couple of periods.”

According to a news release from the school board, Howard was suspended with pay on Monday, Sept. 29.

On Wednesday Howard was given a written reprimand regarding his actions, and those actions will be reported to the Florida Department of Education Office of Professional Practices, according to the school board.

As of Thursday, he was suspended without pay for 10 days, was relieved of his football coaching duties, and will be transferred to the Jackson County Adult Education program, according to JCSB.

Howard is also required to submit a letter of apology to the students involved, and is required to attend diversity and sensitivity training, the school board reported.

Sims said Howard’s racial commentary was not directed at any students, but were directed at a political party.

“We’ve handled this swiftly and we’ve handled it with a concern that we’re not going to tolerate it and this is a pretty stiff (action). The situation is behind us and we’re ready to move forward,” said Sims.

“My daughter came home very upset after that happened. When you’re in school teaching our kids, you’re supposed to be teaching them what’s right by the law, not what’s right in your opinion. This is not the stone ages. We don’t come through the back door anymore. I raise my kids to be respectful and they should be led by example,” said Christian.

Suspended without pay for 10 days ??? And people wonder why Blacks feel they always get the short end of the stick. This man should have been teminated for his remarks. If he made a statement about Jewish people I guarantee he’d be fired !!!

Source

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama prepared to name his running mate, perhaps as early as today, from a small field that included at least one dark-horse finalist.

Democratic officials said little-known Texas Rep. Chet Edwards was one of the few Democrats whose background was checked by Obama’s campaign and he was a finalist for the job.

Among others mentioned: Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, as well as Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Evan Bayh of Indiana.

Obama was to disclose the name to the world through a text message that could be sent at any time before a massive rally in Springfield, Ill., on Saturday, where he will present his No. 2 to the nation. The two then will undertake a pre-convention tour of battleground states.

The Illinois senator refused to say who he chose but gave some hints in an interview aired today.

“Obviously, the most important question is: Is this person ready to be president?” Obama told “The Early Show” on CBS. Second, he said, was: “Can this person help me govern? Are they going to be an effective partner in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally?”

And, he added: “I want somebody who is going to be able to challenge my thinking and not simply be a ’yes person’ when it comes to policymaking.

Although it appeared unlikely, Obama’s vanquished rival Hillary Clinton still could emerge as his No. 2, and it was possible that there were other wild card prospects beyond Edwards who could emerge. Among them: GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who traveled with Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan; Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, or Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut.

Edwards is a favorite of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who praised his “extraordinary credentials” on ABC’s “This Week” on Aug. 3 and said: “I hope he will be the nominee.”

One Democratic official with knowledge of the conversation said Obama told Pelosi recently that she would be pleased with the choice. Other Democratic officials said he was on the short list. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Obama’s selection process.

Source: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080822/NEWS15/80822038/1118/RSS

As Barack Obama pumps up his energy policy today in an Indiana town hall meeting, his supporters will take his message to gas stations in two dozen states.

His campaign announced that backers will hand out his “New Energy for America” plan at service stations in 24 states.

His campaign also announced that an ad will appear on video screens atop gas pumps across Florida. The spot hits Republican rival John McCain for not taking steps to solve energy problems during 26 years in Congress and promotes Obama’s plan for renewable energy and $1,000 tax rebate to pay energy costs as he promises to “break the grip” of foreign oil.

“American families are struggling to make ends meet and cope with soaring gas prices, while oil companies rake in record profits,” Obama said in a statement. “Grassroots supporters across the nation today will share our plan to break our addiction to oil and choose a new, clean energy future. Our plan will put money back in the pockets of middle class families, create millions of new jobs and lessen our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. This is the choice in this election – four more years of record profits for the oil companies or a change in leadership that means real energy relief that American families deserve.”

Here is the much talked about McCain ad that depicts Obama as some sort of Rock Star with no leadership skills.