By
Leroy Jones, Jr.
Political Commentator & Columnist
Race is and will
continue to be an issue that we all must grapple with in America.
Regardless of your economic or social status in our great
country, the question of race permeates everything we do.
The euphoria around
the meteoric rise of Senator Barack Obama's Presidential campaign
has caught the nation by storm. He has drawn large and enthusiastic
crowds on the campaign trail, and his presence in this campaign
has changed the electoral landscape in this country. Who would
have thought in these times of cynicism and negativity that
someone would capture the imagination of a large part of the
electorate and the establishment media? Clearly his story
is one of hard work and opportunity given and taken. His racial
make up has made the story even more compelling, and the complex
nature of race in America has taken center stage.
The recent
announcement that Senator Barack Obama will now receive Secret
Service Protection is not a surprise to many. As a front-runner
and a person of color, it was only a matter of time before
threats and concerns about his personal and family safety
would arise. The major media outlets took a more matter-of-fact
look at this situation to avoid adding a racial element to
the story.
Many
members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and other
African American elected officials live with threats
and slurs directed towards them via mail, phone calls,
and emails everyday. The fact that people exist who
would want to hurt or stop Senator Obama's or any other
African American elected officials comes as no surprise.
These types of threats and activities unfortunately
shape the lives of many of our public officials of all
races. Clearly the effort to protect him or anyone else
goes far beyond race. But it is a very real problem.
Recently,
the focus has been centered on a parody played repeatedly
by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh called “Barack
the Magic Negro”, which is sung to the tune of
“Puff the Magic Dragon”. The song is intended
to make fun of the popularity of Senator Obama within
the white community, and mock the lukewarm response
to Senator Obama by the traditional African American
leadership. The parody has been running since March
2007, and at that time no one in the mainstream media
gave the story any airtime. It seemed as if no one wanted
to anger or agitate Limbaugh.
Now,
it appears that things are starting to heat up between
the major media outlets and Limbaugh now. The story
and the song have become an issue. Coming on the heels
of Imus and Secret Service protection for Senator Obama,
new questions arise concerning what is and what is not
appropriate language when it comes to the issues of
race.
With
Senator Obama as a major political figure, political
humor and personal attacks go with the territory. Limbaugh
understands this, and he is straddling the line to see
if anyone forces him back. The underlying issue of this
parody now, after the Imus controversy seems to be a
subtle move to get back at Reverend Al Sharpton, Jessie
Jackson and other African American leaders who were
involved in the firing of Imus. Clearly, this parody
is Limbaugh’s call to both Reverends Sharpton
and Jackson, and his effort to engage them. He appears
to be waiting for someone or group to confront him and
is pleading with them to step into the ring with him.
Limbaugh
realizes parodies of this nature energizes his loyal
listeners and supporters (called Dittoheads), increases
the number of listeners for his show, which increases
his ratings. He is not stupid, and he has used his bully
pulpit to influence elections and policy. He is unapologetic
about his conservative zeal and has no problem using
his platform to espouse his beliefs and ideas. His power
over the airwaves as of right now, is both unrivaled
and undisputed.
The
real question is who will confront him about this song,
and his total lack of concern about offending African
Americans, and how will it play out both in the media
and politically. Clearly, Limbaugh does not care about
any perceived “political correctness” or
“liberal” backlash, and he seems to be preparing
for a long hard battle.
Once
again, Race in America is an issue.
Election
2008 is going to be a very interesting year.
Leroy
Jones, Jr., is the creator of PoliticalJones.com
and a Political Commentator and Government Affairs Consultant
based in Washington, D.C. He is a regularly scheduled
guest on "The
Right Side with Shelley Wynter" daily radio
show on WAOK-1380 AM (Atlanta/CBS), XM Satellite Radio,
Blacknews.com and various other media outlets. Email
Mr. Jones at ljones@politicaljones.com
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