'Barack, the Magic Negro': Will Rush Limbaugh Get the Ax?

By Aysha Hussain

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April 25, 2007

Rush Limbaugh yesterday delivered a jaw-dropping video called "Barack, the Magic Negro." Will he follow in Don Imus' footsteps?

The video, shown to subscribers on his web site, focuses on the Rev. Al Sharpton's vocal discredit of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as an effective leader.

The video, entitled "U Da Real Negro Al, Screw Obama," was a parody by Paul Shanklin, a well-known conservative political satirist famous for his voice impersonations, who tries to imitate Sharpton's voice and includes a slideshow of images of Sharpton and Barack pointing out the differences in their "blackness." Toward the middle of the video, Shanklin harmonizes "Barack, the Magic Negro," a twist on the 1963 hit song, "Puff, the Magic Dragon" performed by Peter, Paul and Mary, which seeks to suggest that Barack is somehow a manufactured black man.

This would not be the first time Limbaugh has attacked Sharpton and Obama. According to Media Matters, Limbaugh once said the attendance of Democratic presidential candidates at Sharpton's National Action Network (NAN) convention was similar to Republican presidential candidates attending a hypothetical convention of "The Rev. David Duke's—whatever, whatever organization." Media Matters also has reported on Limbaugh constantly referring to Barack Obama as "Obama Osama." Many are now wondering whether this new video footage will warrant the same criticism Imus received.

Limbaugh is the host of an opinionated talk show popular for its right-wing content. "The Rush Limbaugh Show" is a national radio show distributed by Premiere Radio Networks, a division of Clear Channel, with approximately 20 million listeners per week, according to Premiere Radio Network's web site.

During a recent taping of "Paula Zahn Now," Zahn took note of other on-air personalities like Imus who have made similar derogatory remarks, including Limbaugh.

"And while radio host Don Imus calling the Rutgers University women's basketball team 'nappy-headed hos' is certainly beyond the bounds, it is not the first time offensive comments have been spewed on the radio. Conservative Rush Limbaugh, who has offended just about every minority group, drew special criticism for attacking actor Michael J. Fox," she said, recalling Limbaugh's charges that Fox went off his medicine to show the severity of his Parkinson's symptoms in a plea for federal funding of embryonic-stem-cell research.