Obama Speaks Out on 'Barack, the Magic Negro' Parody
By Aysha Hussain
May 09, 2007
Barack Obama is finally speaking
out about the video parody that painted him as "the Magic Negro," dressed in a fake Ku Klux Klan outfit, and a black man
suitable to whites.
In a recent interview with Paul W.
Smith, host of WJR Radio in Detroit, Obama discussed his feelings
about the video parody entitled "U Da Real Negro Al, Screw Obama." In the now
infamous video, Paul Shanklin, a well-known
conservative political satirist famous for his voice impersonations, imitates
the voice of the Rev. Al Sharpton and portrays Obama as a socially accepted
black man with the song "Barack, the Magic Negro," a twist on the 1963 hit song
"Puff, the Magic Dragon" performed by Peter, Paul and Mary. (See also: 'Barack, the Magic Negro':
Will Rush Limbaugh Get the Ax?) Obama appeared unconcerned about the
video and its images, according to Political Punch, an ABC News blog
site.
"You know, I have not heard it but
I've heard of it," said Obama. "I confess that I don't listen to Rush on a daily
basis. On the other hand, I'm not one of these people who takes myself so
seriously that I get offended by every comment made about me ... what Rush does
is entertainment, and although it's probably not something that I listen to
much, I don't mind. I don't mind folks poking fun at me. That's part of the
job." Listen to audio of the interview on WJR.com.
The video had been shown on Rush
Limbaugh's web site (and then made its way to YouTube).
Limbaugh also aired the audio portion on his radio show.
The radio station interviewed Rush
Limbaugh the next day. He responded to Obama's reaction, expressing his
satisfaction with the way Obama handled the questioning of the video. "This is a
classy way to deal with it," said Limbaugh. "This is the way he should have
dealt with it if anyone asked. It's the first time he's probably been asked
about it, but this is the way for these guys to deal with it. Blow it off. Laugh
it off. No big deal."
If Obama is seemingly unaffected
by Limbaugh and others who continue to criticize him for not being "black"
enough or having a so-called controversial last name, why then did Obama
recently request a protection order through Secret Service because of potential
racist threats? As reported by the Los
Angeles Times, the protection came at his own request because of a rise in racist threats combined with
increased crowd sizes. No specific threat has been reported yet. Obama's request
is the earliest request for protection ever made by a presidential candidate.
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