Mr. Blackwell, what gifts can I expect from you next Xmas?

Tennessee GOP leader Chip Saltsman, a possible candidate for Chairman of the Republican National Committee, sent Republican committee members a Christmas CD featuring a parody song called "Barack the Magic Negro." Other tunes on the 41-track CD that Saltsman sent include "I Can Talk Like a Coal Miner's Daughter," "Love Client #9" and "Down on the Farm with Al Gore." The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper that published a story about the CD on Friday, reported that Saltsman said members of the GOP committee have "the good humor and good sense" to see the tunes as "lighthearted political parodies."

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a black candidate for the chairman, said in a statement Saturday "there is hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race" because of Obama's election and he concluded, "When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal. All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people." Former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael S. Steele, another black candidate for the, said Saltsman's "attempt at humor was clearly misplaced," adding that the leadership of the party needs to "be a lot smarter about such things and more appreciative that our actions always speak louder than our words." "Our actions and our words are often times used to define who we are as Republicans," Steele said in a statement.

It’s obvious that some white Republicans do not want to reach out to black folks. It’s also obvious that some black Republicans do not want to acknowledge that they are black. I’m not mad about Saltsman sending out the CD. Those are the things that racists do. They make racists comments and pretend that it’s all in fun. It’s always a joke when you are talking about the other guy. What bothers me is the black man not standing up to the racism. Mr. Blackwell, are you a leader that will take your party in a new direction or a lawn jockey standing out in the yard waiting on massa to come home?