Liberal Media Try to Pick Republican Chairman

AIM Column  |  By Cliff Kincaid  |  December 31, 2008

They believe the Republican Party has to move in a conservative direction and that this can start by breaking ranks with the disastrous Bush Administration, especially on economic issues.
Tina Brown, who has rich friends like Barry Diller bankrolling her activities, has launched a website heavy with liberal opinion pieces. I took a look at The Daily Beast because of the hype generated by people like Howard Kurtz, the media reporter for the Washington Post, and found a column by somebody named John Avlon. He was lecturing the Republican Party about a candidate for Republican chairman, Chip Saltsman, distributing a humorous song calling Barack Obama the "Magic Negro." Avlon, who found this disgusting, acted like an authority on Republican Party politics. But it turns out that he once worked for Bill Clinton and is a self-described "centrist." 
Avlon was also "Director of Speechwriting and Deputy Director of Policy for Rudy Giuliani's Presidential Campaign," his bio says. I seem to recall that Giuliani was far too liberal for most Republicans. I also seem to recall that his scandalous personal life became an issue in the campaign for many conservatives. No amount of speeches or press releases from Avlon could save Giuliani.
As far as Bill Clinton is concerned, I seem to remember that he is a disgraced Democratic President who was impeached.
What do Giuliani and Clinton have in common? They are both notorious adulterers. Avlon apparently doesn't find this disgusting, but he is concerned about distributing a song making fun of Barack Obama. The "Barack the Magic Negro" song is sung to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon" and is only one of many songs on a "We Hate the USA" parody CD done by conservative satirist Paul Shanklin.
That this has become a "scandal" for "serious" people says something about Avlon and his peculiar agenda. The purpose, quite clearly, is to stifle any and all criticism of the President-elect. If the media can even intimidate conservatives and Republicans into not laughing about Obama, passing official measures to stifle serious criticism of the incoming Obama Administration, on the ground that such comments are "hateful" or "racist," can't be that far behind. The "Magic Negro" controversy is a trial run for what is to come.  
Of course, Avlon's piece on The Daily Beast followed many similar stories in other mainstream liberal media outlets. Two candidates for Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, Robert M. "Mike" Duncan and Saul Anuzis, have won praise from the liberal Washington Post for agreeing that distribution of such a song was inappropriate.
Duncan and Anuzis don't seem to get it. Media bias is far more of a problem for Republicans than a candidate for RNC chairman distributing a funny song based on a column from the Los Angeles Times and which first aired on the Rush Limbaugh radio show. They may just be trying to get a political advantage over Saltsman, but doing so by playing along with the liberal pro-Democratic media is terribly misguided.  
To his credit, Saltsman has responded: "Liberal Democrats and their allies in the media didn't utter a word about David Ehrenstein's irresponsible column in the Los Angeles Times last March. But now, of course, they're shocked and appalled by its parody on the Rush Limbaugh Show. I firmly believe that we must welcome all Americans into our party and that the road to Republican resurgence begins with unity, not division. But I know that our party leaders should stand up against the media's double standards and refuse to pander to their desire for scandal."
He's right, of course. This is a completely phony scandal. And it demonstrates not only the liberal double-standard but the phoniness of people like Avlon, who presume to lecture Republicans about what is appropriate language and behavior when he worked for the likes of Giuliani and Clinton.
My curiosity led me to Avlon's website, where he informs us that he has appeared on "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central and that he wrote a book, Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics. It looks like his current project is to try to move the Republican Party further to the left by making phony charges against a conservative candidate for RNC chairman.
Another conservative candidate for RNC chairman, Ken Blackwell, who is black, recognizes the Avlon-type commentaries as the garbage they are, dismissing the phony outrage over the "Magic Negro" song as "hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race."
Frances Rice of the National Black Republican Association also had an appropriate response: "If it were not so hypocritical, it would be comical how Democrats and their media allies have created a media firestorm over a parody on racism in the Democratic Party. The Democrats' display of rank hypocrisy on race is a familiar scenario. First, Democrats exhibit vile racism.  Then, any Republican who points out the Democrats' display of vile racism is attacked by Democrats as being racist."
She explained, "The current target of this Democratic Party racial jujitsu is RNC chairman candidate Chip Saltsman. So, what did Saltsman do to warrant being called a racist? Well, he dared to distribute a music CD with a parody about the fact that black Democrat David Ehrenstein called Sen. Barack Obama a 'Magic Negro' in an article published by the left-wing, Democrat-controlled 'Los Angeles Times.'   Huh? None of the people now trashing Saltsman uttered one peep of protest when the article entitled 'Obama the Magic Negro' was first published in the 'Los Angeles Times' on March 19, 2007 with the subtitle: 'The Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized, less-than-real black man.'" 
I heard about Rice's comments when she called in to a local Washington, D.C. radio show on WMAL in response to the host piling on Saltsman. The host, Austin Hill, insisted it was wrong for Saltsman to "poke fun" at Obama and that it was a diversion from more important issues. 
The controversy is certainly a diversion, and that is why Hill and others in conservative talk radio should spend time discussing something of real value that is coming before the RNC. That is a resolution denouncing the socialist-style financial bailouts of the Republican Bush Administration.
Ralph Z. Hallow of the Washington Times broke the story on Tuesday, disclosing that the resolution condemns the bank bailout bill as "moving our free market based economy another dangerous step toward socialism." What's more, the resolution condemns President-elect Barack Obama's proposed economic stimulus, labeled "a cleverly disguised Government Bailout Plan," because it bails out state and local governments, as "the biggest earmarked spending program in our Nation's history" that "will not fix our economic woes, but rather will extend the current economic crisis, much as President Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration extended the Great Depression, and will cost the American taxpayers $1 trillion dollars or more…"
(The entire text of this resolution, which will be voted on by the RNC at its winter meeting January 28-30, is included at the end of this column. The election of the chairman will be held at this meeting as well.)
In response to this resolution, conservatives across the country are ecstatic and saying, "It's about time." They believe the Republican Party has to move in a conservative direction and that this can start by breaking ranks with the disastrous Bush Administration, especially on economic issues. Bush took leave of his senses recently when he said that he had abandoned free markets in order to save the free market system.
On January 5, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) will host a debate with the candidates for RNC chairman. ATR President Grover Norquist says, "We are working with bloggers and other activists to develop the questions to be asked during the forum, and we encourage everyone to visit rncdebate.org in the coming days to submit and vote on questions."
One of my favorite questions, posted on the site, is: "How can the RNC finally and successfully get around the ongoing and worsening political media bias that exists throughout the entire world from within the mainstream media?"
The "scandal" over the "Magic Negro" is just the latest manifestation of that bias. Avlon is a liberal "centrist" whose agenda should be plain for all to see. But those "conservatives" and "Republicans" who treat commentaries like his seriously are the real problem. They are a reminder that the mental condition known as Obamamania which has already captured the media is a real threat to our freedom to think, write, talk and even laugh.
The election of a new RNC chairman will be a test for the Republicans as to whether they intend to accommodate the new censors or take them on and fight for the survival of free speech rights in America.
 
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO TAKE ALL STEPS NECESSARY TO OPPOSE BAILOUTS OF INDUSTRIES, INDIVIDUALS, OR GOVERNMENTS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND TO AGGRESSIVELY PROMOTE THE CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN PUBLIC POLICY DEBATES
WHEREAS, America is embroiled in an economic crisis which threatens to become a severe and prolonged recession; and WHEREAS, as an alleged remedy to the economic crisis, the United States Congress proposed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 ("Bank Bailout Bill"), which would authorize the United States Secretary of the Treasury to spend up to $700 billion dollars to bail out the financial industry from the consequences of its own poor decisions and misguided government policies, by purchasing distressed assets, especially mortgage-backed securities, and make capital injections into banks; and
WHEREAS, when the original Bank Bailout Bill failed to pass, it was augmented with $150 billion dollars in additional, unnecessary spending designed to earn the incumbent politicians who voted for it the support of their constituents back home; and
WHEREAS, Congress adopted, and the President signed, the bloated Bank Bailout Bill; and
WHEREAS, the Bank Bailout Bill has neither reversed the economic crisis nor protected the taxpayers, but rather has added $850 billion dollars to their tax bill and raised the national debt ceiling from $10 trillion to $11.3 trillion, which has the potential long-term effect of further weakening the economy; and
WHEREAS, the Bank Bailout Bill effectively nationalized the Nation's banking system, giving the United States non-voting warrants from participating financial institutions, and moving our free market based economy another dangerous step closer toward socialism; and
WHEREAS, what was needed, and is still needed, to fix the banking industry is not a bailout, but rather a commitment to fiscal responsibility. This entails more than considering only the quick fixes for Wall Street. It also entails considering how to restore Wall Street to sustainable profitability. It involves common sense legislation from Congress, such as (1) eliminating the capital gains tax, which will lead investors to flood the real estate and financial markets in search of tax-free profits, creating liquidity in the markets; (2) examining, and if need be, amending the Community Reinvestment Act (Pub.L. 95-128, title VIII, 91 Stat. 1147, 12 U.S.C. § 2901 et seq.), to ensure that it accomplishes its purpose of preventing discriminatory lending without also forcing the financial industry to engage in high risk lending; and (3) adopting a "hands off" approach from government toward the financial sector, so that free-market forces can correct the market; and
WHEREAS, there have been other federal government bailouts, including the $85 billion dollar bailout of American International Group Inc. in return for its nationalization, with the United States acquiring an almost eighty percent equity stake in the company, a bailout and nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and a bailout of Bear Sterns; and
WHEREAS, the cost to the American taxpayers of the various bailouts enacted by the 110thCongress and signed into law by the President is potentially $8.7 trillion dollars; and
WHEREAS, none of these bailouts have forestalled the economic recession, protected the jobs of American workers, made American companies more competitive, or relieved the tax burden on American taxpayers, but rather have threatened to deepen the economic recession, and have increased the national debt and the burden faced by the American taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, the "Big Three" Automakers (Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford) appealed to Congress for a bailout bill of their own, seeking up to $34 billion dollars in emergency aid; and
WHEREAS, the American people overwhelmingly oppose a bailout of the Big Three, with 61% of those polled opposing government assistance to the automakers and 70% saying that such assistance would be unfair to American taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, when faced with both Congressional and public disapproval, Ford announced that it did not need actually need federal money at this time, but Chrysler and General Motors continued to request financial assistance from the government; and
WHEREAS, on December 11, 2008, the House of Representatives passed the Auto Industry Financing and Restructuring Act (H.R. 7321) ("Auto Bailout Bill"), which authorized $14 billion dollars in loans to the automobile industry in exchange for, among other things, the nationalization of the auto industry, whereby the United States receives warrants for up to 20% of the common or preferred stock of each automaker, and the appointment by the President of an executive officer ("Car Czar") to oversee various aspects of the auto industry's business; and
WHEREAS, the Auto Bailout Bill was rejected in the United States Senate, garnering only 52 of the 60 votes necessary to bring the Bill to the Floor for consideration; and
WHEREAS, on December 19, 2008, the President announced that he would create a $17.4 billion dollar Auto Bailout Package for the auto industry, taking the money from the funds appropriated by the Bank Bailout Bill; and
WHEREAS, the President has announced that Chrysler and GM must prove they are financially viable by March 31, 2009, or face the possibility-but only the possibility-of the recall of the funds extended to bail them out; and
WHEREAS, President-elect Obama is under no obligation to insist that Chrysler and GM meet this obligation, or pay back the money used to bail them out and the UAW is already calling on President-elect Obama to reject the wage reduction requirements of the Auto Bailout Package; and
WHEREAS, the Auto Bailout Package is not only a bailout of the bad management decisions of the leadership of the automobile industry, but also a bailout of the leadership of the United Auto Workers union (UAW), whose excessive labor wage and benefit demands have substantially contributed to the automobile industry's financial woes, as demonstrated by the fact that the average hourly cost to the unionized Big Three Automakers for its workers' salary and benefits is nearly $80 per hour, compared with Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, whose total hourly U.S. labor costs, with benefits, are about $48 per hour; and
WHEREAS, the UAW has steadfastly refused to renegotiate its current labor contracts to ease the financial burden on the Big Three, and has also self-servingly insisted that bankruptcy was not an option for any of the Big Three, because bankruptcy would allow a renegotiation of their labor contracts; and
WHEREAS, bailing out the UAW with the Auto Bailout Package will not make the automobile industry solvent, because it does not address the underlying cause of its financial difficulties, but merely applies a band-aid to tide the industry over for the time being; and
WHEREAS, the open-ended nature of the Auto Bailout Package, which only contains the possibility of a recall of the bailout money if Chrysler and GM do not have a plan for financial viability by March 31, 2009, will not provide incentive to their leadership and the leadership of the UAW to create a financially viable business plan, but rather will encourage them to continue 'business as usual' and count on future government bailouts whenever such are needed; and
WHEREAS, the men and women who work in the automobile industry are patriotic Americans who work hard to supply America with automobiles and also to provide a decent living for themselves and their families; and
WHEREAS, America's auto workers are not helped by a temporary band-aid which does not require the automobile industry and the UAW to change practices and create a sustainable profitability. Rather, they need a solution that will enable the American automobile industry to recover and thrive again in order to ensure the long-term survival of their jobs; and
WHEREAS, what is needed to fix the American automobile industry is restructuring that will eliminate the competitive disadvantage faced in their costs and finished products relative to foreign brands, which can only be accomplished by (1) negotiating new labor agreements to align their pay and benefits to match those of their competitors; (2) reducing the benefits paid to their retirees so that the total burden per auto for the Big Three is not higher than that of foreign companies; (3) restructuring their business plans with an eye to the future, such that they invest in competitive products and innovative, fuel-saving technologies; and (4) recruiting management teams who excel in marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations; and
WHEREAS, a group of governors met with President-elect Obama to press for their own bailout plan, whereby federal taxpayer would pay $136 billion for state infrastructure projects and untold billions of dollars for state health care costs; and
WHEREAS, President-elect Barack Obama decided to propose an enormous public works project, which is really a cleverly disguised Government Bailout Plan designed to bail out state and local governments by providing federal tax dollars to repair and rebuild their local infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, some have proposed spending up to $1 trillion dollars to fund the President-elect's Government Bailout Plan; and,
WHEREAS, the Government Bailout Plan will be the biggest earmarked spending program in our Nation's history;
WHEREAS, the Government Bailout Plan will not fix our economic woes, but rather will extend the current economic crisis, much as President Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration extended the Great Depression, and will cost the American taxpayers $1 trillion dollars or more; and
WHEREAS, what is needed to ease unemployment and stimulate the economy is not a Government Bailout Plan to bail out state and local governments from their deficit spending, but rather common sense solutions which will work, including (1) lowering our corporate tax rate which is the second highest in the world and fifty percent higher than our international competitors, so that corporations will have more ability to invest in product development and job creation; (2) lowering taxes on the middle class and eliminating the capital gains tax, so that America's families will have more money to invest and spend for their families' needs; (3) spending to replenish and, where necessary, modernize our military equipment and improve our national defense capabilities against both foreign nations and terrorists; (3) investing in energy research, exploration and development to free our Nation from its dependence on foreign oil; and (4) eliminating wasteful government spending and restructuring government programs that can be accomplished more efficiently. Together, these measures will create jobs, energize the economy and protect our national freedoms, all of which will improve the quality of life of the American family; and
WHEREAS, the Republican Party must, for the good of America, reestablish our commitment to the common sense, conservative values of free enterprise, free markets, limited government, and personal responsibility, which are advocated by the Republican National Committee in its national platform; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Members of the Republican National Committee commend the Members of Congress who have opposed the bills seeking to bailout American industries and to nationalize American companies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Members of the Republican National Committee call for all Members of Congress to oppose any and all future bailouts that might come before the Congress, including President-elect Obama's public works program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Members of the Republican National Committee call on Congress to identify the government programs and policies which have led to the current economic crisis and to revise or repeal them in favor of government policies which promote free enterprise and free markets;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Republican National Committee, in cooperation with Republican Members of Congress and the Republican Governors of the various states, shall be authorized to engage in vigorous debate on public policy issues, including calling for Congress to oppose measures which are detrimental to the welfare of our Nation and our People, consistent with the conservative principles of the Republican Party as expressed in its national platform, and to devote appropriate resources of the RNC for this purpose.
Submitted by
James Bopp, Jr., NCM IN
Randy Pullen SC AZ
Lilly Nunez NCW CO
Dick Wadhams SC CO
Sharon Day NCW FL
Steve Scheffler NCM IA
Kim Lehman NCW IA
Cindy Moyle NCW ID
Dee Dee Benkie NCW IN
Helen Van Etten NCW KS
Kris Kobach SC KS
Evie Axdahl NCW MN
Cindy Phillips NCW MS
Pete Ricketts NCM NE
Sean Mahoney NCM NH
Rosie Tripp NCM NM
Carolyn L. McLarty NCW OK
Solomon Yue NCM OR
Donna Cain NCW OR
Giovanni Cicione SC RI
Cynthia Costa NCM SC
Mary Jean Jensen NCW SD
Cathie Adams NCW TX
Fredi Simpson NCW WA
Diana Vaughan SC WY