"The Magic Negro" - Rush Bait

With the subtlety of blaring klaxon horns and squealing air brakes, Rush Limbaugh has decided to appropriate the description of Senator Barack Obama as "The Magic Negro":

"I'm going to keep referring to him as that because I want to make a bet that by the end of this week I will own that term," adding, "If I refer to Obama the rest of the day as the 'Magic Negro,' there will be a number of people in the drive-by media and on left-wing blogs who will credit me for coming up with it and ignore the L.A. Times did it, simply because they can't be critical of the L.A. Times, but they can, obviously, be critical of talk radio." Limbaugh continued to refer to Obama as the "Magic Negro" throughout the broadcast -- 27 times, to be exact -- and at one point sang "Barack, the Magic Negro" to the tune of "Puff, the Magic Dragon." Limbaugh defended his use of the song, stating, "Well, that's what we always do here. We do parodies and satires on the idiocy and phoniness of the left."

Leaders often succeed by tapping into subconcious templates we all possess, particularly of past leaders or familiar roles. It doesn't bother me if Barack Obama seizes upon 'The Magic Negro' template: it's out there for the taking, after all. It's wise for voters to understand the existence of these templates, however, so as to better inform their votes, so that they don't cast their votes out of ignorant emotionality.

Nevertheless, if Rush is going to attack Obama just because of the template, he'll anger and provoke Democrats, and Americans in general, into coming to Obama's aid. Obama is a real person, after all, not just a hollow shell. In other words, he is not a Magic Negro, just a regular Negro with friends he can call upon in a time of need.

Do it, Rush, do it, do it, do it........