Limbaugh, Magic Negroes, Race-Baiting and the NFL

By Michael P. Tremoglie
Tea Time Blog

Ever since it was learned that radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was attempting to buy a share of the St. Louis Rams NFL franchise there has been a steady drumbeat to prevent this. The approach of those who oppose this is fairly predictable. They use race-baiting.

There is a certain element in the United States – and you can add Western Europe – that labels as racism any criticism or parody of any issue or person who is African-American or Hispanic-American. Occasionally, this accusation is justified. Most of the time it is not, it is simply a smear tactic to silence a critic.

With Limbaugh there is plenty of criticism and parodies of liberals - both white and black - to use.

For example, much has been made about the “Magic Negro” parody of Obama by Limbaugh. They say it proves he is a racist.

Yet, the term “Magic Negro” was applied to Obama March 19, 2007, by Los Angeles Times columnist David Ehrenstein, who is African-American. Limbaugh was actually mocking this.

Ehrenstein, wrote, “Obama also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the ‘"Magic Negro."’The Magic Negro is a figure of postmodern folk culture, coined by snarky 20th century sociologists, to explain a cultural figure who emerged in the wake of Brown vs. Board of Education.”

Note that the term was coined by sociologists – not by Limbaugh. The term is used to describe a black man who assuages white guilt. This is what Limbaugh was parodying.

The people who spread the smear of Limbaugh being a racist know this. They are just relying on the ignorance, or betraying the trust, of the people they tell this to so that these people will influence the decisions of others.

Because it is not just about Limbaugh, it is about his audience as well.

Make people believe that anyone who listens to Limbaugh is a racist and people will not admit they listen to him. They will not think their attitudes and beliefs are truen. They will not talk about the issues and concerns he mentions.

Pretty soon ratings will dwindle and Limbaugh is out of business. If Limbaugh is out of business, then his exposure of the hypocrisy and corruption of liberal organizations, the liberal mainstream media and the leftwing of the Democratic Party will be unknown largely, as it was in the era when the news was dominated by the New York Times, Washington Post and the three major networks.

This is why they have resorted to lying about what Limbaugh said.

Many of the racist quotes attributed to Limbaugh are false. Even the leftwing Media Matters of America could not state that Limbaugh said slavery was a good thing - as has been reported. They did mention the quote about Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb. Limbaugh said that the media was giving McNabb credit because they wanted to see a black quarterback succeed; meanwhile they ignored the contributions of the team’s defense – which also had black players.

I emailed a gentleman named Dave Zirin, a sportswriter with the leftwing magazine, The Nation (Who knew The Nation has a sportswriter? Does the Weekly Standard have one for the rightwing?). I asked him to give me the original source - meaning something that Limbaugh said slavery was a good thing. Something he actually wrote or he actually said - not someone saying he said or wrote it.

I’ll let you know the results. Don't count on getting the information I asked.

Because this is all designed to ruin Limbaugh’s career. America’s leftists, liberals and Democrats all believe he has prevented their complete domination of the national politics of America they way they have dominated the politics of America’s large cities – especially in the Northeast United States ( For example, here in Pennsylvania the American capitalist democracy is sandwiched between the People’s Republics of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh).

How stupid do these liberals think Americans are after all? Limbaugh’s audience knows that African-American economists such as Thomas Sowell or Walter Williams guest-host his show occasionally. The audience knows of Limbaugh’s friendship with the African-American Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Once he even had Chris Matthews as a guest host.

The average American has caught on to the Democrats and liberals race-baiting. When did they come to realize it for what it was.

It may have begun years ago when a liberal talk show host, Phil Donahue, who at the time dominated the media, was interviewing a black Chicago congressman. Donahue used the “n” word. The congressman demanded he apologize and Donahue refused.

There were no headlines or calls for Donahue to resign. No one called Donahue a racist.

The double standard is easy to explain. Liberals do not like to acknowledge their own racism.