On the face of it, it makes no sense. For a week, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak allowed anti-government protesters to go unchallenged by his supporters, virtually taking over Cairo’s streets as his loyal army watched. Yesterday, Mubarak made a huge concession to his opponents by pledging not to “run” for re-election to Egypt’s presidency this fall, though that move did not appease his critics. Then this morning, the world awoke to the sight of a massive pro-Mubarak force moving into Cairo to challenge the anti-government forces. Why, many of us are asking, would Mubarak wait so long to unleash his backers? Why would he do so after already making it clear he wanted to avoid violence and had then promised to leave office?
While it is difficult to know exactly what is going on there, it may be that Mubarak’s announcement is exactly what set off this counter-demonstration.
While we tend to think of the Mubarak government as a matter of a small elite, it takes a great many people to run even an autocracy like Egypt. The president’s National Democratic Party may be neither national in scope nor even remotely democratic, but it is a very large entity, and the government bureaucracy that it controls is huge. While Egypt is a poor country with many millions living in abject poverty, and with even most university graduates lacking jobs, those who benefit from the ruling party’s largesse make up a considerable number of people.
Perhaps Mubarak is pulling the strings of these counter-protests, but it is by no means unlikely that those who run the governing party and its rank and file were panicked by his announcement yesterday and decided to act to pre-empt a change in government before it is too late. Though most Egyptians may be thrilled by the prospect of a regime change, the not inconsiderable minority that lives off that regime sees this as a threat to their livelihoods if not their lives. They may well prefer that blood run in the streets of their capital than be forced out of their government jobs. Mubarak and his family have the option of leaving the country and living in a comfortable exile; his supporters do not. So it is understandable, if regrettable, that they would resort to street violence rather than simply accept the likelihood that they will soon be out of a job and perhaps joining the hundreds of thousands of homeless living in Cairo’s cemeteries.
I keep saying this isn’t about racism, it’s about the JUDGMENT of our leadership on the right. Saltsman should have KNOWN BETTER than to try to use this material to ‘jolly up’ the 168 people who might vote for him. Rush L. always says ‘don’t try this at home, I”m a professional” and he’s RIGHT. Saltsman tried to piggyback on Limbaugh’s humor, and when called to defend it, he acted surprised anyone would bring it up.
that is one thing our leaders should NOT BE SURPRISED ABOUT– the way the left and the media work! It is not rocket science! Think! Be prepared for this.. and you’re not sharp enough to see it coming, for God’s sake stop trying to LEAD…
Jennifer Rubin is really starting to offend me with her “racism” adjectives-especially when she has never stated she has even listened to the parody.
Hey Jennifer-its not racist-listen to it! In fact, I’m this close to calling you a racist for your ignorant attacks on Paul Shanklin and Rush Limbaugh.
I agree with Dave in Texas though-it does show poor judgment on Saltsman’s part.
This circular game of Russian Roulette is a blessing to the Republican Party – it will eliminate the mindless buffoons who lack the comprehension of how to operate in the current PC media atmosphere. The survivors had better go to work on how to penetrate the MSM screen to get real ideas out to the public, rather than the caricatures of those ideas which the MSM sprays on our TV screens as graffiti.
Well the RNC lost the confidence of the Party conservatives back in 2007. To much RINO and Bos/Was about it. A lot of money contributors where telling them not one thin dime until they started supporting conservatives. The Specter election debacle was the straw that broke the camels back with a lot of people.
Ken Blackwell is a gem. I hope this improves his chances.
The song is harmless but perception is everything. Including it was poor judgement. Of course the lapdog media lapped it up.
Folks, the Shanklin songs run on Rush Limbaugh originally. They are funny. Barack the Magic negro was actually a satire of Al Sharpton. If Republicans are not allowed to mock characters like that, it is going to be a long cold four years.
Let’s face it, the song is really innocuous, but it’ll take forever to explain why
And, just like the works of a Swiss clock, Kate chimes in: Hey Jennifer-its not racist-listen to it! In fact, I’m this close to calling you a racist for your ignorant attacks on Paul Shanklin and Rush Limbaugh.
You just can’t make these people up, folks.
Here’s the problem: people like Saltzman and Kate, who think they belong among us. They do not.
Bill Buckley once purged the Conservative movement of kooks. Where is he now when the Republican Party needs him.
Someone get the word out to Saltzman and Kate and their supporting minions … how about flushing the toilet after you crap in it
Can we pick Michael Steele and be done with it? The rest of these guys don’t get it.
Paul …….e,
I won’t resort to your type of verbage, but is it too much to ask people to know what the heck they are talking about???? Jennifer Rubin has called this parody “racist” neither Michael Steele or Ken Blackwell agrees with her.
As far as being called a kook-quite frankly I’m proud to be called one by the likes of you-lol
Congrats on changing the subject from the lapses of Obama and his party in economics, national security and ethics to an attack virtually certain to unite the American people behind him. Did anyone mention that the election is in two more years?
The democrats at this point in the cycle, wisely used innuendo and personal attacks at the grassroots level, but were sure to lay down a massive barrage of spin on issues. So far, we’re losing the issues race badly, and we’ll be stuck with a defeat for a generation or more. The democrats pinned us with the Great Depression, and forty years later still owned Congress. This is VERY serious.
If Saltsman gets his way, we’ll stick to this stupidity. Then, ten years from now, no one will remember Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Rangel, Dodd and Frank. The memory will be that the GOP caused the housing crash and the recession. He’ll have had his slimy little marketing moment, and we’ll be saddled with this for a generation.
Incomprehensibly foolish in today’s climate, where the media is still high on the euphoria of creating the Obama presidency, and is itching for other ways to show its continued power and influence.
This episode demonstrates two things very clearly — a complete lack of apprehension about public relations, and a complete lack of understanding just how badly damaged the Republican “brand” is.
So damaged, in fact, that I do not believe it can recover. I predicted back in 2006 the Democrat majority in Congress was permanent … I believe that even more today.
Who cares – it doesn’t matter – blacks will never vote republican, regardless of how much magic is involved. Might as well quote Jesse Jackson verbatim – it truly is immaterial.
Do you think anyone is even paying attention to this story? Some people do have lives, you know.
The song is not racist, as anyone who, unlike Jennifer, actually listened to it would know, but this guy sounds clueless and he’s toast.
This is all about an RNC CANDIDATE. A CANDIDATE. Don’t wet yourselves in panic already, girls, it’ll get much worse than this, I’m sure. This is a nothing story.
The song is not racist, and it’s foolish to start flinging around such terms in the name of making yourself look better to the hypersensitive. Nothing you can say will please them. Having said that, it was also foolish for him to try to deploy Rush’s trademark humor in this way. Rush’s humor works great on his show; it doesn’t work so great when an amateur tries to make a point with it. It’s like asking a political cartoonist to make a point via subtlety, it doesn’t end well for anyone involved.
I think Rush and Paul Shanklin are hilarious. That said, any spokesman for the GOP is going to probably have to avoid any cultural crap as if it were Polonium 210. Besides, we’ve got more than enough on our plate right now defending capitalism and free markets. We need to point out the role of government in this fiscal meltdown (not just Frank and Dodd but also a decade of really cheap money courtesy of Mr. Greedspan to say nothing of massive trade deficits with China followed by them buying T-Bills en masse) and we also should be addressing the youth of our country as to the realities of Social Security, government pensions at all levels and the retirement benefits they are expected to pay for. We need to get our fiscal house in order or we are thoroughly screwed as a civilization. At that point, race relations, gay marriage and abortion just aren’t gonna matter anymore. Food and ammo will be the new currency.
In all seriousness, who gives a fig who the RNC chairman is?
The number of seats in Congress that the GOP will pick up in 2010 will depend on how lousy the economy is and how badly Obama manages to screw up generally. Victory in 2012 will depend on the same two factors, and whether a Republican catches fire with the base without scaring swing voters.
None of that has anything to do with the RNC chair sinecure, as far as I can tell.
AK, stop being sensible and trying to take away from Jennifer and her pals the myriad joys of self-abasement.
I didn’t have to listen to the song: the title is appalling! It’s a two second political IQ test that Saltsman failed. If he wanted to satirize Obama, why didn’t he sing “Barack the magic LIBERAL.” I guess I need to spell it out – the problem with Barack Obama is his politics, not his color.
Yes, MSM is appallingly liberal and biased but the issue here is not biased MSM but clueless RNC candidates. The RNC chairman does matter. Black people, like any other demographic, will vote for the party and candidate that represents them – which can be Republican/Conservatives, but not the likes of Saltsman who is clearly not ready for prime time and probably never will be.
“The RNC chairman does matter.”
That is a HIGHLY questionable assertion. The RNC chair is only good for fundraising and the occasional TV appearance (By occassional, I mean at least once a month, if not every two weeks). Everything else, in terms of party promotion and banging on the Democrats, can be handled by the appropriate surrogates. And with Al Franken in the Senate and Joe Biden as VP, the GOP has quite the target-rich environment even before President Obama has one of his inevitable stumbles.
You know, folks, all the GOP has to do is OPPOSE. By Any Means Necessary. In terms of promoting ideas, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck could do a better job, and be more palatable to the public, than any of these current RNC “candidates” would do.
It sounds like you are gathering lots of different ideas in your blog. This is great stuff.