If this election hadn't already caused me to change my party registration, today's news would. Across the country today, we are waking up to find out that someone seeking leadership of the Republic Party sent as Christmas gifts a CD containing a "parody" challenging whether the President-elect is sufficiently black. While I've always been a proponent of free speech, I am also a proponent of judgment.
Since the election, many have expressed concern that Senator Obama could not possibly live up to the expectations of the elecorate. I have repeatedly responded that he could live up to the promise of civility and that this alone would be enough. In his book "The Audacity of Hope," the President-Elect repeatedly talks about the loss of our ability to have vigorous political debate and remain civil at the same time. As someone who has worked in the government policy arena, this resonated deeply with me. And, his announced nominees for leadership roles shows he intends to follow through with this promise.
In fairness, it is not all Republicans who think that this song is funny or appropriate. Others have already made public rebukes. But, at a time when the mere fact of Senator Obama's leading candidacy began the healing of old wounds and showed that equal opportunity has meaning, those like Chip Saltsman (who sent it) and Rush Limbaugh (who reportedly played it on the air last year) seem bent on keeping division alive. They should be ashamed.