Reception
In response to criticisms that the song had racist overtones Limbaugh noted that he was not the first person to apply the magic Negro moniker to Obama, David Ehrenstein was. Limbaugh also argued that Ehrenstein had not been criticized for his op ed because he was a black man and a member of the liberal media establishment, therefore, double standards were being applied to conservative commentary.
Political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson called the song "crass, tasteless, and race tinged, but ... accurate." Camille Paglia of Salon.com called the song "very daring and funny", although she claimed that Limbaugh had overplayed it.
Al Sharpton discussed the song with a New York Times reporter and stated: "Limbaugh puts things in a way that he can’t be blamed for easy bigotry. Some of the songs he does about me just make me laugh. But he’s the most dangerous guy we have to deal with on the right".
Peter Yarrow, who co-wrote the original song "Puff the Magic Dragon" condemned the parody as "shocking and saddening in the extreme," stating that "taking a children's song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism… Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree."
Read more about this topic: Barack The Magic Negro
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