“Puff” Songwriter: “Magic Negro” Parody “Offensive”

Peter Yarrow, who co-wrote "Puff the Magic Dragon," parodied under the Free Use Act as "Barack the Magic Negro" called Republican Party apparatchik Chip Saltsman’s decision to distribute the tune:

offensive…shocking and saddening in the extreme.

Saltsman, former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, managed Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign. Now running for head of the Republican National Committee, Saltsman included the parody on a CD, We Hate the USA,  which was his Christmas gift to RNC members. Super-classy. 

Songs on the CD, which is receiving mixed reviews from other RNC chair candidates include “John Edwards’ Poverty Tour,” “Wright Place, Wrong Pastor,” “Love Client #9,” “Ivory and Ebony” and “The Star Spanglish Banner.” Copies have yet to appear on eBay.

Yarrow wrote in a statement sent to CNN:

It is almost unimaginable to me [that Saltsman] would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree.

Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis certainly agrees:

In my opinion, this isn’t funny and it’s in bad taste. Just as important, anything that paints the GOP as being motivated in our criticism of President-elect Obama by anything other than a difference in philosophy does a disservice to our party. 

Yarrow–a member of the 1960s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary–contributed to Obama’s presidential campaign. A fixture of the civil rights and anti-war movements, Peter, Paul and Mary stood with Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma and performed their version of Pete Seger’s "If I Had a Hammer" during the Civil Rights March on Washington, where King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

In the liner notes for their 2004 Carry It On boxed set, Coretta Scott King wrote of the trio:

Peter, Paul and Mary are not only three of the greatest folk artists ever, but also three of the performing arts’ most outstanding champions of social justice and peace. They have lent their time and talents to the Civil Rights Movement, labor struggles, and countless campaigns for human rights for decades, and their compassion and commitment remain as strong as their extraordinary artistry.