For GOP, Is 'Bad PR' an Unpardonable Sin?

From L.B.J.'s picking up a beagle by his ears, to John McCain's joking that we should get Iran hooked on cigarettes, politically incorrect gaffes have long been with us.

Of course, race is the ultimate taboo, and as such, much has been made of Chip Saltsman's controversial Christmas gift, which included the parody song, "Barack the Magic Negro." Saltsman, of course, is running to become chairman of the RNC, and his gift -- which was sent to RNC Members -- has sparked controversy among a struggling party, desperately attempting to remake its brand.

Sadly, the fact that the parody song was derived from an LA Times op-ed, written by David Ehrenstein -- a column which essentially argues that Obama's role in life is merely to assuage "white guilt" -- is not widely understood or appreciated.

Ironically, Rush Limbaugh (who made the term "famous", via his radio show) predicted the origins of the song would be forgotten, and that he would be accused of racism for merely quoting the Times story. Instead, it is Saltsman whose career has been harmed by it. Regardless, the point here is that the insulting slur: "Magic Negro" was first applied to Barack Obama by a liberal -- not a Republican.

One could argue that a large part of the job of being RNC chairman -- especially at this particular point in time -- is, in fact, public relations. If that's true, then isn't it fair to criticize someone for making a public relations error?

On the other hand, freedom of speech is worth defending, and caving-in to political correctness is always a slippery slope. Often, these witch hunts become ridiculous examples of "thought-police" in action, as was the case when an aide to DC Mayor Anthony Williams was dismissed for using the word "niggardly" - a term which has absolutely no relation to race.

RNC Chair candidate Ken Blackwell (whom I am supporting) defended Saltsman, explaining that "hypersensitivity" was to blame for the uproar. Blackwell is probably correct that political correctness has run amok, but that does not answer the question as to whether or not it is wise to elect a chairman who either does not understand -- or does not care -- about current societal mores.

While, for good reason, race is the ultimate taboo, we have had other recent examples of conservatives confronting political correctness.

Mitt Romney's presidential ambitions were seriously hurt when it was revealed that he used to strap his dog (in a carrier) to the roof of his car. Romney swears the dog liked it - and he probably did - but that didn't stop animal rights activists and millions of dog-lovers from gasping. The incident happened years ago, so it's not really fair to judge Romney by today's more sensitive standards. But the fact that he thought it would be a good idea to mention it might be more telling.

More recently, Sarah Palin gave an interview while a Thanksgiving Turkey was slaughtered behind her. An Alaskan native who is used to seeing how food ends up on our tables, Palin thought the optics were fine. But the New York media -- and millions of Americans who think their food comes from Safeway -- found it barbaric. Palin, apparently, either didn't understand why this would look bad - or didn't care (or maybe she just didn't expect the unedited version, which didn't air on local TV, to be leaked onto YouTube).

But Republicans who care about public relations also might want to think twice about electing someone who is either 1) out-of-touch with general societal mores, 2) lacks the ability to self-censor or self-edit, or 3) simply doesn't care what people think.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but this is a debate worth having. My guess is that while most Republicans will probably forgive Saltsman for his politically incorrect gift, they may be less inclined to forgive him for another sin; being bad at public relations.