Paul Shanklin

Who is Paul Shanklin?

Paul Shanklin is an American conservative political satirist, impressionist, comedian, and conservative speaker. Shanklin writes and voices the characters for, the songs and satirical comedy segments used by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Shanklin first came to media attention after doing his vocal impersonation of then-President of the United States Bill Clinton for Memphis radio show host "The Big Kahuna", Bill Young. Shanklin was brought to the attention of Limbaugh by announcer Johnny Donovan, and was first featured on Limbaugh's show in May 1993.

One of Shanklin's most controversial works was his 2007 parody "Barack the Magic Negro", in which he impersonates Al Sharpton lamenting that white voters will perceive Barack Obama as a "magic negro" and therefore favor Obama for president over him. This was based on a column titled "Obama The Magic Negro" by black columnist David Ehrenstein in the Los Angeles Times. The inclusion of this song on a CD by Republican National Committee chairman candidate Chip Saltsman in 2008 caused consternation among some, that resulted in him withdrawing his candidacy.

Shanklin has released a total of 12 albums of political parody songs and skits. Shanklin has performed over 1500 parody songs and skits incorporating over 80 voice impressions.