The Message Behind New Yorker's Obama Cover

The recent cover of New Yorker Magazine, a publication noted for a liberal bent and elitist flare, shocked most readers this month with a satarical depiction of Mr. and Mrs. Obama celebrating their victory in the Oval Office of the White House. In the drawing, Barack Obama is wearing a turban and his wife is sporting an Afro and carrying a machine gun. Meanwhile, in the background you see an American flag burning in the fire place and a picture of Osama Bin Laden hanging on the wall.

Both the Obama and McCain campaignd have declared the cover "offensive" and there is an expectation of an apology. It was suppose to be funny, even outrageous, but for some reason it has struck a nerve. New Yorker Editor David Remnick told the Huffington Post that “Obviously I wouldn’t have run a cover just to get attention — I ran the cover because I thought it had something to say. What I think it does is hold up a mirror to the prejudice and dark imaginings about Barack Obama’s — both Obamas’ — past, and their politics, I can’t speak for anyone else’s interpretations, all I can say is that it combines a number of images that have been propagated, not by everyone on the right but by some, about Obama’s supposed ‘lack of patriotism’ or his being ‘soft on terrorism’ or the idiotic notion that somehow Michelle Obama is the second coming of the Weathermen or most violent Black Panthers. That somehow all this is going to come to the Oval Office.”

The same magazine has depicted Bush as a maid serving Dick Cheney (reported by Fox News) and even a "Brokeback Mountain" comparison between the President and Vice President. Bush and Cheney wisely ignored the comparisons because they are laughable. But Obama has been up in arms, almost as though the satire hits a little too close to home. Many are convinced that he is protesting too much for his own good.

Many Americans actually believe Obama is Muslim (12 percent according to Newsweek). Bloomberg was early in reporting Obama's relationship with "William Ayers, a former member of the radical group the Weather Underground who is now a professor of education at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Ayers donated $200 in 2001 to Obama’s Illinois state Senate campaign and served with him from 1999 to 2002 on the board of the Woods Fund, an anti-poverty group."

"The Weather Underground carried out a series of bombings in the early 1970s — including the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon. While Ayers was never prosecuted for those attacks, he told the New York Times in an interview published Sept. 11, 2001, that 'I don’t regret setting bombs.'
Bill Burton, Obama’s spokesman, said Ayers 'does not have a role on the campaign.' Ayers said he had no comment on his relationship with Obama." These are the type of stories that have over shadowed Obama for months and would have likely derailed his campaign if they came out early. I'm sure this will keep Hillary Clinton anxiously waiting in the wings.

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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Time Magazine's Best Lists: Magazine Covers

The lists of "top ten" articles by Time Magazine for 2007 is impressive, to say the least. Most will not find much attention here, but there are several I found worthy of review. One category that is worthy of note was their choice of the best magazine covers.

Their number one choice was Texas Monthly's "Bum Steer" issue in which they make fun of Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident. All I can do is yawn. This is a story that received way too much play and I think Time should be embarrassed that it gave it such high praise. It really wasn't that funny.

However, they recover from their first choice with a cover from the New Yorker of Iranian President Ahmadinejad getting his foot tapped while reading a newspaper while sitting on the toilet (think Senator Larry Craig). This came after a comment he made at Columbia University in which he told the audience that Iraq doesn't have "a problem" with homosexuality (thanks to a death penalty for such activities). Hilarious.

I liked their choice of Steve Jobs of Apple with the title "iGod" from New York magazine. It was clever and funny, two important elements to successful covers.

Another excellent cover was of Stephen Colbert holding a "mini me" of himself on GQ. Colbert is hilarious and the vanity and audacity of the picture only adds to his amazing humor.

The Economist is one of my favorite magazines and its cover on the "End of Cheap Food" demonstrates why it is one of the smartest publications out there. A great choice of Time Magazine.

There are several others that I would have put in my ten and several of theirs that I would have eliminated, but I think the choices of magazine covers is better than other areas they ventured into.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Receive that free ezine by clicking here.

Bill Maher to America: "If Cheney Was Dead, More Americans Would Be Alive"

Bill Maher (photo to the left, possibly frightening himself) has been irresponsible when it comes to his approach to current affairs for years. He even lost his show on ABC called "Politically Incorrect" because of terribly insensitive comments about September 11th (essentially he argued that the terrorists were brave as they stayed in the planes as they hit the buildings, while the US were cowards as they lobbed missiles at their enemies.). Now Maher (on his HBO show Real Time) defends the radically liberal blog, the "Huffington Post," where it was suggested by many readers of that site that we would all be better off if Vice President Dick Cheney were dead (expressing disappointment over the failed assassination attempt against the VP this past week.). His only criticism of Huffington's propaganda tool is that the posts were removed following pressure by more responsible voices of the media.

Bill Maher has a cult following and I wouldn't be surprised of some maniac in this country become "inspired" by his comments and go after Mr. Cheney in a quest to "save lives." Many actually applauded his comments in the audience. There was a time in this nation's history where if individuals made such a comment, it would be interpreted as an actual threat against that elected official. I miss those good old days. Like the person who yells "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater, this goes beyond the boundaries of free speech.

I don't believe HBO should bother to ask for an insincere apology (the only kind Maher is capable of giving). Instead it should demand that Maher leave immediately and simply suggest that he don't let the door hit himself as he leaves the building. People who have HBO should cancel and sign up for one of the many other movie channels that are out there until the network takes just such a stand to that type of behavior. I'm shocked by the collective yawn being demonstrated by most Americans over this behavior. Freedom is a two sided coin, the other side is stamped firmly with responsibility. It is time for us to hold Maher and HBO responsible for its quest for freedom through the abandonment of common decency. Let's hold them responsible. If you agree, contact HBO today.