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.

Rahm Emanuel...Accidental Genius?

I've enjoyed GQ Magazine for years. I'm not sure why, I rarely buy the clothes (they are too trendy), I never party where they suggest, and I generally hate their political perspectives. This continues to be true and was reinforced recently in the most recent issue in which they crown Rahm Emanuel as the new king maker of the Democratic Party. Who is Emanuel you ask? A former Clinton strategist who is the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The article sings Emanuel's praises and points out several key races where he "made a difference." But giving him credit for Republicans losing the Congress is similar to giving Al Gore credit for creating the Internet. Okay, maybe not that outrageous, but I think you get the point.

Who is responsible for the change in Congress? Several factors. The first is history, incumbents in the White House that make it to two terms virtually always lose seats (many in fact) on the 6th year of their term. Secondly, there is the media, which told us the economy simply wasn't good enough with its less than 5 percent unemployment, ridiculously low inflation, and significant growth in the GDP. Finally, there was the negative affects of the war (thanks again to the media's negative depiction). This was probably the single biggest factor. However, any (and certainly all) of these factors were far more important than Emanuel or his strategies. He is an accidental genius, if a genius at all.

I don't envy Emanuel, because I believe that Americans will likely come to their senses and this "genius" will become just another victim of history. I just hope the Congressman doesn't figure out the formula I describe in the paragraph above, because he will likely be depressed, because those factors had nothing to do with him. It may be unfair to say Democrats won in spite of him, but it would certainly be more accurate.

GQ and other publications with a liberal bent need a "hero" for these elections. They need a person to make the "miracle" of another Democratic victory. Hey, I know its Christmas, but it is easier for me to believe in Santa Claus than Emanuel. Emanuel is just a fad, for which GQ is famous for finding.