In the July 21 issue of The New Yorker, a cover illustration of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama and his wife satirizes some of the rumors that have swirled about the candidate.
Editors at the New Yorker said the cover was meant to mock the lies that have circulated about Obama, but both the Obama and the McCain campaigns condemned the depiction as tasteless and inappropriate, according to NewsHour’s report “New Yorker Cover Satirizing Obama Raises Controversy”, where writers Michael Eric Dyson and Eric Bates weigh in.
You can watch Charlie Rose’s interview with Remnick on his web site on July 17.
See below: Rose interviewing Remnick 10 years ago, from when he was a new editor of The New Yorker, talking about his career in journalism, his hopes for the direction of the magazine and some major stories he wants to cover. (originally aired: 9/16/1998)
(See more from Charlie Rose with David Remnick here)
Seems D. Remnik failed to test his cover for smiles or guffaws among the Liberals and Libertarians.
If it were funny.perhaps I’d send it along to a few friends. But it’s strained,ambivalent and below New Yorker ’s Wit and Wisdom. Back in March, there was a cover of Hillary and Obama in bed together! Imagine that implied “politicians make strange bedfellows”(Yuk yuk).
I don’t think the political arena has anything more than b.s.So,I’ll rate this cover under discussion, a low view of graffiti.
Dick Joseph
Clarinet5@verizon.net
PS: Better yet,the cartoon cover of Obama and wife might have had a subtitle: Approved by Dick Cheney. Then it takes on dimension.
D. Joseph