Right-wingers like to paint liberals as a bunch of humorless, whining ninnies, and the hysterical reaction to the New Yorker‘s cover on Barack Obama proves there is more than a kernel of truth to that. What’s especially striking is the elitism inherent in the outrage: “We’re smart enough to know that this is satire, but most Americans are too dumb to figure it out.”
“Unfortunately the impact of this image will extend far beyond the reading audience of the New Yorker; cable news and the right-wing media noise machine will amplify the derogatory image to millions more,” writes Don Hazen on Alternet. “And the New Yorker of course will reap enormous publicity, clearly translating to increased sales and notoriety for the brand, and for corporate owner Conde Nast–one of the largest and most powerful media companies in America.”
No wonder the polls show John McCain within striking distance of Obama. Who’d want to join this bandwagon?
