New Yorker Cover Angers Obama Campaign

Posted on July 13, 2008

Barack Obama is not happy with the new cover of The New Yorker. The cover shows Obama in some kind of African garb. He's doing the fist bump with his wife Michelle, who's portrayed with an afro and an AK-47. The American flag is burning in the fireplace and Osama bin Laden's portrait is on the wall. The New Yorker says it's a satirical portrayal of the misinformation about Obama and his wife.

The Obama campaign quickly condemned the rendering. Spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement: "The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds quickly e-mailed: "We completely agree with the Obama campaign, it's tasteless and offensive."

Howard Kurtz said: "I talked to the editor of The New Yorker, David Remnick, who tells me this is a satire, that they are making fun of all the rumors." The New Yorker's audience will certainly get that the cover is satire over the wild rumors, even if they think the cover is in poor taste. But will the rest of America see it that way? I'm thinking... not. And kudos to the McCain campaign for being on the ball and condemning the cover immediately. Now if they could just put some duct tape over Phil Gramm's mouth....