Barack and the cartoon

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Barack and the cartoon

Barack Obama was on Larry King's CNN show telling what he thought about the satirical New Yorker cover cartoon that pictured him as an Osama-loving Muslim in the White House:

Well, I know it was the New Yorker's attempt at satire. I don't think they were entirely successful with it. But you know what, it's a cartoon, Larry, and that's why we've got the First Amendment. And I think the American people are probably spending a little more time worrying about what's happening with the banking system and the housing market, and what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, than a cartoon. So I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about it.

Obama was his usual calm and rational self and even went out on a limb to suggest that being called a Muslim in America should not be considered perjorative.

You know, there are wonderful Muslim Americans all across the country who are doing wonderful things. And for this to be used as sort of an insult or to raise suspicions about me I think is unfortunate. And it's not what America is all about.

Of course, the jingoistic people who are fearful of all Muslims and spread paranoid fables about Obama are exactly the folks the New Yorker cartoon meant to satirize. Obama thinks the joke not only failed, but made life a little tougher for him. Nevertheless, the cartoon brought the issue to the fore and got the candidate time on CNN to reiterate that he is a Christian, that he was not raised in a Muslim home and that he pledges allegiance to the stars and stripes. In the end, the artist may have achieved his goal: Put the slanders of Obama squarely in front of Americans and let them be discussed in the open, not in the dark corners of cyberspace.

Posted by at July 16, 2008 3:25 p.m.

Comments

#151831

Posted by Boondox at 7/16/08 4:16 p.m.

Of all the lame excuses, the lamest is "I was trying to bring the issue to the fore and that is a good thing."

If Horsey had any brass he'd quit cowering behind the "slanderers of Obama must be exposed" sanctimony and just tell folks - if you don't understand or can't take a joke, fork off.

I guess Horsey just can't stand the thought that somewhere in Obamaland there is a fellow worshiper wid his widdle senswabilities hurd.

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#151877

Posted by Skimission at 7/16/08 6:11 p.m.

barakorbarack.wordpress.com/category/unc
ategorized/

Barack or Barak???

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#151897

Posted by johnnybourgeois at 7/16/08 7:59 p.m.

Here's what I sent to MSNBC's Countdown:
Concerning Olbermann's diatribe against the "New Yorker" cover of Barrack and Michelle, I think that many people want to believe the depiction. Here's a cartoon from Horsey of the Seattle P.I. that depicts what such a caricature of McCain & wife might look like in the same context. I think it would be taken as an outrage from many of the McCain supporters who would welcome the Obama caricature. I think it's funnier than hell.

John Sheirbon

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#152782

Posted by kyber's Dad at 7/18/08 11:30 p.m.

The defintion of satire is "use of ridicule, irony, etc..to attack vice or folly." By that defintion the New Yorker's cover would be an attack on Obama's "vice or folly" that being he is really a Muslim, his wife is a radical, etc.. but obviously it was supposed to be an attack on his lunatic right-wing attackers. Thus it's not logically satire -- a reason why so many people (myself included)found it distasteful!

Now, Horsey's caricature of the McCain's is an accurate depiction of satire!

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#153747

Posted by unregistered user at 7/22/08 10:12 a.m.

What Hypocrites you are!!!!! You have this web page: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/horsey/ with all the Bush and Cheney cartoons and you dare to say that the New Yorker cartoon about Obama is improper.
You people should be ashamed of yourselves!
You are brainwashed by the Media and can no longer think for yourselves!

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David Horsey: Political cartoonist