Holy Shit: The latest cover of The New Yorker

[kpete]

"Bad Reception,” by Barry Blitt.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine

[malthaussen]

1. I don't think they'd be so astonished.

Aristotle pointed out a few years ago that the bad thing about democracy was that the people were vulnerable to demagogues.

-- Mal

[iandhr]

2. I prefer Churchill

"The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with an average voter."

[sammythecat]

6. Ha! Boy, ain't that the truth,

and that goes perfectly with what Aristotle said in Malthaussen's comment.

[valerief]

13. Of course, the oligarchs control the govt, media, and education to ensure the average voter

is a moron.

[daleanime]

23. +1

[scottie55]

28. +1 +1

[Eleanors38]

29. I go with that.

[Angry Dragon]

39. So true

[hifiguy]

45. Yep, but given the sweep of American history,

even with truthful and objective media ala the BBC, we'd still not be faced with anything like a crisis-level moron shortage. The fundy churches can more than keep up with "demand" in that department. Herp derp, herpity derp DERP.

[valerief]

47. Religion is part of the oligarchy. When people are convinced to believe in magic,

they can be convinced of anything--like there's no man-made climate change and it's important to fight the oligarchs' wars.

[hifiguy]

50. Indeed it is. A vital part.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

[valerief]

51. Smart guy, that Voltaire. nt

[bjobotts]

24. Nothings perfect.5 min conversation with tortured man?

or person living under dictatorship or communism or fascism. Democracy rules.

[iandhr]

26. He also said democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others.

[AlbertCat]

42. He also said democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others.

As the saying goes:

TWO CHEERS FOR DEMOCRACY!

[mountain grammy]

31. Now that's one I'll save.

[whathehell]

40. Terribly elitist..

But Churchill was a Tory.

[iandhr]

41. If Clement Attlee is more your style there is always

'Democracy means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking'

[roamer65]

48. Yep. It's the reason we are a republic, not a democracy. N/t

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

56. Here's H L Mencken

When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental — men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack or be lost... All the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre — the man who can most adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum. The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

He was thinking specifically of Warren Harding when he wrote that, and one could certainly apply it to the younger Bush, but it also fits some of the current crop of Republican candidates.

[aidbo]

58. Didn't he also say Democracy is the worst form of government..

..except for all the other forms.

[iandhr]

59. You are quite right

[Octafish]

4. Plato pointed out the conundrum.

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -- Plato

Wonder if he'd side with the 1-percent. I believe that Socrates guy would be with the Democrats.

[navarth]

21. We should probably also remember the true Father of our Country

P. T. Barnum.

[a kennedy]

3. I know, he's just not a gentleman, a statesman OR a politician......and that's what his supporters

love about him. We'd be the laughing stock of the WORLD if he were to get elected. I cry for my country.

[navarth]

22. laughing stock already happened...think back 16 years...

[AlbertCat]

43. I cry for my country.

These bozos that vote and benefit nothing from the mess, have learned NOTHING from the PR president 101, Reagan, and the PR President 201, Bush Jr.

The GOP is still putting up TV spokes-persons for president, while somebody unelected does the real work. Look at this year's clown car. Look at the last one..... and the one before that....

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. Ted Cruz is much worse.

[dmr]

9. He's one scary dude. Really frightening.

Intelligent and diabolical. Distrust abounds.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. But he's much more dangerous than Trump because he believes in the nonsense he spews...

...and least we know that Trump is lying about being socially conservative. He really is pro-choice and pro-gay rights. If I had to pick ANY Republican, it would be him. The rest are diabolical.

What makes Cruz even scarier is that people continue to call him "smart" and "serious".

The man is pure evil. He is a demagogue, and I think we do ourselves a disservice looking to him as a lesser evil.

We need to continue to root for Donald Trump every step of the way, in my view.

[ecstatic]

14. I agree, although Cruz would be easier to beat

There's no way Cruz would win a GE (without vote tampering and mass disenfranchisement, of course). Trump, on the other hand, will be very hard to beat, regardless of who our nominee is. I think O'Malley would have the best chance against him.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

20. I disagree wholeheartedly. I think Cruz is much harder to beat. Again, the MSM meme is that

Cruz is a "Harvard" graduate who is smart, articulate and thoughtful. The bar is set so low for these ReThugs. I actually think Cruz is harder, not easier to beat.

If it came down to it where Bernie is unelectable, Hillary is too weak of a candidate, and we're stuck with ANY Republican, I'd much rather have Trump. There are forces in Congress to stop his crazy agenda. What's more, at the very least, Trump is socially liberal. He has always been. Only now is he lying about being pro-choice/pro-gay rights.

[dmr]

15. Absolutely agree. He frightens me more than any other.

And you know, he'll be back to run again in 2020, 2024, etc. He's that determined and self-righteous.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

35. The guy claims to be 43 years old. I know he looks more like 58, but he's young enough to win...

two terms!

No way! He must be stopped!

[hifiguy]

52. He's hundreds of years old.

Some sort of ancient and wholly evil homunculus. I think his genuine death would have to involve stakes and garlic at a crossroad. Possibly even an accomplished wizard or two.

Been reading a lot of Pratchett lately.

[hifiguy]

34. Ultimately Cruz is far more dangerous

I think that loon thinks he's the second coming of jeebus. Il Douche is just a lowest-common denominator blowhard. I doubt very much he'd torch the planet in order to hurry the Rupture along. He'd be hands off and lazy, like the Zombie King was for eight years.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. That effing FDR, he always hogs the remote! nt

[jtuck004]

8. How many people do you think would vote for that person read an $8 magazine?

I wonder what the ones who do will read when he wins?

[virgogal]

12. I'm confused. What type reads an $8.00 magazine? The 1%?

[greymattermom]

16. Actually, subscriptions are cheap

This is work by a relative of my husband, and a Canadian by birth, Barry Blitt. He did the famous Obama fist punch New Yorker cover.

[KittyWampus]

18. I think you mean Obama fist -bump-

[virgogal]

19. He is a great talent------and a Canadian by birth----like my Mom :-)

[elias49]

38. Subscriptions ARE quite cheap.

About a third the cover price.

[Fumesucker]

44. That was a great cover, the fist bump one

I nearly hurt myself laughing the first time I saw it..

Kudos to your husband's relative..

[LiberalElite]

30. The New Yorker tends to be

liberal so even if it were free Trump's fans prob.
wouldn't read it.

[Doctor_J]

11. any of the republican candidates that WOULDN'T have those guys rolling in their graves?

[Person 2713]

25. Good question

[tabasco]

17. Excellent political art.

Well done.

[Beacool]

27. Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

[mountain grammy]

32. Personally, I think any of the GOP candidates could be on that screen..

any and all of them. Disgusting how low we've gone.

[Highway61]

33. Seriously

They have dumbed down America to the point that this clown speaks bat crazy shit directly to the chowder-heads who have the intellectual capacity of a gnat. They sit there in front of their TV and get all charged up over his bumbling of the issues and blatant use of the race card over and over again.
WTF have we come to? Scary. Downright scary.

[3catwoman3]

36. A spot on cover...

...worth the proverbial 1000 words.

[Liberal_in_LA]

37. k&r

[certainot]

46. that's what happens when a country lets 1200 think tank-coordinated radio stations

yell over democracy

[NBachers]

49. Lookit Teddy- he's ready to deliver a severe thrashing.

[SMC22307]

55. The thought of Teddy severely thrashing Trump is *quite* satisfying.

The look on Abe's face made me sad. FDR's cig flying out of his mouth is a nice touch...

[SoapBox]

53. I say they would be astonished.

Rump has no civility, no professionalism, no authenticity and no experience.

He has money and that's it.

[liberalfromaustin21]

54. Excellent!

The founding fathers of this country would be spinning in their graves if they learned what fools serve as politicians these days in America. Trump is a perfect example of such a fool...

[monicaangela]

57. I wonder where

I wonder where the policies that have led to something like this came from.