Do you think Time magazine exercised bad taste by this cover? Would you say this

1. 66

   tsadjatkoposted 10 years ago

   Do you think Time magazine exercised bad taste by this cover? Would you say this is a low blow?
   
   After all the Republican party symbol is the elephant. However ask yourself this, would Time put a picture of a prominent Democrat, say Obama on the cover with the title "The Jackass in the room"? (re: the Democrat Donkey) hmmmmmmmmmm
   For the benefit of low information voters (if you looked at the pic and thought "who is that," I mean YOU) this is a profile of Republican Chris Christy who just won re-election as Governor of NJ.
   
   

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2. 83

   Genna Eastposted 10 years ago

   I don't think it was in bad taste when you examine the context.  "The elephant in the room" is an expresson that directly relates to the subject at hand -- not the person -- and the elephant as the symbol of the GOP as the pun.

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   1. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      At first I tended to agree but when I thought about it how does Christy represent an obvious truth that is being ignored or going unaddressed which is what the idiom means? Do you think if Christy wasn't obese Time would have chosen this cover? Why?

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      tbHistorianposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      so - why not use an elephant as the shadow?
      because the bigots are supporting the socialists?
      or maybe to bully the individual depicted?

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3. 78

   junksellerposted 10 years ago

   You would think that someone chastising "low-information" voters could spell the person's name right. It's Christie, in case you are wondering.
   
   At any rate, the elephant in the room (the obvious truth), isn't Christie's weight, of course, It is the fact that Christie, willing to compromise and shrug off purity for the sake of moving forward, and generally not well-loved by the GOP, especially the far right and Tea Party, won his election in a blue state easily (by 22 points), while, down the road Ken Cuccinelli, a fairly pure conservative, and generally well-liked by them, lost his election in a red (or purple) state.
   
   The elephant in the room is the 2012 election in which the best the GOP could put forward got smoked by a weak incumbent. And the real elephant in the room regarding Christie is that, if he is in fact the best hope for the GOP in 2016, exit polls showed him losing to Hillary Clinton 48-44. These are his home state people. These are the same people that gave him a huge 22 point victory. Even they won't vote for him for President.
   
   If the GOP continues to only court the white, male, Christian, wealthy, older demographic, they will dwindle along with it. I think that is the point. To me it is a good riddance, but for those who actually care about the GOP, they should be concerned about becoming irrelevant.

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   1. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Chastising? I didn't mean to chastise you. Well, junkseller if low information voters could be cured by fixing a typo America would be much better off.  So you think if Christie wasn't obese Time would have featured the 2016 election as the elephant?

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      IDONOposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Speaking of low information voters, do you realize around a year ago, Christie had stomach procedures done to correct his weight issue? Who's uninformed here?

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   3. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Are you saying he is not fat? You haven't seen a pic of him lately have you. He has lost about 60 lbs,  still has a long way to go but you'd know that being informed right?. http://media.northjersey.com/images/Chr … _Comp1.jpg

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   4. 78

      junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If it were someone else would they use the same headline? Probably. Is someone at Time secretly laughing about the additional humor of it? Probably. But it definitely wasn't the first thing I thought. The real intent to me is clear.

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   5. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Ahh someone who wishes the GOP disappears is advising them to not become irrelevant. Makes sense. Some would say for Cucinelli to come so close when seriously outspent in a state that went for Obama in last two elections doesn't bode well for 2014.

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   6. 78

      junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Actually I think it is tremendously important to have a diversity of views. I want there to be a GOP, but a useful one. Its current manifestation, however, is a tumor that needs to be excised.

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   7. 59

      Josakposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Just want to agree with Junkseller, a moderate, sane GOP like Christie represents is absolutely important for America, having no viable opposition harms things long term. Unfortunately the current GOP isn't that.

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   8. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      JunkS - well that is manic - one minute "To me it is a good riddance" th next you care.  Sad sak - I'm so glad you'll vote for Christie a conservative - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHI_p02R1_o - or is he a liar? You want another liar in office?

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   9. 72

      The Frog Princeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      In 2012 people like you junkman (you know people with their paws out) didn't want to lose those freebies Obama was laying on them.  Get your facts straight for once son.  PERIOD!

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   10. 78

       junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       tsadjatko, I have made a clear distinction. If you don't understand it, than there's nothing I can do about that.
       
       Toadstool, name a fact I got wrong. I dare you.  The day you can back up your mouthhole is the day I'll pay attention to you.

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   11. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well Junksmeller, you got me there, I have a very hard time understanding anything you say and I'll share a secret with you..the reason isn't because you make sense.

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       junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I don't see anyone else having difficulties.

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   13. 59

       Josakposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       OK frog Prince, the facts, liberals are 7% wealthier on average (not to mention much better educated) so we are the ones paying for the benefits disproportionately not taking them.

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   14. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       So Sadsak, the evidence is you are not a liberal? I doubt you are in the wealthy group and demonstrably not well educated.

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   15. 59

       Josakposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       He believe what you like about me I could not care less, that conservatives are poorer and less educated however is a simple fact.

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   16. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Define well educated,you will find the word you are looking for is well indoctrinated. http://www.policymic.com/articles/62041 … g-liberals Trulywell educated people don't glom untostats because it's convenient

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   17. 78

       junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Actually those words are almost opposites. The foundation of higher education is critical thinking (the opposite of non-critical indoctrination). For example, ideology does not necessarily predict donations. A critical thinker would recognize that.

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   18. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       No kidding they're opposites - as usual you miss the point .What sadsak considers "well educated" are unquestionably the product of liberal indoctrination http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar … Mar28.html Amoron would recognize that.

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   19. 78

       junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       There's no point being missed. You are simply being told that you are wrong. Universities are places of critical thinking, not indoctrination. If you'd ever been to one, you might know that.

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   20. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well, well junksmeller who never went to college but did get "tattoos of stripes down his back to honor chipmunks and studied under an anarchist to be a mountain man" mysteriously knows who has graduated from a university and who hasn't enough said.

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   21. 78

       junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       When you insult people every time you open your mouth, I think you will find that few people will believe you've gone past highschool (if even that).

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   22. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Now who is throwing insults? Does that mean you don't even have a ged? Brilliant logic. Btw if you read my hubs you'd know I have a BA in Biology and a BS in education. I do wonder if you can read because you often miss the points of what is written.

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   23. 78

       junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       An insult is a personal attack having nothing to do with what is in evidence. Commenting on your behavior (constant insults) is an assessment, not an insult. You saying I miss points is an insult, because you haven't established a point missed.

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   24. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Awe, that's a new one - play the insult card...he insulted me so I'm going to insult him back and pretend I'm not insulting him, na na na boo boo. Got news for you buddy what I say to you are accurate assessments of you and I'm not alone in them..

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4. 52

   tbHistorianposted 10 years ago

   
   
   typical bad taste - check
   political radical bullying - check
   personal insult - check
   What about obamy-snare - nada

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   1. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Although I personally think it was clever and have no problem with it you can't deny that if any magazine did the same to a democrat figure the REAL PC POLICE, the Democraps would be all over it in spades Maybe Obama & "The Donkey in the Whitehou

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5. 59

   Josakposted 10 years ago

   Oh look it's the conservative PC police did calling someone fat hurt your feelings? I am sure you are just big boned
   
   Oh and before you start insulting people for being "low information voters" you should probably check you know how to spell the name of the subject, that is what we might call the mark of a low education voter.
   
   I thought overall the article was supportive of Christie.

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   1. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Oh Look! It's the sad sak who puts words into peoples' mouths. I asked a question to see what others thought.. I actually thought the cover was clever. He has seen worse and if anyone can take it and dish it out he can!Term "lowinfovoter offend you?

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      The Frog Princeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Oh look!  It's the supposed genius world traveler who knows a lot about nothing.  Speaking of "low education."  how are you doing Josak.  I keep reminding you to stay out of American politics.  You know nothing about it either.

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   3. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Frog, sadsak is so well educated the best he can do is pick on a typo to bolster his ego. But it is good he participates because today he learned though he hates conservatives he just put his stamp of approval on one A display of Powerful discernment

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   Jason Matthewsposted 10 years ago

   I tend to have a more conservative point of view, and personally, I don't see anything wrong with this cover. Mr. Christie just won reelection so being on the cover of Time is sort of a congratulatory event, in my opinion. "The elephant in the room" is a saying used in many different contexts and here it has two meanings. First, there is the statement that Governor Christie is a rising political star who may be under-estimated or have less of a profile than other key politicians. Second, this statement is funny since the elephant is the symbol of the GOP and Mr. Christie is a Republican. This could be interpreted as negative or offensive since Mr. Christie is very large in weight, but I do not believe that is the aim of Time.
   
   All that said, I believe that if a conservative news magazine presented a liberal leader in any way that might be interpreted as negative, then liberals would probably claim the image/statement to be offensive, distasteful, and maybe even racist or sexist. They would use this opportunity to criticize conservative groups and media.   
   
   Ultimately, there are many different ways that images and statements can be interpreted. Personally, I believe that if you are going to hold a public office, you need to have thick skin and know that people may try to characterize you, mock, and make fun of you. This goes with the territory (although this doesn't mean I think it's right to mock others).

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7. 63

   mintinfoposted 10 years ago

   Whoever thought of it should be fired. The sub-titles explain that they are referring to the Republican party's internal struggles but it is in bad taste to use an overweight person to give weight to a term that emphasizes a point of view.

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      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The trouble with that is the managing editor had to have approved it so how can she fire the person who thought it up - I do think it was clever but putting it on his silhouette which definitely emphasizes his obesity was a little much.

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