I'm always amazed at what takes off in the world of politics and protest. This poster has been popping up all over the net and all over Los Angeles. You can even buy one online if you wish.
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The left seems to want to analyze it as "racist" because they think it reminds them of "black face." That is absurd to me. It's clearly the Joker, and even Bush was portrayed as the Joker in Vanity Fair. It has nothing to do with race. The Joker is one of the greatest movie villains of all time. He was a demented clown prince who had his own demonic vision of the world. That is the message here, and that that was the message in Vanity Fair.
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The reason this particular picture is catching on is that it is just creepy enough. It's not horrific, but it makes us uncomfortable. Socialism should make us uncomfortable. It is creepy. I don't like things that are disrespectful to our President, no matter which President it is. But I also think there should be a easy clear visual way to send a message to Americans that these policies are in line with socialism. I used to think it was wrong to use the word socialism in association with Obama. But now that it's clear that he intends to govern in a socialistic fashion, then there is nothing wrong with pointing that out, and if this poster can relay that message easily, then more power to it.
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We are a free country. We can make fun of our leaders. That's democracy. Bush understood this and handled his critics with grace and dignity. We shall see if Obama can do the same.
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