O’Reilly and Ingraham… “What if the media would have used Black Sheep or Dark Horse… back in the day when Obama was an outsider” Gutfeld… “What if the media would have said Ass or Donkey in the Whitehouse?
DailyMail: Time Magazine has landed in hot water once again Thursday after unveiling its latest cover featuring the recently re-elected New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with the title ‘The Elephant in the Room.’
The pun referring to Christie’s upcoming battle to win over the Republican Party ahead of the 2016 election has been widely slammed in the context of fat-shaming.
Twitter users both on the left and right wasted no time condemning the magazine for taking a cheap shot at the heavyset politician.
The cover of the latest issue, which goes on sale Friday, depicts Christie’s shadowy silhouette with a prominent double chin against a stark white background. It was reportedly based on a photo taken in Middletown October 14, Asbury Park Press reported.
‘The Elephant in the Room’ was chosen as an umbrella title for a trio of articles about Christie, including a piece on the governor’s strategy for seeking the GOP presidential nomination; an excerpt from Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s new book Double Down about Christie’s vetting for Mitt Romney’s ticket, and a column written by TV personality Joe Scarborough on how Christie can unite Republicans.
Backlash: Liberals and conservatives alike took to Twitter, accusing Time of engaging in fat-shaming
Creative revenge: User Ben Howe created his own version of the Time cover, this one featuring President Obama with the title ‘The Jackass in the Room’
Public censure: Twitter lit up with posts condemning Time as a bully for its use of the pun
Many liberals, conservatives and members of the media erupted in rage over the visual and verbal gag apparently poking fun at Christie’s weight problem.
Karen Tumulty, who used to work for Time before switching over to Washington Post, tweeted: ‘Love my old employer, but this cover is lazy, stupid…’
Fox News presenter Greta Van Susteren joined the chorus of censure, writing on her Twitter page: ‘Elephant, really? you know there was chuckling in the newsroom.’
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New York Times reporter Steven Greenhouse also chimed in: ‘Whether or not one likes Christie, these cheap shots – like Time’s new cover – about his weight are decidedly uncool.’
In response, Time Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs released a statement saying in part: ‘Why is (Christie) on our cover for the second time this year? Partly because, as he prepares to take over the Republican Governors Association, he clearly emerges as the party’s leader.
Pattern: In January, Christie graced the cover of Time Magazine with the title ‘The Boss’ (pictured). The governor was not happy with the unflattering photo chosen for the issue
This past January, Christie graced the cover of Time Magazine with the title ‘The Boss,’ which was a play on his position as a governor and his well-known admiration for rock-n-roll star Bruce Springsteen, who goes by the moniker ‘the boss.’
At the time, the governor was not pleased with the unflattering photo chosen for the cover, which made him look like the fictional crime boss Tony Soprano.
The outspoken 51-year-old governor of New Jersey, who scored a landslide victory in Tuesday’s election over his Democratic opponent, has long had to answer questions about his health.
Larger than life: Time Magazine writers insisted that the controversial title was more about Christie’s position as a major political figure within the GOP as it gears up for the 2016 election than with his physical size
This year, the overweight governor underwent lap band surgery and boasted in a CNN interview this week that he was on his way to achieving his goal weight.
Rachana Kulkami, Christie’s doctor, released a letter last month stating that the governor ‘has no medical limitations and is fit to serve as governor.’
It remains unknown exactly how much the governor weighs, although it has been estimated that prior to his gastric operation, Christie likely tipped the scales at over 300lbs.
Michael Crowley, deputy Washington bureau chief of Time Magazine, told CNN the provocative headline speaks to the heart of the matter: Christie is a ‘huge’ political player in the GOP, and that the 2016 race will revolve around him, making him the elephant in the room, figuratively speaking.
Battle of the bulge: The heavyset governor has undergone lap band surgery to help him shed the pounds
Big winner: Christie, pictured during his victory speech Tuesday night, was reelected in a landslide
Time writer Michael Scherer sounded a similar note, saying that the headline was more about Christie being a larger-than-life figure than his heft.
‘It’s not just about his physical size; it’s about his whole political act,’ he told CBS New York.
Time Magazine has a long history of courting controversy with its cover choices. In 1938, the publication caused an uproar by naming Adolf Hitler as man of the year.
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