Victor Navasky, former editor and publisher of The Nation, is Chairman of The Columbia Journalism Review. His latest book is THE ART OF CONTROVERSY: Political Cartoons and Their Enduring Power.
Art critics, art historians, aestheticians, and others too often tend to dismiss cartoons and caricatures as silly — not serious — trivial, and irrelevant. Yet as the following list of cartoons and caricatures that have wreaked havoc throughout history should make clear, cartoons can have a powerful psychological, emotional, and political impact.
Sure, he announced today that he's definitely not running for president, but that still hasn't stopped desperate Republicans from pining for the candidacy of Chris Christie. Should he ultimately change his mind, here's a foolproof campaign strategy that turns one of his weightiest liabilities into a political asset.