The New Yorker, being a liberal publication, printed the cover assuming that people would see it as a depiction of the distortions regarding Obama that exist. I think astute readers will recognize it as such. Sadly, with all the untruths and fear mongering going on in the country, there is another element of reader who will see the cover as being true, not a satire. For this reason, I think it was at the very least, inappropriate of the New Yorker to print it, for in effect, they're promoting a stereotype.