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I’ve been honored to do two Time Magazine covers, one of Barack Obama in 2008 and one of an Occupy Wall Street protester in 2011. Both of these covers reflected my values and belief in the subjects at those times. However the new Mitch McConnell Time cover is not a cover I would ever do. While I appreciate Time’s irony. I don’t agree with the politics of the Republican party, or Mitch McConnell’s voting record. It’s always flattering to be referenced, even in a sarcastic way, but I take the future of our democracy, our country, and the well being of its citizens very seriously. CHANGE is right, but it is in the wrong direction. With the mid-term elections the country took a step backward. I don’t think the Republican platform of tax breaks for the rich, voter suppression, never ending war and fear-mongering, corporate welfare, sexism, and lack of empathy for the struggles of the shrinking middle class really align with the values of most Americans. In my opinion, many Americans voted against their own interests, or did not vote at all in the mid-terms. The result is that the situation for the average American will now be worse and policies that favor corporate interests and Wall Street will be the norm. The hopes for campaign finance reform, one of the only remedies to corporate and political collusion and corruption, will be more dim. Please read this article to understand the potential consequences of Mitch McConnell as majority leader.
I use my art to promote justice and the Republican agenda is the opposite of my vision of justice. Please educate yourself about the issues and the deeper dynamics behind them. I have my own issues with Obama, but the Republicans created many of the problems for the nation that they blame Obama for, and a largely uninformed populace, susceptible to misinformation, believed them. We all need to know what we are really voting for. Thanks for caring.
-Shepard
