The New York Post cartoonist who made headlines for his infamous depiction of the author of the stimulus (presumably President Obama) as a crazed ape is stirring up controversy again with a work that makes fun of New York Gov. David Paterson's blindness.
This past Thursday, Sean Delonas drew a cartoon that showed Paterson's seeing-eye dog entering his office with a letter of resignation -- signed with a paw print. In the background Paterson is seen crying and saying, "Not You Too!!!"
It's a provocative swipe -- designed, of course, as a commentary on all the allies ditching the governor as he becomes immersed in ethics scandals. But it can also be interpreted as a cheap shot at Paterson's disability. The first legally blind governor to hold the office of governor, Paterson doesn't in fact require the aid of a seeing-eye dog to get around.
Still, this is far from Delonas's most envelope-pushing work. The Obama-as-a-dead-ape depiction was widely panned as offensive if not racist, and spurred much controversy and dissension within the Post's newsroom. And in 2001, Delonas depicted then New York City mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer kissing the butt of Al Sharpton in a cartoon which was widely condemned.