Republicans And The New Yorker Cover: It’s Much Worse Than (How) It Looks

That’s not just any doctor – he’s a plastic surgeon. He’s not diagnosing an illness; he’s explaining a wholly cosmetic procedure, and pointing to the ‘after’ picture. Look how happy the seated animal is as he looks at his ‘after’ picture. Hand covering mouth — ‘Omigosh it’s just the look I want!’
The cartoonist knows the problems aren’t cosmetic; he’s mocking that self-perception on the part of the GOP.

And then there’s the “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face” angle.

Two angles…indeed.
1) Cosmetic surgery would make the GOP ‘look’ different but it would remain the same. See: Bush / Cheney 2000 nominating convention. Steele’s open invitation for voters to join the party but admonishing them not to ask for any changes. It’s change without changing.
2) Cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face would require the GOP to actually change in order to win elections…but of course there’s Rush.
The patient’s ‘jaw dropping’ reaction to the ‘before and after’ conundrum suggests the moment of truth about the future has arrived.
Angle 1 worked in 2000 but that’s the past. Voters won’t be fooled again. Angle 2 is the unpalatable future.

I saw it as a fair read of the GOP perception of their problem, which would be fixed right up if they could just appear to be a little different than they are.

You usually get a black eye – or two – when you get a nose job. The Republicans have nothing to lose on that score. They’ve already got black eyes that will last for years to come.