CSotD: Some Open and/or Shut Cases
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Looks like we may possibly probably could have an end to the shutdown. Both my senators — one of whom has a special-needs kid — made the switch, which is either pragmatism or cowardice, depending on your POV. So a lot of political cartoons have to be used before they become obsolete.
Mamet, however, is playing a game that isn’t going to stop, the problem being that We, the People, have about as much control over the courts as we do over the NFL, so it’s interesting to watch but whatchagonnado about it?
Besides misinterpret, of course. Ketanji Brown Jackson’s temporary hold has been taken wrong by a lot of people, and while there will be some resolution, those who believe she was a villain and those who believe she made the right move will likely continue to feel that way.
Just as those who think the Dems caved and those who think they made the only move on the chessboard will also remain entrenched, whatever the outcome.
But here’s a thought: The results of the December ACA vote — with names attached — will be in place by the midterms.
Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.
German broke out of the blocks fast, on a morning that began apparently with no other cartoons marking the Senate vote or the impending end of the shutdown.
First, there Woody’s Maxim, which states that 80% of success is showing up.
Moreso in a profession graded on a curve.
I’m not a huge fan of Lucy-with-the-football cartoons, which all seem the same. But this is a time when it’s incredibly apt, because it really is about “trust me,” and he gets extra credit for not cloning Lucy and not giving the donkey a yellow shirt with a black zig-zag.
Speaking of familiar tropes, the sociopath standing at his desk bids fair to become one, though I like Deering’s use of Uncle Sam, combined with his adoption of what is really a Mike Johnson quote. The quote highlights Dear Leader’s vincible ignorance, caused by a self-delusional gullibility that poses a real threat.
It’s not enough that he believes lobbyists about energy issues and suchlike, or that he embraces someone like Victor Orban because he thinks being a despotic bully shows strength. And his failure to analyze reality goes beyond his total misunderstanding of how tariffs work.
The gobsmacker is how he watches something on TV or hears an urban legend and embraces it as the most important thing in the world, which is farcical when he watches a movie and decides we should reopen Alcatraz, but becomes dangerous when he hears partisan whining about things alleged to be happening in Nigeria or South Africa and makes solving these half-baked fantasies into policy.
Huck offers an optimistic analysis of this month’s elections, and I anticipate that the image of Dear Leader standing gormless and uninvolved is going to pop up on all kinds of memes. Mockery and laughter get to him far more than any rational arguments, and — since he clearly doesn’t read — it’s less the job of political cartoonists than it is a task for social-media wiseasses.
Such wiseassery will also help rally the troops and lure people off the fences. The beating of protesters in Chicago in ’68 was painful for them, but helped make opposition to the war cool, which sparked a watershed. Making Dear Leader a popular target of derision can do the same.
The other image from that disastrous press conference also offers a slam-dunk for both cartoonists and meme-creators, and I particularly like Koterba’s combining of it with Dear Leader’s indifference to the needs of the people, which, after all, was a key to last week’s Blue Wave.
There’ve been a lot of Marie Antoinette cartoons, but people only know the quote (which is dubious, but who cares?) and the history seems remote. Koterba’s imagery combines that ancient noble/peasant divide with contemporary touches that, as the Russians say, “make it new.”
Cole makes use of the SNAP situation to point out Trump’s inability to focus and come up with a steady plan. The best part of this is that, however much people may be sleeping through other issues, there is a very large crowd watching SNAP. This one will get through.
And let’s remember that, as long as small, local papers use cartoons, people who only look for the high school sports scores and suchlike will see this. I don’t say that idly, because many small papers have abdicated community leadership and stopped running political cartoons, but not all of them. Keep preaching!
I’m not sure how familiar anyone under 60 is with Snidely Whiplash, but since he was spoofing a moldy cliché, I don’t think that matters, while this is a rare time when labels are needed to convey and enhance the message.
It’s also a cartoon with a short shelf-life, but political cartoons are visual graffiti and it’s perfectly okay if they wash off with the next rain, as long as they’re seen when they matter.
This one makes more of a demand on the reader, but I think most high school graduates have at some point seen Nast’s Tweed cartoons and recognize that he was a bad and greedy man, even if the details are foggy.
I’m appalled almost on a daily basis with the things people should have learned about how our government works, but obviously didn’t, in eighth grade social studies, but it’s okay to aim high from time to time, and if you can’t reference Boss Tweed, it leaves you only with that guy looking at the passing girl to the anger of his own GF. We should occasionally try harder.
Juxtaposition of the Day
Here’s a case where they both got it right about a situation people are aware of, though I’d hate to think fuss over a four-day weekend was what brought about the end of the shutdown, particularly when the loss of SNAP benefits threatens having any meal at all by the 27th of the month.
But if you don’t have a bolt-cutter, try a chisel. If you don’t have a chisel, find a rock.
Keep on keepin’ on.
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