Oct 31, 2012

If You Swing Along the Beltway

Lalo Alcaraz, 10/30/12:
Because a major storm hitting a predominantly Democratic part of the country, distracting tens of millions with power outages and storm damage, is going to hurt the Republican candidate for President, who only has to not campaign too vigorously during the storm itself and not actually do anything about it.

Oct 30, 2012

Notice That the Only Contraceptives Righties Know Exist Are Condoms?

Michael Ramirez, 10/29/12:
Yeah! Those stupid women -- why would they vote for the guy who wants to give them health care they need, instead of the ones who talk about "legitimate rape" and "god's plan" and call them sluts when they want birth control pills to control medicial conditions?

It's almost like these women have forgotten that they're supposed to just shut up and do what their husbands and fathers tell them to do!

Vote for the Flip-Flopper, Because He Has More Ideas!

Phil Hands, 10/29/12:
Yes, this is a cartoon in favor of being indecisive and waffling -- or of outright lying, depending on how you look at it.

You know that we're very near an election when the best a cartoonist can do is "Well, my guy might be rotten, but the other guy is worse!"

Oct 29, 2012

Wanna Swing?

Jack Ohman, 10/26/12:
Swing states swing violently, knocking safe states for a tizzy, because safe states are sweet little girls and swing states are big bullies.

Um, what?

What Is This I Don't Even

Chuck Asay, 10/28/12:
The national debt is entirely because of the high cost of university education -- which, in Asay's world, is directly paid for by the government and not by individuals -- rather than by a combination of tax cuts, recession, and unfunded mandates (two wars and Medicaid Part D).

It is quite pleasant and calming to live in one's own fantasies.

I Gather Breen Does NOT "Look for the Union Label"

Steve Breen, 10/28/12:
The most powerful political force in America today -- driving elections, demanding and receiving vast increases in pay and benefits, shifting the balance of wealth towards the skilled trades and middle class -- is the trade union.

Time to Leave the Nest

Rob Smith, Jr., 10/1712:
Romney is so ideologically blinkered that he seriously thinks a man-sized bird with stubby arms (not wings) is capable of flight.

Even worse, he apparently doesn't realize it's a costume.

Oct 26, 2012

Handicapped Driving

Henry Payne, 10/25/12:
Obama only pretended to bail out the car companies, just like Romney only pretended to call for them to go bankrupt.

You see, white business leaders, by definition, always do what's best for American capitalism, so -- since the car companies survived and are in better shape now, Romney and his ilk must have saved them.

Ergo, Obama is lying. It's really quite simple.

Oct 25, 2012

Sticking His Neck Out

Chuck Asay, 10/24/12:
Todd Akin -- Mr. "Legitimate Rape" himself, the man who thinks "he female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down" -- is carrying the national GOP on his back.

Therefore, one must assume that Asay is claiming that Akin stands for precisely the things that the entire GOP wants to promote.

Random Imagery Theatre Presents

Gary McCoy, 10/24/12:
Obama is well-noted for his acrobatic skills -- as we all know, that's one of the athletic abilities that his dark-skinned people excel in.

Oh, and he's a Marxist Kenyan sleeper agent who pals around with terrorists, too.

The Very Model of a Modern Admiral Romney

Henry Payne, 10/24/12:
Mitt Romney, who ran a private equity fund for fifteen years and then rescued a Winter Olympics, is clearly vastly more qualified on foreign affairs than the sitting President of the US.

Why? Can't you see how white his skin is?!

Droning On and On

Nate Beeler, 10/24/12:
Obama's foreign policy actually consists primarily of using flying robots to kill lots of people, which -- for some unspecified reason -- is a bad thing.

Oct 23, 2012

Giant Head Theatre Presents

Dave Granlund, 10/22/12:
Ha ha! McGovern is now dead, and therefore by the rules of editorial cartooning, he is in heaven, where he must do something trite and non-funny.

Oh, look! Tricky Dicky is also in heaven! But he doesn't even get a line! It is funny!

I Love Work; I Could Watch It All Day

Terry Wise, 10/22/12:
There's plenty of real, blue-collar American jobs available, but those pantywaist college kids are too effete and wimpy to take them.


...says the guy who sits at a drawing board all day.

Oct 22, 2012

Make Like Wile E. Coyote!

Lisa Benson, 10/19/12:
The "fiscal cliff" -- imposed by a Congressional bill, the product of a compromise in Congress, and set to occur if Congress doesn't find an alternate path to a balanced budget -- is entirely Obama's fault.

Cartoon of the Week

Adam Zyglis, 10/20/12:
This is one of Editorial Explanations' rare "attaboy!" moments, the times when we point out that a cartoonist has done something quite clever and incisive.

There have been a lot of cartoons, and a lot of other commentary, about the attacks on the Libyan embassy, about the confused and contradictory State Department responses, and about Republican attempts to capitalize on that confusion and contradiction.

But Zyglis boils it down to one stark image: Obama has a weak spot, but Romney can't manage to aim his arrow correctly at it.

This is what an editorial cartoon should be: not a campaign slogan for either side, but a clear-eyed view of what's really happening, presented visually.

The "I'm Rubber, You're Glue" Argument

Jimmy Margulies, 10/21/12:
The National Collegiate Athletics League has sex with men for money, and therefore betting on their games is morally acceptable.

What's worse: they charge relatively low sums of money.

Presumably, the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball also trade hummers for twenties, thus giving New Jerseans ample moral cover to try to cover the spread on that next Niners game in Atlantic City.

"Morally Straight," Badly Defined

Randy Bish, 10/21/12:
No one is saying so in public, of course, but we all know that one reason the BSA is still keeping gay men from serving is because of these sex scandals -- they assume, like so many other misled and stupid people, that there's some connection there.

Perhaps someone should point out that there's a vastly stronger link between the shaming secrecy of molestation and their old "don't ask, don't tell" response. Perhaps someone should continue on to say that honesty and responsibility are core Boy Scout virtues, and that out gay men can and do embody those virtues as well or better than anyone else.

(None of that has anything to do with Bish's cartoon, really. Apologies for the soapbox.)

Oct 19, 2012

Oh, No! It's Scut Farkus!

Clay Bennett, 10/18/12:
Tune in tomorrow, when Bennett will accuse Romney of eating paste. Later, a massive investigation into the kickball-fixing accusations.

Oct 18, 2012

Diary of a Hungry Kid

Bob Englehart, 10/17/12:
A lunch that is nearly half of the recommended daily calories for an adult is the moral equivalent of starvation.

Also, isn't Englehart seriously undermining his own argument with Superfat Sam there?

In Media's Rez

Bob Gorrell, 10/17/12:
You can always tell when Romney stumbles, even if you don't pay attention to the news pages: just look for a flurry of right-wing cartoons complaining about the media.

Why, I seem to have an example right here!

You Must Pay the Rent! I Can't Pay the Rent!

Clay Bennett, 10/17/12:
Romney represents the future: industrialized, mechanized, controlled, and directed by a firm hand forward along a clearly defined path.

Obama, on the other hand, is not only anachronistic, but is clearly a Canadian -- and, thus, foreign!

Oct 17, 2012

In the Land of the Car-Bomb, The Eye-Peek Is King

A. F. Branco, 10/166/12:
If you have a worldview -- as Obama does -- it will inevitably blind you.

Better by far to stay ignorant!

Oct 16, 2012

He's Only MOSTLY Dead

Gustavo Rodriguez, 10/15/12:
Somewhere, some old guy is dead, and we should be happy about that.

My suspicion is that Rodriguez means Castro, but Castro aten't dead.

Oct 15, 2012

OUR Religious Nuts Would NEVER Do That!

Michael Ramirez, 10/13/12:
As long as you don't actually shoot women, anything you do to take away their rights is just fine.

@#%&*! Smilers

Eric Allie, 10/13/12:
When times are tough, Americans demand leaders with a serious, concerned demeanor, and refuse to look at a smiling face.

This is why, for example, Republicans have always loved the dour Richard Nixon much more than the sunny Ronald Reagan.

Another Dog Whistle Heard From

Chuck Asay, 10/12/12:
Doctors have no right being involved in medical decisions! Suicide should only be handled the way real men do, with shotguns out in the woodshed.

You Can't Help That -- We're All Mad Here

Bob Gorrell, 10/12/12:
When Romney won his debate with Obama, it was because the smart, articulate leader would inevitably win out over the confused, foolish bureaucrat.

And when Ryan lost his debate with Biden, it was because the confused, foolish bureaucrat inevitably confused the smart, articulate leader with his foolishness.

See! No cognitive dissonance here!

Damien Revisited

Ann Cleaves, 10/13/12:
The Satan-phone! Get one for your infant today! It smirks, it whispers hideous suggestions, it brings your toddler closer to the bosom of the Lord of Darkness!


(No, seriously -- what is that thing supposed to be?)

Another Right-Winger's Complaint about Free Market Prices

Lisa Benson, 10/13/12:
The free market has driven up prices for a scarce commodity that is in great demand, and this is a bad thing.

Presumably, we need governments to control the prices of these commodities to protect consumers from price gouging by refiners and retailers, to tame these very violent swings of free markets.

Oct 12, 2012

Statuesque

Chuck Asay, 10/11/12:
It's always dangerous to try to guess what Asay is thinking, but...

so our statues used to be about killing people to get our way, and now they're about using the rule of law to do so?

And that's a bad thing?

Or is this just another "I'm going to say 'Founders' until it loses all meaning" cartoon?

Oct 11, 2012

Does Anyone Think Romney Would Dis the Troops Like That, Anyway?

Ed Gamble, 10/10/12:
One appreciates Gamble's zest for the zinger, but how much of a slam is it against the current Democratic president to say that his Republican predecessor started two wars and didn't pay for either of them?

And that doesn't even get into the pointless nature of both wars, the policy fumbles, or the fact that the wars were aggressively not paid for, since taxes (and thus revenue) were cut at the same time.

Luckily, if Romney wins, we can return to the days of Deficits Don't Matter, and ignore all that pesky doublethink.

Oct 10, 2012

He's All in Red! RED! RED!!!!! Like a COMMIE!!!!!!

Randy Bish, 10/9/12:
Elections in other countries are invariably corrupt, particularly when they elect popular local politicians whom American political cartoonists don't like.

Oct 8, 2012

The Loser and Still Champeen

Gary McCoy, 10/3/12:
Serious question: is there really any media outlet or pundit -- any single one -- that actually claimed Obama "won" the debate?

Because what I've seen is a unanimity that Romney came off better -- oh, sure, there's plenty of carping about his numbers, or that he "lied" (as if a politician would ever do anything else!), or that Obama "should" have done better -- but, still, everyone seems to agree that Romney was dominant.

So: who, exactly, is McCoy complaining about here?

Big or Small: Save Them All

Steve Greenberg, 10/7/12:
This argument, of course, applies just as well to testicular cancer.

And a stronger version of this argument would apply to cancer of any body part that both sexes have equally: lung, liver, colon, bone, brain, spleen, blood, skin.

But, hey, Greenberg wanted to draw boobies today, and he found a politically-correct reason to do so, so good for him.

Oct 5, 2012

All This Radio Really Needs Is a Fuse

Ken Catalino, 10/4/12:
If Romney wins, the country will have no more debt or taxes.

You know, I'm not an economist, but I tend to think that's not just vastly unlikely, but actively contradictory.

Blue Suit Man to the Rescue!

Michael Ramirez, 10/4/12:
I drew a cartoon and then carefully explained in in a detailed caption, since I assume my audience is too dumb to understand anything unless I spell it out for them.

When in Doubt, Claim Something You Dislike Is "Big Government"

Chuck Asay, 10/4/12:
Huh?

Now, we know Asay is anti-abortion, but is he he also staking a claim to be pro-doobie?

Or is this cartoon just a random assemblage of statements with not clear connection to each other?

(I know how I'm voting!)

Let Us Have Another Green World

A.F. Branco, 10/4/12:
Yes, this is a cartoon in favor of Romney and Ryan, presumably on the basis that it's fun to destroy things.

Somewhere, Al Dunlap is beaming.

Oct 4, 2012

Note that "A Doctor" Is Not an Option

Chuck Asay, 10/2/12:
Yes, Asay thinks that most people would pick the insurance executive -- whose compensation is based on keeping payments low -- than on a government functionary whom one can expect to be incompetent at worst but not actively looking to deny care.

This explains much about Chuck Asay, though not how he's managed to live so long.

Romney Voters Also Like To Remind Cops That Taxes Pay Their Salaries

Mike Lester, 10/3/12:
So: people who have real jobs and know what it's like to work for someone else support Obama, and only the super-rich who can buy politicians are for Romney?

Taking Advantage of His Opponent's Youth and Inexperience

Gary Varvel, 10/3/12:
Is Varvel seriously trying to say that Romney would take us back to the Clinton era? Because that's the only time we've had balanced budgets for the last three generations.

I'd also love to see how any US President is going to give us $2 gas, but let's leave that aside for now.

Oct 3, 2012

Grass Is Greener, 2012 Edition

Phil Hands, 10/2/12:
That sound you hear is a million mayors, all across the USA, doing a spit-take in unison.

The Food Is Horrible -- and Such Small Portions!

Bob Gorrell, 10/2/12:
By definition, nothing Obama does can be good.

Oct 2, 2012

Free as in Beer?

Ben Sargent, 10/1/12:
Sargent's lumpy, vaguely alien-looking figures always leave me uneasy and worried, which may have contributed to my lack of understanding of this cartoon, but...

just who is Mr. Free Speech supposed to be? Is he the local don't-slander-the-Prophet imam? Or maybe the Good Ol' US of A, demanding that the newly free brown masses don't complain about us? Or just some schmo standing there with a different sign?

Oct 1, 2012

Dead White Men Are All Stodgy Bores, Right?

John R. Rose, 9/29/12:
Thomas Jefferson, who was notably fond of wine and fathered six or seven children on the slave half-sister of his dead wife, was opposed to "partying".