Cat's in the Cradle

John Auchter, 8/9/11:

The only thing that can possibly ruin the future is failing to read to your children!

So ignore politics, bury your head in the sand, and let your overlords get on with the serious work of running your life for you.

Mint in Package

Randy Bish, 8/8/11:

I can't be sure: is this an "Obama has ruined the economy with his Kenyan socialism" cartoon, or an "Obama is a budding dictator who will override the constitution to destroy white people like me" cartoon?


On the positive side, we can now be sure that Bish has discovered the channels on the upper end of his cable system.

Look at This Line-Up!

Jake Fuller, 8/5/11:

Sure, most people might not be able to find a connection between Our President's milestone birthday and the fact that length of unemployment is longer now than any time in recorded history, but Fuller is smarter than that.

He knows that any Two Things Make a Cartoon.

Hot Spell

John Deering, 8/5/2011:

Oh, snap! Poor ol' Obama's been bamboozled by that sneaky ice-cream man again! He keeps promising that the ice cream will stay in the cone this time, but it always falls on the sidewalk!

Mustache-Twirling In Our Time

Ann Cleaves, 8/5/11:

Cleaves is making a typically subtle and understated point about the loving relationship that America's bankers have with our communities.

TAMLC (Tortured Acronyms Make Lousy Cartoons)

Joe Heller, 8/6/11:

A) Because retirees had so much financial security after the '07-08 recession and associated crash.

B) Because retirees are stupid enough to have a substantial portion of their investments in stocks right now, when they're already retired and the market is this volatile.

C) Because no one who should be in the stock market now matters, only old people who should have their money in more stable instruments.

Schooled

Clay Jones, 8/4/11:

Remember: only right-wingers can call their opponents "terrorists."

Left-wingers get to call their opponents Nazis.

(Though note the special Limbaugh "Feminazi" codicil agreement, signed in 1994. In return, the lefties got the tech bubble and a budget surplus, though even that wasn't enough to get Gore elected.)

What's Going On In the First Panel, Anyway?

Chuck Asay, 8/6/11:

The US government, of course, has no place subsidizing transportation of any kind. That's why roads are entirely privatized and railroads have always had to pay for their rights-of-way.

Roasting Some Weenies

Henry Payne, 8/6/11:

The House GOP is really, truly devoted to cutting the budget this time -- unlike the last few decades, and every time they've controlled the whole apparatus of federal government -- and is in no way just using this as a cynical mallet to bash Obama with.

Really. They mean it this time.

Word-Association Game

Rob Smith, Jr., 8/5/11:

Remember: Tea Party members are generally young, happy people, despite anything you might have thought or seen.

Similarly, liberals love guns.

Or perhaps I should just note that Mr. Smith cartoons for The Glen Beck Program, and make one of those "know what I mean?" expressions.

Is He Thinking What I THINK He's Thinking?

Malcolm Evans, 8/4/11:

Sure, the rest of the world thinks the US's politics is crazy. But the upside of that is that they're never sure just how crazy we might be....

Medical Interventions

Terry Wise, 8/7/11:
Of course, every other medical treatment -- let's take Viagra as a comparison, purely for example -- is utterly safe, and has no potential side effects of any kind.

Or, in other words: keep your legs closed until your father picks you a suitable husband, and you'll do just fine, dear. If you can keep your mind closed, too, that will be even better. Perhaps you can find a Rick Perry prayer rally to go to.

Subtext Alert!

Chuck Asay, 8/7/11:

Asay prefers his Norwegians big and butch, wearing tight fur and leather outfits and invading his coastline with their strong-prowed Viking ships, probing inland to rape and pillage.

No, really: that's what this cartoon actually says.

Metaphors Run Wild Theatre Presents

Ingrid Rice, 8/4/11:

One might think that a Canadian cartoonist -- Rice hails from British Columbia -- would be a little more clear, and not make the bizarre physical green "debt ceiling" of the USA clearly attached to Ontario.

One might think.

The Ol' Hair-for-Oil Pipeline Again

Gustavo Rodriguez, 8/3/11:

The second guy is clearly Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, but the first guy is trickier. From context, I suspect he's meant to be Venezuelan bantamweightman Hugo Chavez, though I'm far too much of a straight North American to have ever noticed any problems with his hair.

Waiting for a Sign?

Clay Bennett, 8/3/11:

We're all sacrificing -- but especially those goofy guys at the back of the sign.

No, seriously, what is the deal with that guy?

This may be the rare cartoon that needs more labels.

Obama IS Keanu in Speed III!

Chuck Asay, 8/3/11:

So Obama is responsible for the vast increase in federal spending (and loss of revenue, let's not forget) over the past decade?

Hm, let's look at that chart again:

'Nuff said.

Here Is the Paper Which Bears His Name Upon It

John Sherffius, 8/2/11:

Paying your bills when they come due is the moral equivalent of allowing Hitler to annex the Sudetenland.

Funny, I don't think I saw Sherffius toeing that particular line when millions of homeowners were being foreclosed on recently -- would it be giving in to Hitler for them to meekly agree to make good on the debts they've already accrued?

American Exceptionalism at Work

Henry Payne, 8/1/11:

The American people are simply horrible at technological innovation, and should just give up now on ever trying to do anything better, ever again.

Godwinized

David Fitzsimmons, 8/1/11:

Any fiscal argument can be refuted by Nazis.

No exceptions.

Spending Money Is BAD, OK?

Steve Breen, 7/30/11:

Yes, what America really needs is to stop spending entirely.

I can't decide if that's stupider because the economy would collapse, or because the best example of a government that spends no money and does nothing is Somalia. Decisions, decisions.

Another Misguided "If a Country Was a Family" Cartoon

Henry Payne, 7/31/11:

No, sir, Americans don't believe in making things better by both bringing in more money and cutting expenses -- Americans households always try to minimize their income at every turn, and American capitalism is built on the essential premise that the only route to prosperity is by cutting costs.

As usual, metaphors are not Payne's strong suit. That expression on Obama, though, is simply delightful.

Is This a "Have Your Cake & Eat It Too" Reference?

Kevin Kallaugher, 7/31/11:

So the Statue of Liberty is going to eat two pieces of wedding cake simultaneously? How awkward is that?

And, for our slower readers, Kallaugher has helpfully captioned his cartoon "Gay Marriage."

Remember the War on Poverty?

Henry Payne, 7/30/11:

Because it's not like there hasn't been a class war for the last thirty years, right? And the upper class has really been hit badly by that war -- poor, poor rich people!

Does It Play Foghat?

Jack Ohman, 7/29/11:

No comment on the political content, but check out that ancient tuner/speaker set-up -- is that the one Ohman had in his dorm room thirty years ago? (Or is it the one he's still using now?)