THE WEEK IN EDITORIAL CARTOONS
This weekly diary takes a look at the past week's important news stories from the perspective of our leading editorial cartoonists (including a few foreign ones) with analysis and commentary added in by me.
When evaluating a cartoon, ask yourself these questions:
- Does a cartoon add to my existing knowledge and help crystallize my thinking about the issue depicted?
- Does the cartoonist have any obvious biases that distort reality?
- Is the cartoonist reflecting prevailing public opinion or trying to shape it?
The answers will help determine the effectiveness of the cartoonist's message.
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Where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise
Thomas Gray*
Bruce Beattie, Daytona Beach News-Journal
- CARTOONS OF THE WEEK
Mark Streeter, Savannah Morning News
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
Dan Wasserman, Boston Globe
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- Supreme Choice
On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter. Judge Sotomayor, first appointed to the federal bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, became the first Latina and only the third woman to achieve this distinction. It was moment of great pride for all Americans and -- as I wrote in this diary a couple of days ago about the achievements of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War -- another chapter in "this country's long struggle to achieve recognition for the role minorities played in its development"
R.J. Matson, New York Observer and Roll Call
Even though a Quinnipiac Poll found a healthy majority of Americans supporting Obama's choice by a 54% to 24% margin, the initial reaction from what's left of the Republican Party was utterly predictable. Questioning her credentials to sit on the country's highest court, they soon reverted to an old technique: pitting one demographic group against another -- a tactic which was, by the way, a miserable failure in the 2006 and 2008 Elections. Old habits die hard!
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press
(Note: cartoon submitted by Kossack Sandy on Signal)
Tom Toles, Washington Post
Pat Oliphant, Universal Press Syndicate
As George Lakoff pointed out yesterday in his excellent diary, several lines of attack emerged over the next few days. Questioning Obama's and Judge Sotomayor's previous statements, Republicans trotted out themes such as empathy, feelings, racism, and activist judges which, according to their wacky, wingnutty logic, disqualified her from being confirmed
Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it.
I wish I've never met you, girl;
You'll Never Come Again.
Feelings, wo-o-o feelings,
Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.
Feelings, feelings like I've never lost you
And feelings like i've never have you
Again in my heart.
Morris Albert, Feelings
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons
Ben Sargent, Universal Press Syndicate
In a much-discussed Wall Street Journal article, former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan admonished her Republican colleagues and warned them of impending electoral dangers
She is of course a brilliant political pick -- Hispanic when Republicans have trouble with Hispanics, a woman when they've had trouble with women. Her background (public housing, Newyorican, Catholic school, Princeton, prominence) is as moving as Clarence Thomas's, and that is moving indeed. Politically she's like a beautiful doll containing a canister of poison gas: Break her and you die.
This article Is Hispanic the Same Thing as Latina? in Slate magazine explains why Democrats generally prefer the term Latina. It won't shock you as to why the Republicans mostly use the term Hispanic
Matt Davies, Journal News (NY)
Meteor Blades pointed out that the Republicans then resorted to making fun of Judge Sotomayor's name and how it is pronounced. In the irony of ironies, the name of the person making this ridiculous assertion? Mark Krikorian! That name reminds everyone of Dr. Death himself, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who championed the right of terminally-ill patients to die with assistance from their physicians
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
Vic Harville, Stephens Media Group
Bruce Plante, Tulsa World
But, as they say on those late night tv infomercials, "Wait! there's more." By the end of the week, with assists from Rush the Clown and Tancredo the Racist, noted opera critic, distinguished historian, and disgraced former Speaker of the House Newtie Gingrich twittered while on a visit to Auschwitz. David Waldman summarized it as follows
If you haven't seen Jeffrey Feldman's diary about how Newt Gingrich, patron muppet of the GOP, spent his day Tweeting petty political attacks from Auschwitz -- yes, Auschwitz -- I suggest you take a look right now.
I thought Gingrich had reached new lows in boorishness a few weeks ago, when he was Tweeting from the opera. Stupid, but not beyond comprehension from a twice-divorced narcissist. And not a bad way to get divorced a third time, incidentally.
Jimmy Margulies, New Jersey Record
Mike Keefe, Denver Post
Nate Beeler, Washington Examiner
So, where do we stand at the end of the week? NBC News' blog, First Read, reminds us of the score
Given this conservative divide over Sotomayor, could this week have gone any better for the Obama White House? Yesterday, we couldn't find a single elected Republican serving in Washington issuing any press release on Sotomayor...
The Sotomayor pick has just devastated the Republicans, split them worse than anything so far the Obama White House has done.
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons
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- Hapless Republicans
After their abysmal performance over the past few days, what more could one add about the G.O.P? With warring factions at each others' throats, the party is a shell of its former self. A Political Insiders Poll conducted by National Journal found that "89% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans don't think it would be a smart political move for Republicans to try to block the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be on the Supreme Court." As a political entity, the Republican whole is definitely less than the sum of its parts
Andy Singer, Politicalcartoons.com
Jeff Parker, Florida Today
With their three leading spokesman being Dick Cheney (out of office with unbelievably low poll ratings), Newt Gingrich (out of political office), and a radio talk show host (Rush Limbaugh) whose hate radio broadcasts rival those of Father Charles Coughlin from the 1930's in terms of spewing vitriol and inciting racism, it is not hard to understand why Republican ideas (there aren't any) fail to get any traction. The rightwing drift continues
Martin Kozlowski, Inxart.com
Kevin Kallaugher (KAL), Baltimore Sun and Economist (U.K.)
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
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- President Barack Obama
Everyone knows about the myriad of domestic and international headaches George W. Bush left as a parting gift for his successor. Even so, Obama remains very popular both at home and abroad with most Americans confident that he is indeed the right person for these difficult times. According to polls conducted by the International Herald Tribune
President Barack Obama remains by far the most popular world leader among people in major Western nations and is the one political figure on whom people consistently pin their hopes in the economic crisis, according to new polls conducted for the International Herald Tribune.
About 80 percent of people in France, Germany, Italy and Spain have a positive view of Mr. Obama, a ratio that declines only slightly, to about 70 percent, in the other two countries surveyed, Britain and the United States.
Robert Ariail, The State (SC)
John Trever, Albuquerque Journal
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
I have often wondered how FDR must have felt upon becoming President in 1933. The daunting task he faced at home -- to be compounded by the outbreak of World War II less than a decade later -- would have finished off a lesser politician. Not since the days of the Great Depression and a destructive world at war has a U.S. President been dealt such a terrible hand. Given the challenging circumstances and looking at the big picture, Obama is doing a fantastic job. Ask yourself this question: would you want to be president in this environment?
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
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- Gitmo, the Rule of Law, and the Issue of Torture
In his speech on national security issues a couple of weeks ago, Obama rejected torture as a means of eliciting information from prisoners (I hate the term "Detainees") and promised a return to American policies enacted within the framework of the law. buhdydharma's superb diary explained why Obama's actions remain less than satisfactory for most Democrats, who otherwise are very supportive of his policies and the course he is charting for the country's future
Ben Sargent, Universal Press Syndicate
Eric Allie, Caglecartoons.com
Milt Priggee, Freelance Cartoonist
Both houses of Congress rejected Obama's call to close Guantanamo Prison and refused to allocate funds to complete this transfer. Dick Cheney's demagogic speeches and media interviews further complicated this issue and made an already difficult task more difficult. In the past week, however, news of Judge Sotomayor's nomination has dominated the national media and sent Cheney packing to his old bunker. Never underestimate the power of the Bully Pulpit!
John Trever, Albuquerque Journal
Lloyd Dangle, Troubletown
Matt Bors, Idiot Box
I have full confidence in Obama's abilities to eventually negotiate this political minefield. Here's an example of a brilliant idea he had recently
Walt Handelsman, Newsday
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- Proposition 8 and the Future of Gay Marriage in California
The California Supreme Court upheld the ban on gay marriage although it did not nullify the almost 18,000 marriages that had occurred before Prop 8 became the state's law after the November 2008 Election. It is a question of equal rights. I have yet to read compelling arguments anywhere which suggest that those of a different sexual persuasion shouldn't have the same rights as us heterosexuals
John Sherffius, Boulder Daily Camera
Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Daily Star
Although the court's decision was a huge disappointment to many, I think this is a temporary setback. In the long term, though, all is not lost. Demographic changes and other social trends suggest a growing acceptance around the country on issues affecting the gay and lesbian community
Chan Lowe, South Florida Sun Sentinel
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
Pat Oliphant, Universal Press Syndicate
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- North Korea's Missile Test
The so-called Democratic People's Republic of Korea is neither democratic nor a republic in the traditional political science sense. By testing another nuclear device last week, it remains a persistent thorn in the international community's side. Will the United States, Russia, and China finally step up to the diplomatic plate to deal with this 'explosive' issue? This article suggested that the missile test was primarily a show for domestic audiences as Kim Jong-il is preparing the way for his son to succeed him fairly soon. And, yet, it remains a worrisome situation
Walt Handelsman, Newsday
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star
Gary Varvel, Indianapolis Star-News
Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Daily News
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- Final Thoughts
Finally, remember when you broke up with your first love? Even in outer space, relationships can get frayed and it just ain't easy letting go
Don't take your love away from me
Don't you leave my heart in misery
If you go then I'll be blue
'Cause breaking up is hard to do
They say that breaking up is hard to do
Now I know, I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of breaking up I wish that we were making up again
Neil Sedaka, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Steve Benson, Arizona Republic
If you're interested in space issues, I would encourage all of to read regularly-posted Space diaries by Kossack Vladislaw. You will learn a great deal about new developments in space exploration
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A Note About the Diary Poll
Hereeee's Conan! The Tonight Show torch is being passed from Jay Leno on to Conan O'Brien on June 1, 2009
Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com
Of all the wonderful late night tv hosts, Johnny Carson retains a special place in my heart. A master of perfect timing with an affable nature while possessing a great sense of decency, Carson ruled as King of Late Night television for 30 years, a feat unlikely to be matched by anyone in the near future. I miss him greatly. See this 1978 profile of Carson in the New Yorker magazine
R.J. Matson, New York Observer and Roll Call
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* These are the last two lines taken from Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, a famous poem written in 1742 by the English poet and scholar Thomas Gray. It simply means that if one considers ignorance to be a somewhat desirable human quality, then it prevents that person from striving to gain wisdom. Example of such a person: George W. Bush
To each his sufferings: all are men,
Condemned alike to groan,
The tender for another's pain;
The unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.