Archive for January, 2025

Really Awesome

Editorial Cartoon for MichiganPublic.org

So, yeah, it wasn’t the best decision for Jocelyn Benson to announce her candidacy for Michigan governor from the lobby of the the Richard H. Austin Building in Lansing (where she is currently the Secretary of State). It’s hard to argue that it provided her with any sort of significant advantage. But per Michigan election law, use of public resources, including state offices, for political causes is not allowed.

So it was understandable why the Michigan Republican Party would file a complaint. Less understandable was them getting on such a high horse about it. Their press release included this gem: “The integrity of our public office holders must be maintained, and the misuse of taxpayer-funded resources for personal political gain will not be tolerated.” I used that directly in the first panel of the cartoon.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! (More like the deepest part of distant space eternally devoid of all light calling the kettle black.) The Republican Party at this point is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Trump, Inc, which is perhaps best known for its lack of integrity when it comes to taxpayer-funded resources and dutifully following election law. But, please, teach us more about high standards for public office holders!

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Blessed Are…

Cartoon: Jesus's sermon on the mount is seen as woke.

It’s not that I was surprised, shocked, or even offended by the president’s reaction to Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s sermon delivered earlier this week at a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. In it, Budde made an appeal directly to the president to consider applying certain Christian values when executing his public duties as our elected official.

It totally tracks that he would initially only be annoyed because he found the sermon to be not very entertaining. After apparently somebody explained the context to him, he bleated out what he tends to bleat out in these sorts of situations and a number of sycophants fell in line. Standard procedure.

The one bit that’s worth addressing, though, is him referring to her as “the so-called Bishop.” So-called? Not at all. She’s certified, ordained, and legitimately educated and experienced. It may be unfamiliar to him, but it turns out that the Episcopal Church is very much a real thing. But I wouldn’t expect he’d know that as a so-called Christian.

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Yeah, But What Would You Do?

Cartoon: Yeah, But What Would You Do?

Actor John Ratzenberger is most famous for his role on the TV sitcom “Cheers” in which he played Cliff Clavin. Initially, there was no such character in the show. Ratzenberger tried out for the role of Norm, but says that his audition was a disaster — totally bombed it.

In an effort to save his ego and dignity, on his way out he asked the producers if they had a character as the bar know-it-all. They asked him what he meant, and he replied that every bar that he had ever been in had at least one horse’s ass who pretends to know everything. Then he went into a bit to demonstrate, got them all laughing, and the role of Cliff was born.

Ah, the good ol’ days when you could just stay out of bars to avoid being subjected to a know-it-all.

Now, however, the Internet has provided the Cliff Clavins of the world with both a community (so they can breed their idiocy) and a megaphone (so we all can’t help but to hear them). Worse, some of the richest ones control much of our media (traditional and social) and are taking autocratic steps to ensure we have to suffer their thoughts and opinions.

Case in point, the misinformation and conspiracy theories about the California wildfires. Yes, of course, mistakes were made by government agencies, public officials, and state politicians. And like any disaster, it will be important to investigate and learn lessons. But Elon et al. going off like frickin’ Cliff Clavins? Nah. Nobody needs that right now.

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A Michigan Vibe

Cartoon: A Michigan Vibe

If you are an out-of-state visitor coming to Michigan to attend the Detroit Auto Show that starts this weekend, you may notice that the locals are a notch or two happier than you might expect. This may seem odd to you, maybe even unsettling. After all, the automobile industry is in a state of uncertainty, our now apparent object of conquest Canada looms right across the river, and then there’s the persistent dread that Ted Nugent lives somewhere around here.

But there is in fact a good reason for our general happiness: The Detroit Lions

And if you want to join in on the happiness, don’t worry — you don’t actually need to know anything about them. You only need to be open to hearing about them. Merely say “How about those Lions?” and then sit back as your new Michigander friends regale you on the virtues of the current team. They may detour into the past decades of despair (old habits are hard to break), but say the magic words (Dan Campbell), and they will be right back on track.

Enjoy the brief respite from a world of unhappy news. And if you really want to make friends, buy one of our cars.

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#StandWithAnn

#StandWithAnn

Editorial cartoonists are paying tribute to Ann Telnaes’s principled decision to resign from the Washington Post. The Post would not publish her cartoon criticizing certain billionaires and corporations for bending a knee to the President-elect (a cartoon that is very much in line with what editorial cartoonists are supposed to do and have always done).

I simply added to her original rough sketch. To support Telnaes yourself, subscribe to her Substack. https://anntelnaes.substack.com/…/why-im-quitting-the…#standwithann

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Happy New Year, Neighbor!

Cartoon: Happy New Year, Neighbor!

Let’s start 2025 on a positive note. It seems the United States is still the big dog on this planet — the largest and most vibrant economy, the largest and most capable military, and an abundant wealth of natural and technological resources. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we are the alpha.

It’s really the best position for a country to be in because there are times (in this dog eat dog world) that it’s necessary to demonstrate dominance to bend circumstances to its favor.

But at a certain point, too much flexing runs the risk of creating resentment and a deficit of goodwill, particularly among our allies. The United States is doing well, but it still needs a pack to run with. Being an alpha is good; being a lone wolf is dangerous.

So the incoming administration’s peculiar first choice for a flex — going after our closest ally, Canada, with threats of a trade war, followed up by the president-elect purposely trying to humiliate them… Well, it’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ’em.

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