Michigan Gubernatorial Six Pack

Michigan Gubernatorial Six Pack

I try never to repeat an idea for a cartoon, but every once in a while I’ll do a variation on a theme. Sixteen years ago, I had a cartoon in the Grand Rapids Business Journal with the gubernatorial candidates for the 2002 primaries. The title was “A Flavor for Everybody!” and the candidates were listed below with their heads drawn as ice cream on top of cones:

  • Posthumus Very Vanilla: No artificial or natural color! (Dick Posthumus was the eventual Republican nominee and a very bland guy.)
  • Schwarz Swirl: Hard shell with gooey middle! (I have no memory of who this was.)
  • Blanchard Rocky Road: With real chips on the shoulder! (Jim Blanchard was attempting a comeback 12 years after John Engler had defeated him, and he had some issues.)
  • Granholm Granola Sorbet: Not sure what’s in it. Don’t worry! It’s good for you! (Jennifer Granholm was running a very clever — and ultimately successful — campaign of being vague.)
  • Bonier Donkey Tracks: Twice the size at only three times the price. (A dig at David Bonier and his support for high union wages. It made more sense pre-Great Recession.)

And then at the bottom I had a guy looking into a display case and saying, “Hey! Where’s the Fieger Pistachio Nut Job?” This of course was referring to Geoffrey Fieger who had run an unorthodox campaign (and lost big) four years earlier.

So I brought the idea back around, substituting beer for ice cream. Looking at it now, it makes me wonder — in 16 years, which joke might be as incredibly insensitive as that Fieger one?

2 Comments »

  1. Joe Breyer said,

    August 3, 2018 @ 12:08 pm

    Remind me of the name of the bar in Hancock where you had me drink a Guinness Stout some 35 years ago on the pub walk in the spring of (probably) 1985? Haven’t drank a lot of dark beers over the years, but your tutelage came in handy 2 summers ago when I was in Ireland.

  2. auch6963 said,

    August 10, 2018 @ 9:26 am

    The bar was “Nutini’s.” They had beers from around the world — even beyond Wisconsin! Happy to hear your college education continues to pay dividends! (Apologies for the delay in response, my friend. Just living my normal, highly distracted life. Hope all is well with you!)

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