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Thursday, November 06, 2008

Butt-Ugly Politics


Hi all.

Congratulations, fellow US citizens, on your new President.

Now, I've known cartoonists to deliberately vote for the wrong candidate because it was easier to caricature them. Fortunately this practice was abandoned last Tuesday.

But there is no question that the losing side was a lot easier to draw than the winners. I am probably going to post a nice caricature of Mr. Obama in the next few days, but in the meantime, I'm posting drawing that some readers may find offensive. But, in my opinion, so was their campaign. I was worried to see political candidates actively appealing to racists and neo-Nazis in a way that I have not seen since the bad old days of governors Lester Maddox and George Wallace in the segregationist Sixties South. (Update: The Secret Service has just weighed in on this subject--and curiously enough the article is in a British paper.)

Most of my friends found it hilarious, and so I'm putting it here as a farewell to a truly bizarre political 'team', one half of which won't be caricatured again for...at least four years...
Those of you familiar with the French satirical magazine L'Assiette au Beurre will recognize the source of the imagery--a 1901 caricature of English king, Edward VII.


15 comments:

Brett W. McCoy said...

Awesome. Best one I have ever seen. All of the other ones are just too tame, bland and inoffensive :-)

deniseletter said...

Hi Nancy,happy to read you again!.I'm glad Obama won!The Election day I was awake until late worried thinking it was very difficult by the commented Bradley effect,but the common sense prevailed then he won to my relief.If McCain does I'd have a nightmare and sure it will come true.There (In US) is an historical change without precedent(I compare it to the trip to the moon)At home someone commented after 4 years when Mr President (Obama) left the white house (or is relect who knows) he will be called Mr Precedent.You really capture the McCain-Palin campaign,I think she become his last and unique resource.Seeing the caricature of English king, Edward VII you show how to adapt it to modern politics,the history metaphor of this imagery repeats itself now.
Adding now US has a new opened (like a freeway) future path along with the rest of the Americas:-)

Nancy said...

Hi Idragosani,
The best ones I saw of Sarah Palin were not drawn in the USA. Check out Steve Bell's IF... from the Guardian Online site. She resembles a Cadillac grille with staring, scary eyes (that my caricature shows as well)
Bell is not pulling his punches, and I think that this is a good thing. too many political cartoons have 'nice' imagery.

Nancy said...

Denise, I certainly hope that you are right.

Brett W. McCoy said...

Ha ha, I just checked some of those out... excellent stuff

Bill Robinson said...

Hahhaa, this caricature is great!

Wood Mouse said...

Ah I think I now understand why some politicians have to stand to speak as when they are sitting down their words are muffled.

Nancy said...

Excellent sentiment, Wood Mouse.

I just want that awful woman to crawl back into whatever hole she came out of --it would be even better if she was removed from the Governorship first, since she's got pretty elastic sense of morality...

...and very bad manners. It is the correct thing to CONGRATULATE your opponent when you lose an election, NOT complain that 'he spent more money'.

Alfred Armstrong said...

Hey, Nancy, great drawing. Hilarious and horrible at once.

Bad manners, from her supporters, too. Apparently being "polite" and "honorable" are bad things, which explains a lot. By my reading of the loons, McCain lost because he just wasn't crazy enough.

JPilot said...

It's one of those cases where Pamela Anderson would have been a better choice of a running mate. But then again, she was born in Canada. And he just couldn't convince Paris Hilton to go through with it for real :)

Prediction: Joe the Plumber is going to be the new Wrestlemania sensation in the coming months. He will face Scottish wrestling sensation Clog d'Pipes.

Nancy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nancy said...

Hi Alfred,

It's certainly bad manners to yell "Kill Him!' when a political opponent is mentioned at a rally.
To put it mildly.

From what I am hearing and reading, it will be No More Mr. Nice Guy the minute Mr. Obama gets to the White House; he is hiring his own version of Pit Bulls (some with lipstick) and these people aren't going to be pampering the Republicans when they get in.

I actually look forward to reading about what will happen.

Nancy said...

Jean, there is also the French challenger CLAUDE D'Pipes.

Very nice.

Nancy said...

To the poster who tried to get the same comment denouncing my comments on the Palin/McCain caricature published twice on this blog:

The McCain Palin campaign overtly appealed to racists and reactionaries. McCain made a slight effort to describe Obama as a 'decent man' and was booed down. Neither he nor the despicable Palin made any attempt to counter screams of "Kill Him" at their rallies. A Republican ad featured a picture of Obama with a noose photoshopped in next to his head.

The Republican campaign was despicable, and McCain's choice of a vice presidential candidate whose only qualifications were reactionary religious politics and cleavage was a cynical ploy that fortunately failed. I'm still amazed that 44 million people voted for this ticket considering the ghastly state the country is in after eight years of a Republican administration.

I will post what I please on my own blog, and you are free to go elsewhere if you do not like it.

Nancy said...

The Secret Service has apparently stated that several threats to Mr. Obama's life, and to his family, were received after an opposing candidate accused him of 'palling around with terrorists'.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/sarahpalin/3405336/Sarah-Palin-blamed-by-the-US-Secret-Service-for-death-threats-against-Barack-Obama.html