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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(En)Sign of the Times
Steve Breen, San Diego Union-Tribune
Note
Sorry for the horrendous delay in publishing this diary. I'd been struggling for hours trying to find a minor HTML error among the hundreds of codes I've used, shed most of them, and also had to format and re-format the diary several times.
I apologize in advance for the unusually large number of editorial cartoons and links to newspaper/journal articles in this week's diary. Even after discarding hundreds of cartoons as well as numerous other articles, there were some great ones that I simply could not exclude. You will, I hope, get the full measure of what the Republican Party was really up to this past week and how it fared in the eyes of the leading cartoonists around the country.
I am hopeful that you'll like the below cartoons as much as I did. Fortunately, I'm out on the West Coast for another day and will stick around for an hour or so to respond to your comments
Thanks for reading.
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1. CARTOONS OF THE WEEK
Mike Thompson, Detroit Free Press
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The Death of the "Southern Strategy"
The Republican Party's "Southern Strategy" -- one that had propelled Richard Nixon to the presidency in 1968 and poisoned the minds of the "Silent Majority," thereby allowing the G.O.P to maintain an iron grip on this country's fate for four decades -- died an unexpected death earlier this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Not unlike the end of the Cold War, its sudden death startled even the most astute of political observers for -- to quote the Nobel-Prize-winning poet T.S. Eliot -- it ended "not with a bang but with a whimper". For most historians and constitutionalists, the demise of this despicable political strategy was a huge relief. The republic, they said, will not only endure but continue to thrive and prosper.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings were, by all accounts in the media, expected to be an intense brawl between defenders of the status quo and those sensitive to the changing pluralistic future of this country. Delighting even their fiercest critics, the Republican members of the Committee displayed an astonishing sense and understanding of popular culture, for they frequently alluded to it. The symbolism of Judge Sotomayor's nomination was not lost upon the most hardened of present-day segregationists. True to form, their embrace of the finest traditions of the country -- where all ethnic groups join hands in this melting pot to forge a better future for everyone -- was a change in direction welcomed by one and all.
To see the Republican Party discard a winning political strategy in the heat of the moment must have come as a huge surprise to their ever-growing legion of supporters around this great country of ours -- particularly since this approach had yielded huge dividends as recently as the 2006 and 2008 Elections. But, remaining true to the principles of the Enlightenment, that is exactly what they did. What a shame!
In that respect, the Sotomayor Hearings were a total and an utter disappointment.
Ed Stein, United Media
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The John Roberts All-Star Game
Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Note: see comments by readers to Bennett's cartoon in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
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Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Daily News
Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Stuart Carlson, Universal Press Syndicate
John Sherffius, Boulder Daily Camera
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2. Supreme Buffoonery on Display: The FULL Account of the Sotomayor Hearings
Mark Streeter, Savannah Morning News
Scott Stantis, Birmingham News
Dwane Powell, Raleigh News and Observer
Mike Keefe, Denver Post
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Ben Sargent, Universal Press Syndicate
Even if I tried my best, I couldn't have summarized my thoughts any better than Eugene Robinson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist of the Washington Post, who takes the Senate Republicans -- sitting in judgment of Federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor's qualifications to move up to the Supreme Court of the United States -- to task in this brilliant Op-ed piece
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Whose Identity Politics?
The only real suspense in the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is whether the Republican Party will persist in tying its fortunes to an anachronistic claim of white male exceptionalism and privilege.
Republicans' outrage, both real and feigned, at Sotomayor's musings about how her identity as a "wise Latina" might affect her judicial decisions is based on a flawed assumption: that whiteness and maleness are not themselves facets of a distinct identity. Being white and male is seen instead as a neutral condition, the natural order of things. Any "identity" -- black, brown, female, gay, whatever -- has to be judged against this supposedly "objective" standard...
Yes, justice is supposed to be blind. But for most of our nation's history, it hasn't been -- and women and minorities are acutely aware of how our view of justice has evolved, or been forced to evolve. Women and minorities are also key Democratic Party constituencies, and if the Republican Party is going to be competitive, it can't be seen as the party of white male grievance -- especially in what is almost certainly a lost cause. Democrats, after all, have the votes to confirm Sotomayor.
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Here's a slightly different take on the same issue and breakdown of justices by religious affiliation from Andrew Sullivan's blog, The Daily Dish along with a complete list of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1789.
Henry Payne, Detroit News
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Jack Ohman, Portland Oregonian
David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader
Matt Davies, New York Journal News
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune
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Steve Benson, Arizona Republic
Drew Sheneman, Newark Star-Ledger
Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star Tribune
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star
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The highlight of the hearings was the condescending remark made by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) in which he did his best Ricky Ricardo impression.
As you can expect -- and given their understanding of Latino culture in this country -- the Republicans aka the 'Anglo Gang' thought Ricky was Puerto Rican and immediately got up and did a song from West Side Story.
Judge Sotomayor was rather befuddled at their spontaneous reaction. I'm sure she was saying to herself, "These morons have some 'splaining to do!"
R.J. Matson, New York Observer
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Pat Oliphant, Universal Press Syndicate
David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Taylor Jones, El Nuevo Dia (Puerto Rico)
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star
Lalo Alcaraz, L.A. Weekly
Note: above cartoon first posted on Daily Kos by Kossack peace voter.
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Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News
John Cole, Scranton Times-Tribune
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Marshall Ramsey, Clarion-Ledger (MS)
Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Streeter, Savannah Morning News
Jerry Holbert, Boston Herald
R.J. Matson, Roll Call
Walt Handelsman, Newsday
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Read more on how the Senate Republicans did during their questioning of Judge Sonia Sotomayor and whether most liberals ought to be happy with her nomination
- See this priceless quote by Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) during the hearings, as reported in 'Political Wire.'
- 'Little for Liberals in Confirmation Hearings' in the Washington Post.
- 'They Got Some Splainin to Do' in the New York Times. Excellent Op-ed piece by columnist Frank Rich.
- 'The GOP's Sotomayor Sinkhole' in the Washington Post, a must-read article in which columnist Kathleen Parker mocks clueless Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
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4. Today's GOP: Not Your Father's Republican Party
Lloyd Dangle, Troubletown
Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News
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Mikhaela Reid, Alternative Weeklies
Tom Tomorrow, This Modern World
Jack Ohman, Portland Oregonian
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David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star
Robert Ariail, Comics.com
Matt Davies, New York Journal News
Chip Bok, Akron Beacon-Journal
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons
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Monte Wolverton, Cagle Cartoons
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Read more about the ongoing adventures of Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK), Senator John Ensign (R-NV), and Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) in the below articles
- 'Poll: Most Say Palin Resigned To Help Her Career' in a new CBS News Poll.
- 'Sarah Palin, Inc.' in the Boston Phoenix.
- 'We'll Always Have Wasilla' in the American Prospect.
- 'Fey Earns Emmy Nomination' in Political Wire, with a couple of memorable clips of Tina Fey's impersonation of Sarah Palin from this past season on 'Saturday Night Live.'
- 'John Ensign Linked To "Do-it-Yourself Exorcism" Movement' in the Huffington Post.
- 'Another "C Street" Affair Uncovered' in Political Wire, citing a couple of sources in 'Congressional Quarterly' and 'Talking Points Memo.'
- 'Ensign to Stay in Senate, Seek Reelection' in the Las Vegas Sun.
- 'Some Worry Ensign Saga Not Over' in several sources through Political Wire.
- 'New Poll Reveals Ensign's Status Sinking' in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- 'SC Gov Skips State Meetings For Trip With Wife' in Fox Carolina.
- 'Media Woo the Appalachian Tale' in the Washington Post.
- 'Sanford Traveled Well on Taxpayers' Dime' in the Politico.
- 'Sanford: An Apology, and a Pledge' in this editorial from the State newspaper in South Carolina.
- 'The Winger Media Shows Its Teeth' in Harper's Magazine.
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4. The CIA/Dick Cheney Secret Program Investigation
My Own Private Idaho Wyoming
Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com
Dwayne Booth, Mr. Fish, Harpers.org
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Rob Rogers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Signe Wilkinson, Signe Wilkinson
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
Jack Ohman, Portland Oregonian
Mike Keefe, Denver Post
Pat Oliphant, Universal Press Syndicate
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Read more about the role played by Dick Cheney in failing to inform the U.S. Congress of a secret C.I.A. program
- 'Dick Cheney Hid Plans to Kill al-Qaida Operatives Abroad' in the Guardian newspaper from the U.K.
- 'The Cheney Gang' in the Nation magazine.
- 'Schakowsky: CIA Investigation Will Go Deeper Than Cheney's Program' in the Huffington Post.
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5. Barack Obama and Three Huge Policy Issues: Economy, Healthcare, and Climate Change
Stuart Carlson, Universal Press Syndicate
Kirk Walters, Toledo Blade
Kevin Kallaugher (KAL), The Economist (U.K)
Walt Handelsman, Newsday
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Dana Summers, Orlando Sentinel
Paul Szep, Creators Syndicate
Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader
David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Pat Oliphant, Universal Press Syndicate
Jeff Parker, Florida Today
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Dana Summers, Orlando Sentinel
Tony Auth, Philadelphia Inquirer
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Read more about these important issues
- 'Obama Numbers Follow The Economy' in National Journal.
- 'Health Reform: The Fateful Moment' in the New York Review of Books.
- 'Life and Death in the Climate Change Debate' in the American Prospect.
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6. Foreign Concerns: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
Arend van Dam, arendvandam.com (Netherlands)
David Horsey, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Paresh Nath, Khaleej Times (UAE)
Paresh Nath, Khaleej Times (UAE)
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Read more about issues in the above countries
- 'Tipping Point in Tehran: A Gathering Opposition Faces a Weakened Regime' in the Washington Post.
- 'Winning the Good War: Why Afghanistan is not Obama’s Vietnam' in the Washington Monthly.
- 'Diary: Tariq Ali,' an excellent article in the London Review of Books.
- 'Where the Real Fight Is: Why Pakistan, not Afghanistan, should be the focus of Obama's war on terror' in Foreign Policy magazine.
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7. From Moon Landings to Moonwalks
With the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing coming up on July 20th, I was reminded of the time when I had the pleasure of meeting in the 1980's one of the three astronauts who had made this historic space journey, Major General Michael Collins. Living in the Washington, D.C. area at the time, he was as nice as he could be and recognized that for me it was the thrill of a lifetime. He calmly answered a few of my questions and all through our brief conversation, I was simply in awe of what he, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin had achieved in 1969.
Aldrin wrote an Op-ed in the Washington Post which echoed JFK's below challenge for this country to reach for the stars, be bold, and dream again. In fact, Aldrin called for expanding our space horizons and to establish a colony on Mars
We Choose to Go to the Moon
There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon... we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.
President John F. Kennedy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, September 12, 1962.
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Jeff Parker, Florida Today
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Read more of Buzz Aldrin's Op-ed piece in the Washington Post
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Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Fly Me to the Moon
Mark Streeter, Savannah Morning News
Dana Summers, Orlando Sentinel
Stephane Peray, The Nation (Bangkok, Thailand)
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Read more about the impact of the 1969 Moon Landing in
- 'Moon Landing Inspired Generation of Achievers' in the Calgary Herald.
- 'Let's Reach for The Stars Again' in this wonderful Op-ed piece in the 'Outlook' section of the Washington Post
- 'Moon Landing Giant Step in View of Earth' in this editorial from the New Zealand Herald.
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8. For Harry Potter, By Harry Potter, and Of Harry Potter
Have you seen the new Harry Potter movie?
Jeff Stahler, Columbus Dispatch
Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Catch up on your reading about the new Harry Potter movie
- Gray Skies: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "In the Loop" in the New Yorker.
- 'Loving Harry, Hogwarts and All' in Newsweek.
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9. Wall Street Bonuses: Socialism - Goldman Sachs Style
Stuart Carlson, Universal Press Syndicate
Bruce Beattie, Daytona News-Journal
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Read more about these financial bandits
- Wall Street bonuses are back!!! in the Florida Sun-Sentinel by cartoonist Chan Lowe.
- 'Goldman Wins, Workers Lose' in the Nation magazine.
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10. Reinventing Morality: The "New, New" Moral Majority
Get ready for the new hip, moral majority as Ralph Reed will attempt to resuscitate the Christian Coalition
Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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11. That's the Way it Was: R.I.P Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite: A Life Well Lived
Walter Cronkite was a journalist of unimpeachable integrity who retained a passion for actual reporting even while sitting in the television anchor's chair.
His was a style based on focusing on facts and leaving his personal opinions out of the mix. In the values of decency, good manners, and gentle humor he projected, he reminded me of two others sons of the Midwest who were prominent in the television industry: Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett.
He was one of a kind in another respect. Alone perhaps among prominent public figures either in politics or the media, he had a stylish moustache which only added to his aura of credibility.
His passing is a great loss for the nation.
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Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com
David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star
Steve Greenberg, Freelance Cartoonist
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Read the tributes to this great man
- 'And That's the Way Cronkite Was...' by Tom Shales in the Washington Post.
- 'Walter Cronkite: Definitional Journalist Saw Big Media's Flaws' in the Nation magazine.
- 'The Most Trusted Man in America' in CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
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12. Final Thoughts
Finally, does your cat get along with your dog and if so, is it a natural act?
Unnatural Act
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
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A Note About the Diary Poll
Jeff Stahler, Columbus Dispatch
For all the Republicans who criticized Judge Sotomayor's nomination as an affirmative action hire (though she is supremely qualified), they ought to refresh their memory about the selection of Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush
Clarence Thomas has lived a life riddled with irony and contradictions. Although he has opposed racial preference and affirmative action programs, he nonetheless benefited from them. As a young student, Thomas entered the College of the Holy Cross, a Jesuit institution in Massachusetts, after the school began a black recruitment program. Thomas was the beneficiary of a similar minority program a few years later at Yale Law School. As a young lawyer, Thomas aimed at a career outside the ambit of civil rights. However, for his effort, he earned appointment as the heard of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And racial preference ultimately explained Thomas's appointment to the Supreme Court. Although President George Bush stated that he chose Thomas for his legal qualifications, it would take conscious effort to ignore the political pressures on Bush to name a black candidate after the retirement of Thurgood Marshall, the Court's first and only black justice.
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