This story shouldn't surpirse us, I've been accusing the GOP of capitalizing on our fears for a long time. This story deserved a cartoon so much, I made one in English AND one in Spanish too.

RNC document mocks donors, plays on 'fear'

The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to "save the country from trending toward socialism."

The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.”

The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said.

Lies (and the lying liars who tell them)

lies- canned lies - talking points - inflammatory lies - distortions - mischaracterizations - propaganda - genuflection to the base -more lies - horror stories -misrepresentations -towing the party line -little white lies - fear mongering -hyperbole -

Ya know, I used to kinda like Chuck Grassley. He's always been a sightly more reasonable than Congressman Steve King, but Geez- he's just gone off the rails with this one.

Pucker Up, Butter-Cup

Their job, to make him look bad

Call it a preemptive strike. I don't know how long the honeymoon will last, and I want to try to keep an open mind and be willing to be critical when he does mess up, but you know the day will come when this cartoon is totally applicable, for all we know it may even be Wednesday already. I heard Newt Gingrich on NPR this morning and yadda yadda yadda, Republicans need to blame Bush, but we can't let the "LIBERAL" Democrats get away with too much, yadda yadda, position-himself-for-2012.

Deregulation run amuck

And we wonder why we wound up with a "culture of corruption."

Politics; the Republican coalition

There, less is more, right? I like this version a lot better. PLUS, this time I spelled "Strange" with an "r."

Politics; in bed with the Devil

I've wanted to do this one for a while, but couldn't find our copy of Hop on Pop.

This is the crux of all I believe about the Republican Party. Not Republicans themselves, mind you. Many of my closest friends and best loved relatives are Republicans, but let's face it- as the cartoon points out, those religious and social conservatives are "in bed" with corrupt corporatism, and plenty of other unsavory characters.

This cartoon is how I see it. You're certainly entitled to disagree, the point is just to make you think.

Yet, I'm not sure I'm happy with how it came out. I may take another stab at it soon- plus I'd kind of like to develop this post into something for my writing blog. But for now, I was able to let off the steam a little.

I tried to appeal to their 'better angels,' but they wouldn't have it

No kidding, I reached out to right-winger friends on my main blog and on Facebook, and was met with a great deal of venom and bitterness. Obviously, if we're going to heal as a nation or cooperate across party lines, those of us on the left are going to have to give those on the right a while to cool off and get over their defeat.

On the editorial cartoon aficionado front, I've already noticed many more conservative cartoons on the American Association of Editorial Cartoonist (AAEC) website. Perhaps it's just as well that I didn't get anywhere as a political cartoonist, because Ed. Cartoonists are by definition members of the oposition and I'm just gullible enough to actually want to give hope a chance.

Foreign oil may lead to extinctions

He ACTUALLY said this, in New Orleans of all places!

Didn't Samsonite used to have a gorilla?

Editorial cartoon for the January 31 Mapleton PRESS

Whew! This took a while. The stupid Clintons constantly attacking Obama was too easy, like shooting fish in a barrel- everybody's doing it. I thought about a roller-coaster for the stock market, but I've seen a lot of people do that one too. So then I got to thinking about a conversation with a very dear "moderate" (recovering-Republican) friend the other day. He hates Bush and likes Obama best, but figures that any of the Republican candidates will do better than Bush did and fears that Hillary is a dangerous power-hungry freak. Granted, he's probably right, but I still have a tuck load of reasons not to vote for any kind of elephant. Thus, this cartoon.

Super Hero, or super villian?

Celebrating the new majority

Licking their chops

Red Herring

Sort of a pet peeve of mine; emotional wedge issues that distract from genuine policy issues. Grrrr

This was the first cartoon in about a 2 year run for the small stable of newspapers in Western Iowa. First in the Charter Oak-Ute Newspaper and Schleswig Leader, printed by Lyon Publishing. The Lyons sold their three papers to Enterprise Publishing, who's HQ is in Blair NE. Eventually Enterprise folded the NEWSpaper and the Leader into their parent paper, the Mapleton PRESS, but they began running my column & cartoon in the PRESS.

Holy Rollers

Way back in college (a Lutheran college no less), I had a problem with the hypocrisies of the religious right (which is neither).

Who needs revenue anyway?

I don't know the actual date in 1992 when this one ran in my college newspaper, 'the Sower' but I love the elephant I drew. Funny how 16 years later Republicans still claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility and try to make people fear how Democrats will tax and spend when they've been cutting taxes for the filthy rich and screwing the rest of us since 1981!