More on Obama's shift to the right...

I've been playing a ton of poker lately, so no matter how much thought I put into this week's 'toon, it was always gonna be about poker. It just so happened to fit what Obama's been doing lately...

Articles n' things:

• As usual, Glenn Greenwald is spot-on:
  

  The central problem is that if Democrats embrace the GOP framework of National Security -- that "Strength" means what the GOP says it means -- then that framework gets enforced and perpetuated, and it's a framework within which Democrats can't possibly win, because Republicans will always "out-Strength" Democrats within that framework. It's only by challenging and disputing the underlying premises can Democrats change the way that "strength" and "weakness" are understood.
  ...
  Drawing a clear distinction with the deeply unpopular GOP is how Democrats look strong. The advice that they should "move to the center" and copy Republicans is guaranteed to make them look weak -- because it is weak. It's the definition of weakness.
  The most distinctive and potent -- one could even say exciting -- aspect of Obama's campaign had been his aggressive refusal to accept GOP pieties on National Security, his insistence that the GOP would lose -- and should lose -- debates over who is "stronger" and more "patriotic" and who will keep us more safe
  

  
  
• Makes you wonder if Obama's critics on the left are correct, that his public persona is masking the fact that he's not all that great on the issues after all. In contrast, Ralph Nader is often portrayed in a negative light, but the man is consistent... and he always makes a few good points:
  

  The corporations are pulling Obama every day, every day, twenty-four/seven, in their direction. If all these liberal groups with all their single issues are not pulling in the other direction, where do you think the Democratic Party and the nominee is going to go? Even if they’re elected, they won’t have any mandate.

  
  
• It's not just what Obama has been saying, but who he's saying it to.
  
  On late-term abortion:
  

  In an interview this week with "Relevant," a Christian magazine, Obama said prohibitions on late-term abortions must contain "a strict, well defined exception for the health of the mother." Obama then added: "Now, I don't think that 'mental distress' qualifies as the health of the mother..."
  

  On free trade:
  

  Obama's interview with Fortune magazine -- headlined "Obama: NAFTA Not So Bad After All" -- is the best news the McCain camp has received since Mike Huckabee folded his run for the Republican nomination.

  On faith-based initiatives:
  

  On June 10, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama convened a meeting in a law office in downtown Chicago with a wide array of about thirty evangelical leaders, in an unprecedented effort to win their support.

  How many "liberal" groups or publications has he pandered to lately? Aren't we supposed to be his base or something? And what the hell is up with the timing, here? Don't he and his advisers realize just how fast his base will leave him if he keeps acting like John Kerry?
  
  The most common reason given for overlooking these betrayals is: we can't afford to have another Republican-appointed member of the Supreme Court. But can we really trust Obama to pick a friendly Justice either? One thing's for sure: he better turn it around quick. His base is paying attention, and they'll desert him in a hurry if he stops representing them on the issues.
  
  

Fighting Words: 7/7/08 Cartoon...

"World Cup of Poker: 2008 Main Event"...


Previous episode:

More on Supreme Court cases, Clarence Thomas' book...

Articles for this week's 'toon:

• The Supreme Court reconvened last Monday, for what will most likely be another ugly term. You may recall, the most contentious cases from the last term were Parents Involved (public school integration), the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case (free speech), Ledbetter (pay discrimination based on gender), and Gonzales v. Carhart (abortion; see previous cartoon), the last two of which moved Justice Ginsburg to read her dissents aloud from the bench. Justice Breyer has accused the Roberts Court's conservative bloc of flouting stare decisis, and Arlen Specter claims there's going to be a Senate investigation of the decisions and of Roberts' and Alito's answers during their confirmation hearings.
  
  The upcoming docket should be a real doozy, though. The court will be answering questions on, among other issues, the Military Commissions Act (whether federal courts have jurisdiction over habeas corpus petitions filed by Guantanamo detainees) and capital punishment (whether common lethal injection is "cruel and unusual" under the Eighth Amendment). Needless to say, stay tuned...


• So Clarence Thomas has released his memoirs. Reportedly, within these pages he rehashes his infamous claims of racism in his 1991 confirmation hearings, compares himself to Tom Robinson from To Kill A Mockingbird, and comes off as extraordinarily bitter and slightly deranged (which is always good from a Supreme Court justice).
  
  Of course, among the first stops on his promotional tour was Sean Hannity's show (on the network owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns the book publisher that gave Thomas a $1.5 million advance for his work) and a visit with his good buddy Rush Limbaugh (whose third marriage, which has already ended in divorce, was officiated by Thomas). So much for a sitting justice avoiding the "appearance of impropriety."


• The always tactful Justice Scalia on Bush v. Gore back in January:
  

  "It's water over the deck — get over it."

  
  Meanwhile, Jeffrey Toobin reveals that Justice Souter seriously considered resigning after the decision was handed down.


• The last square was a reference to the situation with renowned legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, who was hired to be the dean of the new law school at UC Irvine, then fired for being "too politically controversial" (specifically, he wrote an op-ed criticizing Alberto Gonzales, although he's well-known for his commentary from the left), then rehired. I included this in the cartoon mainly to compare and contrast Chemerinsky's supposedly "controversial" actions with the behavior of the above justices.

Something occurred to me this week about doing caricatures of Supreme Court justices. Politicians may come and go... I'll probably have to stop talking about Bush and Cheney someday. But I can keep making fun of Scalia and Thomas FOREVER.

Sweet.

Fighting Words: 10/8/07 Cartoon...

"The New American Law School Curriculum"...

More on Consumerism, Economic Inequality...

I'm pretty busy with a number of things right now, including getting ready to take off for Stumptown Comics Fest this weekend in Portland. I'll be doing a panel with Ted Rall, Matt Bors, Shannon Wheeler, Barry Deutsch, and Stephanie McMillan.

So, here's a very quick list of articles for this week's toon (which is a shame because some of them are damn good, and I'd love to blather on for a while... do yourself a favor and check them out):

• See especially a really great piece by Bill McKibbon in Mother Jones called "Reversal of Fortune," about Americans' relentless accumulation of wealth and the correlation (or lack thereof) with just how happy we are.
  
  At the other end of the spectrum? "Freegans."


• Paul Krugman argues that the administration's real goal this whole time has been simply to further economic inequality in America, and to find new ways to disenfranchise poor people. I agree.


• Naomi Klein argues that the system that some fundamentalist capitalists (e.g. followers of Milton Friedman) seek in the United States not really capitalism at all, but rather corporatism. I agree with her, too.


• Check out some great info on the modern-day scam of college loans:
  

  Median household incomes fell 2 percent between 2000 and 2006.
  
  Ccollege tuition rose 37 percent over the same period...
  
  The cost of private college is 57 percent of a median household income. That means that if a family with two children wants to send both kids to private college, it costs 114 percent of the household income...
  
  The behemoth Sallie Mae Corporation, manager of $123 billion in student loans, contributed $2.8 million to political campaigns between 1994 and 2006, two-thirds to Republicans.
  
  Sallie Mae’s profits nearly tripled from 2000 to 2006, from $500 million to $1.4 billion.
  
  ...Sallie Mae has one of the highest returns on revenue in the Fortune 500.
  But the government still subsidizes the interest rate and guarantees against default. No wonder Sallie is so happy.
  

  
  I found this especially interesting since I owe Sallie Mae a significant chunk of change myself. Congress is trying to pass a relief package to reduce the absurd cost of college tuition these days, but Bush has promised to veto. If he had his way, me and everyone else who's not in the upper .1% would be passing that shit off onto our grandchildren. Thankfully, it looks like he doesn't have the votes to avoid an override.

OK, that wasn't so quick... but you had to see that coming.

Fighting Words: 9/24/07 Cartoon...

"Classic Concentration: Republican Edition"...

More on Congress' Workload...

One paragraph on this week's 'toon, since I'm getting ready to catch a red-eye to Washington D.C. for the big American Association of Editorial Cartoonists 50th anniversary extravaganza...

The 'toon was motivated mainly by this article in The Hill, regarding a survey that they conducted which indicated that very few Senators actually read the NIE on WMDs before they voted for the AUMF. I remembered reading similar articles about the Patriot Act, and then I remembered articles on Congress' latest pay raise and the "new" 5-day work week (including Jack Kingston's quote about Democrats not caring about families). That was quite enough. An interest group called Downsize DC has proposed a bill that would require members of Congress to actually read these rather important documents before deciding whether they support them or not. I can't say that I agree with this group's broader agenda, but its an interesting concept. If it's just not practical to expect them to know exactly what they're voting on... ummm... shouldn't we change the system so it is practical?

OK, I'm off to our nation's capital. I'll bring you back a snow globe or something...

More on abortion, Gonzales v. Carhart...

Very quick list of articles and sources for this week's 'toon, cuz I'm swamped:

• For analysis of the Court's surprise ruling (to me, anyway), check out Lyle Denniston. David Crary predicts the decision will open the floodgates for our more back-assward states to start passing legislation against abortion without any regard for women's health. And, Patrick O'Connor has President Jello-head's quote regarding possible congressional legislation allowing federal funding for abortion-rights or family planning organizations: "I will veto any legislation that... allows taxpayer dollars to be used for the destruction of human life" (except... y'know... if it's used for killin' brown people in Iraq... heh-heh).


• For some excellent commentary on the decision, see Dalia Lithwick, Bonnie Scott Jones, Denniston, Yifat Susskind, and Joanna Grossman and Linda McClain (part one and part two).


• Also, make sure you read Ruth Bader Ginsburg's incredible dissent in this case. It will be referred to in future cases.

Fighting Words: 5/21/07 Cartoon

"The Truth About the Opposite Sex"...

Similar previous 'toon:

More on VA Tech, Gun Control...

Articles for this week's 'toon:

• Personally, I respect the opinions of responsible, sensible hunters and gun owners, but it is logically clear to me that the "right to bear arms" is not a vital constitutional right... on par with, say, the right to free speech. It is a serious public safety issue, and guns are extremely dangerous tools that need to be heavily regulated.
  
  The Brady Campaign's Dennis Henigan debates gun control online, and makes an obvious point:
  

  The innocent victims at Va. Tech. did not die because a young person was deranged. They died because a deranged young person had access to guns. If he had been armed with a knife, or baseball bat, or shampoo bottle, 32 people would not have died.

  See also Alex Koppelman in Salon on why the Democrats dumped gun control from their agenda.


• The 'toon was partially inspired by a quote from an early West Wing episode, my favorite argument that I've ever heard on the gun control debate. It comes after the first season, when white supremacists try to kill Charlie Young and end up hitting Bartlett, and press secretary C.J. is giving a briefing to the White House Press Corps. It underscores perfectly just how preposterous that aspect of the pro-gun argument is:

  There were 36 homicides last night. 480 sexual assaults. 3411 robberies. 3685 aggravated assaults, all at gun point. And if anyone thinks those crimes could have been prevented if the victims themselves had been carrying guns, I only remind you that the President of the United States was shot last night while surrounded by the best-trained armed guards in the history of the world.



• A lot of the rhetoric in the 'toon was drawn from the "Facts" pages for the Brady Campaign and the NRA... the Brady page makes this excellent point:

  Ironically, the NRA forbids its own members from carrying guns into the NRA's national convention, but they want to force the rest of us to let those people carry guns into our schools, restaurants, parks, sports stadiums, streets, and anywhere else they want.

  However, the most valuable thing I read was this priceless "editorial" on the CNN site by Ted Nugent. Reads like it was written by a 5 year-old...

Fighting Words: 4/30/07 Cartoon

"History Machine 2: The N.R.A.'s Moments That Would've Turned Out Differently"...

See the previous episode:

More on Campaign Finance...

Sources and inspirations for this week's 'toon:

• Farhad Manjoo on a proposal by a pair of Yale professors on how to fix campaign finance -- give every American citizen $50 to donate anonymously to candidates of their choice. Among the revelations in this article, the author notes that Hillary Clinton has already announced that she is going to fund her campaign entirely through private contributions, and her rivals are likely to follow suit. Also, Russ Feingold continues to plug away at attempts to fix the system, but his ex-partner in the effort, John McCain (now, of course, himself a candidate for president), seems to have forgotten all about his former crusade.
  
  Check out Russ Baker on the top 10 corporate democratic strategists-for-hire, which shows just how far the Democrats' tentacles reach into the corporate world (despite being the party that is supposed to represent the interests of poor people). See also a couple of FindLaw articles on the Supreme Court's most recent encounters with Buckley and campaign finance reform: McConnell v. FEC and Randall v. Sorrell (with, of course, Scalia and Thomas leading the defense of the "free speech" rights of big money contributors). Finally, some multimedia: check out Bill Moyers' Capitol Crimes, and some NPR reports on campaign finance.


• I've been reading a lot lately about the presidential election of 1896, which many political scientists have considered to be a "realigning" election... I'm going to save most of the links for a later cartoon, but here's a good little article that links it to present-day events. It was the election that marked the birth of modern campaign finance, as William McKinley's campaign manager Mark Hanna appealed heavily to corporations for help in their run against progressive William Jennings Bryan. Hanna's famous quote: "There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I can't remember what the second one is."
  
  Shocker of the century: Hanna is Karl Rove's personal hero...


• Some good articles trying to dissect the Obama phenomenon by Matt Taibbi and Patricia Williams, and one on John McCain's problems with Arizona Republicans by Max Blumenthal.


• If you don't already know about these sites, check out Vote-Smart, Politics 1, and (especially) Open Secrets. Lots of good info on all the candidates, including actual important facts beyond what Hillary's wearing or what Obama's middle name is: e.g. voting records, public statements on important issues, contributor info (w/ background on some of the corporations and their interests), and the top industries contributing to each candidate.

Fighting Words: 2/19/07 Cartoon

"Corporations: Protectors of Free Speech and the Electoral Process"...

Check out the previous "Corporation Guys" episodes:

Oh yeah, I have a blog...

I think the tryptophan has done fogged-up my brain... I totally forgot I had a blog to update. Here are a few articles that have caught my eye, that probably won't end up in cartoons:

• I ain't no "feminist" (not that I disagree with them, it's just not a focus of inquiry for me), but this is pretty messed up. What century is this again?
  
  See also some analysis of the Supreme Court's upcoming decision on the Partial Birth Abortion Act.


• Turns out Seattle isn't so environmentally enlightened after all...
  
  And everybody who spent time in Thanksgiving traffic this week lets out a collective "DUUUUUUHHHHHH".........


• Introducing the new home of the Utah Jazz, EnergySolutions Arena, aka "The Dump"...