This is Historic Times » Democrat

Platforms

deephurting — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:07:23 +0000

While my own, personal feelings on the execution of Osama Bin Laden weren’t quite as black-and-white as most, it’s inarguable that it was a major political victory for the Obama Administration, from the perspective of the American electorate. This is why I find it ridiculous that practically every candidate in the Republican Primary (with the exception of Ron Paul) apparently insists on sticking with the ol’ Conservative standby, “[Democratic candidate] is weak on defense!”

Are they planning on using this line in the eventual debates with the President? All he has to do in response is hold up a copy of one of the most-viral images of 2011. It’d be like yielding the floor for Obama to crow about presiding over Bin Laden’s death in whatever terms he wants, except worse because at least the latter strategy might make him look like a braggart, as opposed to merely responding to his opponent.

The tradition of attacking Democrats for being “weak on defense” goes back to at least Reagan/Carter, and I figure it’s at least as old as the Democratic tactic of calling Republicans dangerous warmongers. The truth is that Presidents from both parties have been excessively and overzealously attentive towards military force for far longer than I’ve been alive–a look at the “defense” portion of the federal budget clearly confirms that. Republicans on the campaign trail this cycle have asserted that Obama has cut the defense budget, which is not true: In fact, all his Administration has done (by request of the Pentagon itself, if I’m not mistaken) has been to ease back on the rate at which the defense budget will be allowed to grow. Growth, however, remains assured.

If the artwork in this cartoon looks any different, it’s because I got the stylus for my new Wacom back, which I’d previously left on a friend’s coffee table in Bellingham, Washington. I’m hoping this’ll eventually lead to a more painterly style in my coloring, though I am definitely still getting the hang of even the basics.

Fox (News) Retakes (Hen) House!

deephurting — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:24:31 +0000

I was planning a different cartoon for Election Day, but developed the above idea before finishing it, and decided it’d be better, and that the one I was planning would stay more relevant for a bit longer. So I set the other cartoon aside and drew this one up first.

The news that the GOP has retaken control of the House of Representatives is hardly surprising, and it’s not as if the Democrats were doing anything they were put there to do. Of course, Republicans are sure to put the brakes on any progress that was being made, tortoise-like though it was. That’s what the insane loudmouths in the tea party demand, after all (that, and increased persecution and/or enslavement of anybody who isn’t a Straight White Christian Male).

I thought this cartoon would be a clever and meaningful way to sum up the election results, since it compares Democrats to chickens, compares Republicans to a well-known destructive farm pest (which happens to be one of several unfortunate symbols they’ve chosen to represent themselves), and compares the electorate to a senile old hillbilly farmer.

I’m planning on sending this cartoon out to a few newspapers, to see if any of them are interested in carrying it, since I haven’t really seen anything on the topic that’s better. If you live in a city with a big paper (especially one with a national edition), you can help me out by suggesting they pick this cartoon up, since it’ll probably mean more to them coming from a reader than it will coming from the artist himself.

Loose Cannon

deephurting — Thu, 06 May 2010 11:36:48 +0000

The Hate of Our Union is Strong

deephurting — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:19:14 +0000

Those of you who visited this site yesterday may have seen a slightly different version of this cartoon. There were a few things in it that I was unsatisfied with, and some comments indicated they were causing reader confusion, so I redrew the entire thing from scratch–something I don’t often do. I have to say, I’m much happier with this version, though I lost some nice, chunky brushwork that was on the figures in the other one.

Besides that, I had one other approach to this cartoon which didn’t get beyond the sketch stage. I felt it characterized the situation a little more accurately and powerfully than this one does, but I also felt it cheapened what women in abusive relationships go through by comparing that to political posturing. You can see the sketch by clicking here. The approach I fully developed is more even-handed, and doesn’t make me as uncomfortable, despite using similar themes. What do you think? Did I make the right choice, or should I have developed the other sketch instead?

Inaction Comics

deephurting — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:39:04 +0000

Have a Chipper Christmas

deephurting — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:47:25 +0000

Back when I drew “Chain of Command,” quite a few people correctly observed that the cartoon was more kind to the Democrats than it should have been. Many Democrats in the federal government, if not most, seem to be complicit with their Republican counterparts in making whatever healthcare reform passes as meaningless and irrelevant as possible, reducing it to nothing more than another cash handout for the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries while ignoring those who need access to affordable healthcare the most.

The Democrats in Congress and the White House right now were put there to make healthcare reform happen, but instead of meeting their responsibilities, they’ve chosen to gut them, so as to keep from upsetting corporate donors and idiots who want them dead no matter what they do. This is political suicide, as the above cartoon depicts.

Chain of Command

deephurting — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:36:19 +0000

Knick-Knack Paddiwhack

pokeyman — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:21:54 +0000