Cartoons: riding the coal train

Of last week's news, the plan to privatize of air traffic control looked the most scary. The Atlantic asks: Is Trump’s Plan to Privatize Air-Traffic Control a Good Idea?

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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Quitting the Paris Climate Accord is probably the more scary. Reuters reported in April that U.S. coal companies ask Trump to stick with Paris climate deal. The companies' reason was to advocate for coal in a global market.

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Steve Sack, The Week

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And here's a little vocabulary lesson from cartoonist Adam Zyglis.

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Adam Zyglis, The Week

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My apologies for not posting last week--couldn't find anything that spoke to me.

-- Marge

Cartoons: White House anomalies

So far we've seen a number of events and actions coming from and related to the White House that just don't make sense and/or look fishy.

Trump's trips to Mar-a-Lago and their estimated cost are still an unknown, but they look pretty pricey. The sheriff of the local police department says his department has accrued $1.5 million in overtime costs and he thinks the Feds will reimburse him.

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Bill Day, The Week

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Cartoonist Tom Toles suggests that Trump's infrastruction plan includes privatizing national monuments. Seems plausible to me.

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Tom Toles, The Week

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Meanwhile the U.S.S. Carl Vinson may have made an illegal left turn, maybe not.

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Nate Beeler, The Week

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For sure, many Trump products for sale were not manufactured in the U.S.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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In closing, here are some basic truths about the U.S. vs. Korea matter.

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Drew Sheneman, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: the big-time operators' tactics

You've probably guessed by now that I see Republicans' tactics as anathema to the well-being of America. Author Robin Abcarian quotes Allen Frances, who recently joined the Democratic Party, in President Trump is a 'world class narcissist,' but he's not mentally ill, says the psychiatrist who helped define narcissism:

Until recently, he said, “I would not have felt wedded to either party, but my highest political principle is fairness. Republicans do everything to rig the system against fairness. I don’t have personal love for the Democratic Party, but it’s the last salvation against the Dark Age.”

My thoughts exactly.

Here are some observations by cartoonists on the Republican approach to repealing Obamacare (AKA the Affordable Care Act).

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David Fitzsimmons, The Week

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Joe Heller, The Week

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And this little gem sums up Republicans' economic approach well.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: America Trumped

Well, the Trumping of America is well underway and it looks bad.

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Mike Luckovich, The Week

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Michael Ramirez, The Week

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Tom Toles, The Week

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Adam Zyglis, The Week

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Do say a prayer in support of the Hamilton Electors (Note: Breitbart says the author Philip Bump is a liar).

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: draining the swamp

The newspaper called The Hill "has the largest circulation of any Capitol Hill publication, with more than 24,000 print readers (Wikipedia)." It has been labelled by some as conservative--see its Wikipedia Talk Page. At any rate it recently published an article about Trump's "now famous pledge to 'Drain the Swamp' of unethical practices in our nation’s capital." The article describes an existing tool for keeping the swamp clean that is little used, "America’s unknown government watchdogs in the Inspector General community."

By law, they are nonpartisan and apolitical and cannot be hired or fired without legislative checks and balances, or at least 2/3rds vote of their oversight board. They combine both investigative and auditing capabilities, and unlike law enforcement agencies who merely investigate crimes for potential prosecution(s); IGs also identify wasteful or unethical practices and make corrective action plans to assure that a policy or procedure didn’t somehow contribute to waste, fraud, or abuse.

... Currently, a shocking 11 out of the 36 Inspectors General appointees in the federal government remain vacant or in an interim status, some for over a thousand days due to a failure for the white house to appoint and/or the senate to confirm a nominee.

This is largely due to the IG community languishing in obscurity, since they have to remain apolitical and impartial, they get no media attention. This obscurity hinders public knowledge that Inspectors General have been trying to “Drain the Swamp” for [sic] throughout their respective existence.

The question today: Will Trump's swamp be any better?

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Pat Bagley, The Week

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Where is there room in our government for White Racists?

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Drew Sheneman, The Week

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In conclusion--

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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And so the war continues.

-- Marge

Cartoons: it's definitely over

Here are three cartoons looking at the aftermath of the 2016 election.

As you know, while Hillary got the most votes, Trump got the most electoral votes. There's talk of ending the Electoral College system, but do you really think that a government controlled by Republicans, who used the electoral votes so well to their advantage, will do anything to end it? Don't even get me started on Republican gerrymandering; in my view that's voter fraud. Meanwhile, the GOP is just as dysfunctional as it was before the election, so let them stew in their own juices. Let us non-Republicans vow to speak out when needed.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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Marshall Ramsey, The Week

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David Horsey, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoon: it's almost over!

Vote next Tuesday, if you haven't already.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: It's Trump's Republican Party Now

At the beginning of the GOP convention it may have been this:

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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Now it's this: (Nice play on Grant Wood's "American Gothic," RJ.)

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RJ Matson, The Week

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Somewhere along the way dissenting Republicans got booted:

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Dana Summers, The Week

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A-n-d It’s Donald Trump’s Republican Party Now. Don't you just love the butt heart?

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Michael Ramirez, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: who you gonna turn to?

It's beginning to look like all systems everywhere are rigged. Is that paranoia? If so, I got it.

If Trump lived on Jupiter, this is what he'd say.

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David Fitzsimmons, The Week

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Even if the Republicans lose the presidential election, there's still their jerry-rigged, uhm gerrymandered, systems that falsely represent the voters. BTW, the symbol on the table in front of Trump is an altered one for the KKK according to Forbidden Symbols.

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Bob Englehart, The Week

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So, who's winning in the presidential race? Does it really matter?

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: thwip, thwack and ping

Today I'm riffing on the US's do-nothing Congress, the NRA, the GOP's victimhood (they earned it), and internet trolls.

Nate Beeler at the Columbus Dispatch makes a subtle comment on U.S. gun control. A copy is available for sale at Cagle's Political Cartoons.

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Nate Beeler, The Week

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Steve Sack at the Star Tribune makes it clear that the NRA is a carrion-eating buzzard feeding the Congressional pigeons. A copy is available for sale at Cagle's Political Cartoons.

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Steve Sack, The Week

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Independent cartoonist Chan Lowe at Tribune Content Agency brings up a good point about the GOP.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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David Horsey at the Los Angeles Times defines troll for us. He can also be found at Tribune Content Agency.

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David Horsey, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoon: RIP GOP

Just one cartoon today. Take a look at Time Magazine's How the GOP is Dealing With Donald Trump’s Nomination.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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--Marge

Cartoons: Ted + Carly, no Ted + John, no Bernie?

Well, the 2016 presidential campaign rages on and possible election candidates are beginning to pick running partners -- at least on the Republican side. Bernie seems to be losing ground fast. And the homeless are just keepin' on, keepin' on.

For the latest polls, check out Real Clear Politics' ePolls. For election news, check out the NY Times Politics page. There's also Who Is Running for President?

Here's what some of the cartoonist have to say.

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Steve Sack, The Week

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Pat Bagley*, The Week

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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Pat Bagley*, The Week

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*Watch Pat Bagley draw a cartoon!


-- Marge

Cartoons: giving refuge

Today's mix is about the Syrian refugees and the US's refusal to admit them; it also questions who/ what the real security threats are.

The Syrians really need a safe space, mostly from politics and provocateurs.

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Nate Beeler, The Week

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The view of the GOP's City upon a hill is definitely dark.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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Hey, Congress, while you're debating how to vet security threats from refugees, how about looking at the real and present threats from within.

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Tom Toles, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: only the 2016 GOP presidential race is funny (and that not so much)

Today's comments include Bernie Sanders on climate change and terrorism, ISIS, a no-Syrians policy in America, innocent Muslim bystanders, and the 2012 vs. 2015 presidential races.

While some scoff, Bernie has a good point and doubles down on [the] climate change-terrorism link in a CBS news piece, which reported:

"If we are going to see an increase in drought, in flood, and extreme weather disturbances as a result of climate change, what that means is that people all over the world are going to be fighting over limited natural resources," the Vermont senator said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," elaborating on an argument he made during the CBS News Democratic debate Saturday night. "If there is not enough water, if there is not enough land to grow your crops, then you're going to see migrations of people fighting over land that will sustain them. And that will lead to international conflict."

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Chip Bok, The Week

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I must admit it feels good to reduce ISIS to cockroaches.

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David Horsey, The Week

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The New York Times reports: G.O.P. Governors Vow to Close Doors to Syrian Refugees. I take exception to the word 'prudent' in the video; sounds like doublespeak to me.

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Jack Ohman, The Week

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Molenbeek, a Muslim community in Belgium, is where Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected architect of the Paris attacks, lived. The residents of  Molenbeek are telling us, 'We are not terrorists'.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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I keep wondering, if I were to vote for a Republican candidate, who could I possibly vote for?

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John Cole, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: finding truth and the sane alternative

Many of this week's cartoons are about Hillary and Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi. And Jeb. One or two are about Star Wars: the Force Awakens, due out in December.

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Dana Summers, The Week

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Pat Bagley, The Week

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Mike Luckovich, The Week

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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-- Marge