Kevin Kallaugher's work for The Sun and The Economist has appeared in more than 100 publications worldwide, including Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Pravda, Krokodil, Daily Yomiuri, The Australian, New York Times, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post. His cartoons are distributed worldwide by Cartoonarts International and the New York Times Syndicate.
© CartoonArts International/CWS - All Rights Reserved.
Jen Sorensen by Jen Sorensen
Steve Kelley by Steve Kelley
Comments (21) (Please sign in to comment)
Respectful Troll said, 3 months ago
While Mr. Kallaugher’s art is great and I love the gist of his message, placing ALL blame on the right is unhelpful, and frankly, untrue. Mr. Limbaugh and Murdoch’s television lobby aside, in the final panel, Uncle Sam should be talking to an elephant AND a donkey whose answer is in one voice. Uncle Sam is not a democrat or a republican, but has become a victim of the partisan machinations of both parties.
Respectfully,
C.
Gary Kleppe said, 3 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Rubbish. The cartoon is absolutely right. It’s the Republicans who’ve been gerrymandering state maps to ridiculous degrees, and it’s the Republicans whose “my way or the highway” approach has completely gummed up the machinery of government.
mikefive said, 3 months ago
@Gary Kleppe
I think that you are forgetting that Harry Reid does a little bit of that “my way or the highway” thing, too.
♦
Although I’m no a fan of gerrymandering in order to get political majorities established, it must be noted that some minorities would not have appropriate representation without gerrymandering.
David
said, 3 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Mr. Kallaugher doesn’t appear to be giving sole blame to the teaparty extremists, panel two shows both sides dividing the pie. I also think it’s reasonable to assume that republicans and democrats would speak with two different voices but with one pupose, the betterment of the US. My opinion is that this comic points directly at a major infeciton of our political process, the failure of the republican party to distance itself from it’s extemist fringe (in fact embraced it) and highlights the deleterious effect on all of us, as shown by a decrepit Uncle Sam.
Respectful Troll said, 3 months ago
@David
The second panel plainly give equal blame to the parties for gerrymandering, David. I failed to mention that, just as Gary Kleppe’s message fails to mention that gerrymandering is practice as old as our nation. While Gary and I might be in agreement as to the rigidity of the GOP over the last 8 years, and the redmapping tactics of the last 4 years, seeing both the elephant and Uncle Sam bowed under the weight of the bugs reminded me of opportunities lost by Ms. Pelosi in 2009 through sheer arrogance in her desire to keep promises to the liberal fringe. If the carpet from which the fabric of our nation is woven is to really survive, both parties have to trim the fringes and tighten the hems. As mikefive says, Mr. Reid has arrogance issues as well. If both parties had chosen new leadership after the recent elections, the dynamic between the parties might be different.
^
Beyond that, I have no disagreement with your well stated comment which I appreciate for the gaps you fill and the tone you bring.
Respectfully,
C.
ossiningaling said, 3 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Yes, gerrymandering is an age-old custom used by both parties for political gain. But the point of this cartoon is that it has gotten to a state where extreme views have taken hold to the detriment of the country. That is, nothing will get done while these obstructionists are in play.
David
said, 3 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Hi C.
We definately see a difference in Pelosi’s political stances. Where you saw arrogance I saw confidence against an antagonistic opposition. I don’t usually watch Bill Maher but while surfing the TV this week I saw a panel discussion with Facebooks CEO, Sheryl Sandberg. It’s a very interesting first hand look into women in power. Worth a view even if you have to ignore Maher’s arrogance :-)
Dave
ahab
said, 3 months ago
@mikefive
Mikefive, I’m fascinated by your assertion that gerrymandering helps minorities get “appropriate” representation. Where can I find that information, or how do you explain that point? I thought gerrymandering was mostly a negative that kept citizens from actually getting a fair say in how they are governed.
Respectful Troll said, 2 months ago
@David
Hello David,
Bill has great panelists but is a legend in his own mind. If I had HBO, I’d watch him for the guests. As the son of a woman who would have been an executive in the 60’s and 70’s if not for the “glass ceiling”, and the father of two daughters – one a GS12, the other a major, I have had a long interest in the way our society maintains its double standard for women. I respect confidence, resolve, and – in executives – constructive criticism and discipline.
In politicians, I expect- even demand- diplomacy.
^
Geo. Washington’s warning about parties is that it would create tribal attitudes that would cause big problems to rise from small and petty grievances. Ms. Pelosi has been in office long enough to know the environment that has existed since the Gingrich revolution. That’s when I first noticed the move towards hatefulness we see now.
^
Mr. Obama’s election could have been a watershed moment and opportunity to mend bridges savaged by they previous 12 years, but I heard her in interviews and read some of her words while she was Speaker and she was neither politic or diplomatic
^.
I can ignore Maher’s arrogance. He’s an entertainer, but our leaders have to lead, and you can’t build consensus with overconfidence and harsh rhetoric
^.
I appreciate your reply and as you point out, it is a matter of how one looks at it. I wish I had seen a better perspective in her perspective back in 2009.
Respectfully,
C.
SkepticCal said, 2 months ago
Benghazi – six months today.
.
Barack Obama, what did you know and when did you know it?
David
said, 2 months ago
@SkepticCal
The only people who consider that an important question still don’t understand the difference between today’s weather and climate change, or reality vs. fantasy for that matter…
David
said, 2 months ago
@Respectful Troll
We’ll have to agree to disagree. Speaker Pelosi is a team player so I’m confident she was playing her role in the way her gender allowed. Also, I might have found a link to the Maher/Sandberg video (I haven’t watched this video but the date seems right) :
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/10/arianna-bill-maher-women-power_n_2849457.html
Ms. Ima said, 2 months ago
@David
You can’t tax weather, but if you can blame man and call it climate change, then the money falls like mana from the heavens!
Respectful Troll said, 2 months ago
@David
No problem David, I already agreed to disagree. But I’m curious on which ‘team’ you believe Ms. Pelosi plays? While history has shown she reluctantly supported legislation under Mr. Bush(Dems have historically been more willing to compromise than the Rs), once Mr. Obama came into office under a House majority and a ‘technical’ majority in the senate, she seemed harsh in her interviews towards the minorities. The GOP used a record number of ‘technical’ filibusters and the legal wrangling that kept Al Franken from taking his seat until just before the 2010 elections to block every piece of legislation that came their way. That said, I feel the Dem leadership missed a chance to make something good happen.
You are a very good commentator, David, and please don’t take my comments to be anything more than commentary on the situation from my personal viewpoint. It in no way detracts from your own perspective which may well be more realistic than my own.
Respectfully,
C.
David
said, 2 months ago
@Ms. Ima
Can I have some of what you’re on? It must be nice to live with unicorns and fairies…