Ted Rall for May 21, 2012

I am no fan of O but this is over the top.

Wow, Ted, what’s up with this? I’m not sure you were ever this cruel with the shrubster and cheney.

Can’t wait for the supportive comments of our little band of right wing trolls.

TERRIBLE THING TO SAY THO………

Feel the hopenchange!

I saw this cartoon several days ago and thought Rall must have forgotten to take his meds.

I like that Obama finally came out in favor of gay marriage, but I agree with the sentiment of this cartoon. McCain was a sacrificial lamb; no matter who the democrats ran, they would have won. Obama literally had nothing to lose by supporting gay marriage during his campaign. This is why I like Ted Rall’s toons so much. He may seem extreme and I may not agree with all of them, but he does expose a lot of BS on both sides.

No, no, people, Ted’s just drawing what Republicans actually believe. Not a single one of the six panels has any factual basis. None.

Ted Rall is a very sick man.

Inappropriate, time for this cartoonist to take a time out – say until after the elections. This strip is now off my list.

O is not in favor of gay marriage personally. He says that that he supports gay marriage because it’s the right thing to do constitutionally. Perfect example of an elected official doing his job and keeping his religion and own biases out of our noses.

I’m sorry, Stephen, but I don’t see the homophobia here. The criticism is that Obama made his gay marriage statement after he decided it was politically safe, not necessarily when it would have made the most difference. I can’t recall any of Ted’s cartoons being homophobic at all, just anti-hypocrite. If you can link to another toon or statement that shows Ted hates gays, I’ll check it out. I enjoy his cartoons because they point out the hypocrisy and double-speak all politicians exhibit. I voted for Obama, and most likely will again, but at least Mr. Rall’s cartoons do the same for all political figures; he doesn’t take sides and doesn’t make statements he doesn’t believe himself just because it favors one politician or institution over another.

It seems overly focused on the re-statement of his personal views back in ’96 that he “backed away from” for political “correctness” in the back and forth of public opinion.

As to “bashing” Bush, the strongest epithet was “Shrub”, the name of his oil company. Now, reflecting accurately on his vast intellect, courage under fire in the National Guard (deserting), and other minor things like two senseless and fraudulently started wars, yep, that was really “bashing” him.

I don’t think this comic works because I don’t think public opinion on gay marriage has changed all that much while Obama has been in office. What is changing is people realizing increasingly how open to gay marriage the younger sector of the population is.

Otherwise, Obama is being a politician in an election year. If he is backing down on courting the conservative right, that is only sensible, since they were never a possibility in the first place. Why try to be a centrist to please people who will call you a socialist and hate you, simply because you are not “white?”

“Desanitize” doesn’t appear to be a word. I checked.

The Right wing, just does not want to remember that Bush-Cheney put us in this mess.

Even Lincoln was very careful not to lead by too much.

This may not have been on NBC News but over the weekend the national NAACP acknowledged that same-sex marriage was a civil right issue which they came out in support of. That may carry a bit more weight in the minority community than that of some of their fundamentalist clergy.

Ted, I think this idea can be applied to a growing number of politicians on both sides

If you are employed by a legal employer, you pay for half of your unemployment insurance. Just because you could not find it, that does not mean it isn’t taken out.

Looks like Rall has started to propagandize for Fox news. Okay, Rall, ’fess up. How much are Fox and the Tea Party paying you to play mouthpiece?

I flagged your post.

No need for that kind of language. Come back when your discourse is more civil.

Obama answered a questionnaire in 1996 or so stating that he supported marriage between same sex couples. He reversed his stance once he was running for prez. I don’t think it means he’s a homophobe as ted is trying to paint him though. It’s much more likely that he has been somewhat politically motivated. His supporters include well off gays and we hit the majority in polling regarding support for gay marriage. Now it’s national polling, so it may not increase hiis numbers in all states and it is not a guarantee that it will work out in all the swing states, but I’m sure he is a bit relieved that he doesn’t have to be a hypocrite when talking to his wife, kids, staff and supporters.

Some of Rall I like, some I don’t like. He’s inclined to go too far, but hey, that’s art. If I think he’s right, I love it, if I think he’s wrong, I hold my nose.

Not true. How do you know what I like and don’t like? As usual, you’re talking without thinking.

Tigger, calm down, your verbosity indicates you’ve obviously O.D.’d on Rush limpbaught today!

Foolish cartoon…

I can’t believe I’m the one defending Ted here, and am really surprised I’m agreeing with Tigger’s posts. Ted Rall has always used extreme metaphor and simile in his toons, and they have gotten him in trouble in the past. This one is pretty straightforward; Obama was asked point blank in 2008 about gay marriage, and he hid behind politics. I work very closely with the LGBT community here, and some felt that was a betrayal. Yes he says he supports it now, and I applaud that, but how much further would things be if he had said the same thing 4 years ago? This is a pretty accurate toon – what is the point of making a stand when there is no longer any risk involved? If it was known for certain that he would have vetoed any Defense of Marriage amendment, the congressional debate could have been curtailed while more important issues were dealt with. I do see one strategy in Obama’s favor here. The ball is back in the republican’s court, so do they waste time on gay marriage before the election, or do they focus on important economic issues? As Shephard Smith said, don’t be on the wrong side of history.

Not funny, not clever……..why do I bother with this cartoon.

(Per Ted) most Americans were against gay marriage and now most like it …so Obama’s thought process is consistent with most Americans. How is that wrong?

Really Ted? I Think you have been spending too much time with Mayor Booker.

Of the 80 comments here. Over 20 are from you. Give it a rest.

Well, it is an election year. There will be swing states. It is still an issue that could affect voter turnout, not just cash donations. And some of those voters may sit it out because of a strong stand on a controversial issue. In states like North Carolina.

It’s not unbrave to announce this support only a few months before the election, when the voiding of DADT and non-enforcement of DOMA would have sufficed for cover. In Ted’s metaphor, when homes were set on fire in North Carolina, Barack Obama marched directly in.

Ted has been vocally indifferent to this civil rights issue, so of course he has to attack when the President takes a firm stand. If Ted had compared this hard stand to the litany of cave-ins on Obama’s part, that would have been an effective cartoon. But this one is just about Ted’s own angry, insistent indifference to this chapter of civil rights.

@jrmerm: “no one had ever seriously proposed same sex marriage”…

Some one hasn’t been using their internet lately. Google “When A Medieval Knight Could Marry Another Medieval Knight”.

Admittedly, it’s new to the modern mind. Accepting marriage of this kind is a major cultural game-changer. But forever is a long time.

I must have missed something. I’m a news junkie but I haven’t seen anything about Obama “running around all over the country bragging” about his position on same-sex marriage. (He’s never been hostile to gays as such in any case.) What about DADT and DOMA?