Political Cartoon Analysis Entry #1

It Only Encourages 'em

The title of this piece is, “It Only Encourages ‘em” and it was created by Ray Osrin. This cartoon, published on October 3, 1985, shows a man in a suit holding a microphone to an elderly woman holding a grocery bag with the word, “Cleveland” written on it. The woman is also holding the leash of her dog. The dog looks bored. It seems the man asked the woman why she did not vote in the primary. She is telling him, “well, I can’t speak for others, but one reason I didn’t vote in the primary is, it only encourages ‘em.” This shows that the woman believes that if people keep voting for candidates, it will only encourage them to try and get more people to vote for them instead of actually focusing on the issues. It seems that she believes that the only reason people run in the race to begin with is so they can be favored by the people rather than actually trying to fix the problems. This cartoon also only shows the opinion of one person because the woman says that she cannot speak for others. The viewer can tell that this cartoon is connected to Cleveland because on the woman’s bag is the word, “Cleveland.” This cartoon could have been created during a time when Cleveland was voting for certain positions such as mayor. This cartoon relates to class because when this project was first assigned, we were discussing the ways people could participate in politics. One of the ways of participation is voting which is what this woman is talking about. It is interesting that the creator of this cartoon seems to be making fun of the voting system because typically, voting is a good thing. Voting helps the average citizens of America to express their opinions and beliefs about the issues. Osrin, the creator, is trying to show the viewers a different look on the voting system.

Dead Campaign Walking

The title of this piece is, “Dead Campaign Walking” and was created by Darkow. This cartoon shows Newt Gingrich, one of the Republican hopefuls, in a hospital bed with a thermometer in his mouth and an IV connected to his arm. Next to his bed are three men. The one man has “staff” written on his coat while the other men have “staff” written on their briefcases. The one with “staff” written on his coat is saying, “We’re leaving you!” Behind Newt Gingrich’s bed is a sign entitled, “Gingrich Campaign” with an arrow pointing down. This cartoon was published in 2011. This cartoon is basically saying that Newt Gingrich just does not have a chance of becoming the Republican candidate for the presidential election. He is so low in the charts that his staff is telling him that they are leaving him. The cartoon’s title, “Dead Campaign Walking” basically tells the viewer of the cartoon that Newt Gingrich’s campaign is completely over and it is dead. The cartoonist is making fun of Gingrich’s campaign, but it also seems like the cartoonist is making fun of Gingrich. Since Gingrich is in a hospital bed with an IV connected to his arm, it looks like Gingrich is getting weaker and weaker. This could be making fun of his inability to get out of the slump he is in as well as making fun of his age. Although he is not as old as Ron Paul, he looks like he could be one of the oldest Republican candidates. This cartoon relates to class because throughout the year, we have been discussing the Republican candidates and their chances of becoming the Republican hopeful to run against President Obama in the presidential election that is approaching.