I just was listening to Rachel Maddow commentary on the fact that last night the Newt Campaign released files on his work with Freddy-Mac. But: they couldn’t find some of them. And apparently, there are no notes, records, written or otherwise, about what he actually did for them. Did the dog eat them? What do we do with Newt, then? Do we give him another chance? Do we mark his grade down, do we call Callista and see what the truth is? None of this will work, sadly.
Simulataneously, I was looking through my files for a cartoon to post today. I did this one last week with no obvious thought in mind of politics. But maybe subconsciously I was thinking about politics. I feel like we are in grade school with the GOP field. Doesn’t each of those guys remind you of some guy you hated in High School?
Newt, the know-it-all tubby creep who always seems to wear the same clothes and talks back to teachers;
Mitt, the awkward rich kid who thinks everyone loves him and who you catch looking in the mirror frequently,
Ron Paul, the nerd who won’t stop telling you all about stuff he thinks is important because he knows of no other way to talk to a girl,
Santorum, the religious nut who is looking for people to tattle on.
It would be fun, if it weren’t so scary. No, actually it is fun, I take that back.
I drew this cartoon after I heard the phrase used by a pundit, something about being pulled into another’s rhetoric. This is what politicians do. They repeat and repeat until we believe them. They say what the pollsters think people want to hear, and drill it back to them. They take opponents words out of context and quote them so often, that it seeps into people’s consciousness. “Mitt likes to fire people” is one such example of a phrase taken out of context in the recent New Hampshire primary circus. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t (he probably does)–but it is an idea/phrase that will stick in some people’s minds, even if they know it was used incorrectly.
Not that it matters at the moment, for it seems Mitt will be the GOP nominee. But maybe we will hear Obama using a version of that phrase. Let’s hope he comes up with some new rhetoric, I am ready to be wowed. I’m sure his people are working on it as we speak.
If I were a Republican, I would find Mr. Huntsman very attractive. It’s not news that he’s classically handsome, and if I were a Republican, I would find it difficult not to gravitate towards him. If only for his looks. What else is there to go on? Why not make a choice based on looks? Heck, at this stage of the game, they are all not telling the truth anyway.
The lukewarm attitude towards Mitt reminds me of a cartoon of mine that The New Yorker published in 1983. You can just insert Mitt Romney’s name in the fortune cookie caption. It’s about the Democratic Presidential nominee Walter Mondale, and the cartoon reflects the tepid feelings towards Fritz by the Democratic party. I don’t recall there being such a circus back then as we have now, however. Also, parenthetically, this cartoon was my second sale to The New Yorker, and my first political cartoon for them.
Two weeks ago, I was fortunate to speak at a TEDx in the Bay Area of California, called TEDxBayAreaWomen (TEDxBAW). The conference was a day long gathering of men and women who spoke about the International Entrepreneurship of women, and I learned a lot about business and micro-finance and global trade. It was fascinating. I chose to speak about something that all women have in common: our bodies. As a cartoonist, I deal in bodies, and my thinking was that no one else at the conference would speak about this in the way I chose to. My talk begins humorously, personally, but then I take the audience into the more serious subject of freedom for women’s bodies. We may be doing amazing things around the world--and women are--but many of us are not able to truly be ourselves or truly succeed because of restrictions on our physical presence. I discuss the appropriation of our bodies by culture, but also the violence against our bodies. I hope you enjoy.
I am excited to have the opportunity to do another TED talk, and to speak at the TEDxBAW event next week. I have been at work on my talk over several months–it is a long process to craft something using images and words into a coherent 18 minute message. And know it so I don’t use notes.
The talk is about women’s bodies. Drawing bodies of all sorts and genders is my bread and butter; and in the talk, I explore many of the funny and serious issues that confront my own, and all women’s, embodiment.
The cartoon above is one from the talk. I also created a video, but cannot show it to you until the talk is delivered. Stay tuned!
Hopefully, GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain will come out and explain his behavior and the charges of sexual harassment, and we can move on. And maybe he can move on. I realize we don’t know for sure who is telling the truth, but the numbers of women alleging this behavior makes it seem like there was a pattern on his part. My sense is the GOP wants him to go; it’s just his supporters–whoever they are–are sending him money. Not to mention the wealthy Koch brothers organization.
In any event–sexual harassment is real for many, and needs to end. There, I’m done with my rant.
Things may or may not be really stabilized over there, but it’s heading that way. So maybe this little girl can get a puppy after all. Americans are buying now, it appears. Why not buy a puppy to boost the economy? Think of all the things you can buy after you buy a puppy. Dog food, treats, cleaner spray, paper towels, dog beds, chew toys, camera, leash, collar, dog training classes, Halloween dog costume, flea spray, tick medicine, worming pills, vet bills…it’s endless. But so worth it.
Kids pick up words they hear their parents say, and I can imagine “occupy” is a word being bantered around in a lot of households right now. The Occupy Wall Street Movement is fascinating–my cartoon is a play on words. The OWS folks may not have started with a plan, but it sounds like they are getting one. These two kids will probably just play.
Cartoon Marriage, the book I did with my husband, Michael Maslin, based on our life together as New Yorker cartoonists, is in the process of becoming a television show. Just last night we heard that ABC Studios bought the script as written by the wonderful and talented Terri Minsky (Lizzie McGuire and Less Than Perfect creator). It all began about a year ago, when actress Jennifer Garner saw our book (via our agent David Kuhn) and fell in love with the idea. The show will be produced by Jennifer’s production company, Vandalia Films. We are thrilled. To read about it, go to Deadline Hollywood, or Hollywood Reporter
So far, it’s been a fun and wild ride interacting with Hollywood. All good so far. I love entering into new fields, trying new things. We got to meet Terri Minsky for a day at our home, and it was great fun. She is hilarious and thoughtful and I know is writing a wonderful script. We are crossing our fingers for the next step! My hope is that the world is ready for another terrific comedy with lots of playful humor, and it will become a show that brings laughs and diversion.
