Tag: democracy

From my newsletter, Seeing Things:

Ever since Trump was running for office in 2016, I drew him as I do above, in short pants. I always thought he was like a schoolyard bully, persistently pushing people around, manipulating the truth, humiliating and belittling others to get his way.

I drew him on Lady Justice’s scale because, frankly, I could not think of any other way to depict this moment. It’s historic, and while I have ridiculed Trump in drawings before, I did not see a need to do that now (except maybe slightly, in the way I drew him). Nor could I figure out how to encapsulate all the nuance of emotions, anger, and fear of this moment in a pen line.

We don’t know what will happen.

I see the indictment of Trump as democracy in action. He is not above anyone. I suppose it is a test in that never before in the history of our Republic has a former President been charged with a crime.

Trying to understand it all, I think it boils down to this: in 2016, did the Trump campaign (via his “fixer” Michael Cohen) pay Stormy Daniels hush money to:

1. protect his family (as his lawyers claim), or

2. protect his candidacy for President.

Whether hush money can be counted as a campaign donation is not settled law. And we don’t know specifically what all the many counts are against him.

This weekend will be interesting. Before his arraignment on Tuesday, Trump will try to rally his base with a lot of lies and threats, attacks and accusations. Republicans will have to take sides. Democrats will have to be cautious.

And we wait.

Is it ironic that Lady Justice is a lady, and this indictment, in part, has to do with Trump’s interactions with a lady?

 

We’re All In This Together: Dialogue without hatred, in the fight against hatred

hillary-and-everyone

I have hope. Some may consider me naive. My socioeconomic class and skin color have helped me live a relatively easy life, free of negativity; perhaps that’s why I can be optimistic. But I am also a woman, and have felt sexism and misogyny because of my gender. I have chosen to push past it?—?I don’t ignore the hatred, but I try find a way in my cartoons to expose it, talk about what it is and why it might exist. All with the hope of creating awareness, change, and making things better.

If nothing else, this period will be a time for Democrats and left leaning folks to bond. But all Americans, no matter the political stripe, have to be vigilant to be sure hate does not win over. If someone expresses hatred in the form of bigotry, sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, we speak out.

Those things are not America, and the majority of us believe that.

Each of us must try to find a way to make change?—?no matter how small?—?either in our work or in our community. It’s about positive individual steps, right?

And I’ll try to keep drawing cartoons that speak to this, try to expose what I see, create dialogue without hatred, as we move FORWARD as a country.