Last week, following Rush Limbaugh’s now famous comments about Sandra Fluke, our own conservative cartoonist Gary McCoy (view McCoy’s cartoons here) drew a controversial cartoon that has been widely criticized. I’ve posted some of the harsh comments we’ve received about the cartoon.
After receiving volumes of hate mail and some death threats, Gary wrote to me to explain the cartoon:
It’s my job to opine on the issues of the day. I’ll admit, the cartoon in question hit a little harder than I usually do, but here we had a 30 year old woman’s rights advocate, who will make on average $160,000/year after graduation, stating that she had to spend $3,000 over the last two years on birth control, when a trip to her local Planned Parenthood would keep her supplied for free. Or for a few bucks more a day, any local drug store would meet her needs. And on top of it, she thinks that a Jesuit university, which she enrolled in knowing full well that their private insurance doesn’t pay for contraceptives, as it goes against their religious morals, should abandon their beliefs just so she can advance the Obama health care plan, for which she also advocates.
Sandra Fluke side-by-side with McCoy's cartoon (via JimRomenesko.com)
And one major detail that the press, and most of the people spewing hate at me didn’t bother to notice or acknowledge, is that the woman in my cartoon A) doesn’t even look like Sandra Fluke (According to many of the people who critiqued me), and B) Isn’t even labeled Sandra Fluke. So basically, it’s a generic woman, saying what many ultra-liberal feminists have said before, specifically that government should stay out of their wombs, but still provide them with free birth control, which is the definition of hypocrisy.
On top of it, many who wrote me said the statement in the cartoon isn’t even something that Miss Fluke has said. So there you have it, a woman not labeled Sandra Fluke, who doesn’t look like Sandra Fluke, saying something that Sandra Fluke has apparently not said. Yet, I’m hit with everything from being labeled a misogynist, to personal threats for calling Sandra Fluke a “slut”. This sort of knee-jerk reactionism makes the Rockettes look like a Tennessee Waltz dance act.
One more thing… it struck me as deliciously ironic that many of the tolerant, compassionate liberals who took issue with my supposedly portraying Miss Fluke as a “slut” and “prostitute”, and with my lack of civility, did so by calling me every vulgar name in the book and making death threats against me (The latter emails go on file at my local police department).
But to summarize, I have the right, and the duty to editorialize, through my cartoons, on any subject currently in the news. That’s what I did. And I won’t back down from intimidation and threats from the same liberals who honor a vow of silence when it comes to denouncing Bill Maher for calling Sarah Palin a c*nt.
I wanted to take a second to congratulate our brilliant cartoonist, Nate Beeler (view Nate’s cartoons here), who has been chosen as the new staff cartoonist for The Columbus Dispatch. Beeler will start his new job in April, and I asked him to describe how it all came about:
In all honesty, I wasn’t looking to leave The Washington Examiner. But I’m an Ohioan at heart, so when The Columbus Dispatch, my hometown paper, asked if I was interested in applying, I couldn’t say no. I know from growing up with The Dispatch at the kitchen table that it’s a top-notch newsroom and the greatest newspaper in Ohio. (They even have a sign that says it. Finally, truth in advertising!) For me, that’s an incredible platform from which to engage readers with my cartoons. I’m really fortunate to able to move from one impressive newsroom to another, and it’s humbling that The Dispatch likes my cartoons so much. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to be with family. My son will be able to grow up with his grandparents close by, and my wife and I will maybe get to have a few more movie nights out together.
This was the hardest decision of my career, and I will dearly miss my D.C. friends and colleagues. I’ve been taking solace in the fact that in the big newsroom that is social media, their friendship and wisdom are just a tweet away. It will be bittersweet to watch from afar as The Examiner continues to blossom. I can’t comment on whether they are going to fill my position because I just don’t know. This came as a big surprise to them, and they are still trying to catch their breath.
Nevertheless, I’m really excited for first day I draw a cartoon with the words “The Columbus Dispatch” written next to my signature.
In honor of the premiere of “Game Change,” the new HBO film about the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential candidate, I thought I’d pluck five terrific cartoons from the 2008 primary about everyone’s favorite hockey mom from Wasilla.
Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner (click to view more cartoons by Beeler)Daryl Cagle / msnbc.com (click to view more cartoons by Cagle)Taylor Jones / Cagle Cartoons (click to view more cartoons by Jones)J.D. Crowe / Mobile Press-Register (click to view more cartoons by Crowe)Pat Bagley / Salt Lake Tribune (click to view more cartoons by Bagley)R.J. Matson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch (click to view more cartoons by Matson)
On Tuesday, I posted a conservative cartoon about Sandra Fluke and the Rush Limbaugh birth control rant on my blog by Gary McCoy, who I syndicate through Cagle Cartoons. Since then, there’s been a firestorm of criticism about the nasty tone of the cartoon coming from all quarters of the internet. Media critic Jim Romenesko even posted this side-by-side comparison on his blog:
Today, Now with Alex Wagner host Alex Wagner brought up the cartoon on her msnbc show and debated the finer points of basic healthcare on International Women’s Day.
Here’s the clip:
Here are just a taste of the emails and comments we received about the cartoon:
Susan S.: “This cartoon (and Limbaugh’s remarks) say more about the originators than they do about Ms. Fluke. When did personal insults and ad hominem attacks become acceptable substitutes for political debate?”
Neil J.: “Since when did Rush draw cartoons? Demonizing is sick & wrong for cartoonists and talk radio. Thanks for continuing to poison the dialogue. Epitome of how wrong republicans have become for themselves and the rest of our great country.”
George B.: “Dear Gary, How would you like someone to do this to your daughter? I won’t take a look at any of your cartoons again. Incredibly distasteful!”
Jon J.: “Not funny, just stupid. Did Rush pay you to publish this piece of s#%t? Really, not happy to see you denigrate your brand with crap like this.”
Chris K.: “Since the woman was specifically NOT asking the Government to cover her birth control but a private organizations health insurance this cartoon is just promoting a lie.”
Robert E.: “That cartoon is just an example of the low intelligence and drivel you’d expect from the foul-minded Limbaughers.”
Sandy S.: “After being totally disgusted by the implied content, I couldn’t help but wonder – with Rush’s sponsors are leaving him faster than the captain did on the sinking Costa Concordia, is he now supplementing his income doing political cartoons?”
Amid all the talk about birth control and female reproductive rights, you might have forgotten that today is International Women’s Day. Countries around the world are celebrating the gains made by women in business, politics and education.
It’s sad that we don’t have many female editorial cartoonists working today that can express themselves on a topic like this. Maybe that itself is a sign of how far women’s right still have to go. Or maybe it means women just don’t like to draw cartoons.
Our good friend, cartoonist Michael McParlane, couldn’t help himself when it came to drawing this cartoon about the Catholic Church and the ongoing debate about birth control.
Here’s what McParlance said:
I’ve always felt that most, if not all religious “leaders” are misogynistic war-mongering perverts. Birth control ought to be an individual decision and not subject to legislation.
Today Apple announced the release of its new iPad, and while Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about its sharper display and fast processor, all I could think about were the poor schmucks who bought an iPad 2 last week.
Regardless, we here at Cagle.com love the iPad (download our free msnbc.com Cartoons iPad app here), and cartoonists always love to draw about the latest fad or newfangled device available for them to play with.
Here are some cartoons about Apple mania that should be right up your tech alley…
Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner (click to view more cartoons by Beeler)Martin Sutovec / Cagle Cartoons (click to view more cartoons by Sutovec)Cam Cardow / Ottawa Citizen (click to view more cartoons by Cardow)Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner (click to view more cartoons by Beeler)Manny Francisco / Cagle Cartoons (click to view more cartoons by Francisco)Peter Lewis / Newcastle Herald (Australia) (click to view more cartoons by Lewis)
For those of you feeling weary of this GOP Primary and hoping it will end soon can start crying now. Super Tuesday has come and gone, and we’re no closer to having this race sorted out then we were yesterday.
Yes, Mitt Romney won Ohio, but not by much. Santorum managed to snag Tennessee and Oklahoma, but is still being kept in check by Newt Gingrich, who won his home state of Georgia and is helping to split the conservative vote.
About the only thing anyone can agree on is that Super Tuesday has set up a long, draw-out slugfest to the GOP nomination. With that in mind, here are some cartoons that I thought fit the mood moving forward…
Tim Eagan / PoliticalCartoons.com (click to view more cartoons by Eagan)Nate Beeler / Washington Examiner (click to view more cartoons by Beeler)Rick McKee / Augusta Chronicle (click to view more cartoons by McKee)Joe Heller / Green Bay Press-Gazette (click to view more cartoons by Heller)Chris Weyant / The Hill (click to view more cartoons by Weyant)Adam Zyglis / Buffalo News (click to view more cartoons by Zyglis)
With the talk of Rush Limbaugh’s attack of Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke still making news, the only cartoon we received so far supporting Rush’s position has come from our conservative cartoonist, Gary McCoy. I thought this right wing cartoon was pretty nasty. In fact, it made me wince. But I thought I’d let you be the judge:
Here’s an example of the comments we received about this cartoon:
letdogsvote: “Cartoonist made “pro choice” women appear: fat, ugly, bitchy, slutty, selfish, and obnoxious. Whatever political point Cartoonist intended to make here has been caught up in his generalized portrayal of pro choice women.”
fnordtastic: “I am a firm believe in being able to laugh at yourself, but this cartoon is devoid if any humor.”
Flat Roger: “Gary McCoy continues his string of “hate pornography” with this one and shows he has the same lack of class and intelligence about the issues as Limbaugh.”
Bastard-Captain Queeg: “Were this an attempt at trolling, it’d be an easy 10/10. Sadly, the cartoonist is actually serious. Of course government should pay for birth control, it’s in their best interest to do so.”
Sarah Rimmington: “Wow. That cartoon is horrific.”
Ewen Cluney: “There are many issues where I am willing to accept that liberals and conservatives have a difference of opinion, based on different subcultures or different reasoning, but the portrayal of Sandra Fluke and her testimony (and for that matter the birth control issue in general) by Limbaugh and other conservative commentators has been outright factually wrong.”
Kirk Houser: “”Wince”? McCoy’s cartoon is nothing but “hate porn”. This is just as bad as Limbaugh. Hope the backlash is severe.”
What do you think about the cartoon? Comment below or post a note on our Facebook page.
For me, that’s an incredible platform from which to engage readers with my cartoons. I’m really fortunate to able to move from one impressive newsroom to another, and it’s humbling that The Dispatch likes my cartoons so much. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to be with family. My son will be able to grow up with his grandparents close by, and my wife and I will maybe get to have a few more movie nights out together.
