Holiday memories!

My favorite holiday activity was always decorating the christmas tree! Every summer my family rents a house in the Outer Banks, and it was tradition to go to buy ornaments at a store down there. It seemed like sort of a huge decision at the time since we were only allowed to pick one ornament a year, but being able to put my ornament on the tree come December always made me happy.

"Congress' crummy gifting"

found at: http://theweek.com/section/cartoon/51/222506/congress

This cartoon by Chris Britt shows a man representing "big business" walking away with a big "gift" - lots of tax breaks - and a man representing "middle class" walking away with a fruit cake (no tax breaks). Nearly all the cartoons I looked at were holiday-related, sriking a more sentimental and possibly angering chord that cartoonists are using to get their reader's attention. Overall, Britt is ridiculing Congress ( "xxoo Legislature" ) and giving the impression that legislation has been unfair to the middle class. The overbearance of big business is also reflected in the cartoon by the sheer size of the "gift" - it takes up most of the cartoon and dwarfs even Capitol Hill in the background. The economy continues to be a major issue of Obama's presidency, and the cartoon could especially be referring to problems as a result of the payroll tax cuts that Americans have been enjoying the past few years. The cartoonist's point of view is evidently that tax cuts given to the wealthy are unfair and only hurt the middle class, most likely putting him in a liberal and Democratic point of view.

The Obama Update

The above graph shows the results of Obama's daily Job Approval rates, ending in an approval rate of 42% and a disapproval rate of 51%. The graph also details the common trend among U.S. Presidents of beginning with a high approval rate - Obama starting at around 70% when polled in April 2009 - and slowly decreasing in approval. While this is a fairly normal rate of approval and is still higher that George W Bush's approval rate at the end of his second term, that does not guarantee his reelection. Obama's failure to jumpstart the economy would be one major reason Americans would seek a new candidate, though if the GOP fails to turn up with a strong candidate that the majority of the party will back, Obama may have a stronger chance as the incumbent. In addition, another poll at gallup, "Trial Heat: Obama vs. Romney", depicted Obama and Romney to be tied at 47%, meaning that there is still a general belief in Obama's ability as the nation's president and his bid for re-election is viable, even if it will be a close race.

"Energy Issues": Cartoon #3



"The EPA's crackdown on Santa"

I thought this cartoon by Dana Summers would be appropriate since we just discussed the powers of independent regulatory commissions as a part of the federal bureaucracy. The cartoon shows Santa reading a note from the EPA that no coal will be placed in stockings this year, as a nod to the idea that the energy crisis continues. The cartoonist uses Santa as a satire for businesses and corporations that are closely regulated by the EPA, and gives the impression that the EPA is interfering with the traditional way of things (judging from the vaguely shocked expression on the faces of the elves and reindeer). This would mean that the cartoonist has a more conservative view of government and the bureaucracy, being of the opinion that too much government regulation is overwhelming and overall ineffective or harmful to business practices and prices.

Mitt Romney for the nomination?

Despite the fact that Romney has been a frontrunner for the Republican nomination since the very beginning, the low level of approval he has attained from the bulk of the party continues to stop him from being widely accepted as the best option for the nomination. However, the very fact that Romney has yet to make himself a public display of embarassment should, in theory, be a reason why he could win the nomination. With Herman Cain withdrawing from the race this weekend, Perry's blunders, Gingrich's sketchy past, and the weak candidacies of Bachmann and Santorum, Mitt Romney should seem like a golden child.
Yet, at the same time, the fact that he has not been able to gain more widespread support by now could also be a hindrance if the Republican party ever finds another acceptable candidate. Further, while Newt Gingrich has made a surge in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, Romney has failed to. The importance of the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary in the overall race could seriously hurt Romney in the rest of the primaries if he fails to make a strong appearance. For now then, it seems as if he is simply waiting for the rest of his opponents to drown in scandal before making any change to his campaign.

"Adventures in Personhood": Cartoon #2



Cartoon found at: http://theweek.com/section/cartoon/0/222088/all-cartoons

Drawn by Monte Wolverton, this cartoon depicts Bob the "fertilized egg person" trying to drive a car ("a corporation person").  It illustrates the debate between pro-life and pro-choice factions over abortion laws - specifically that pro-life factions are attempting to push legislation that would classify any fertilized egg as a person and would therefore make abortion, many forms of birth control, and some fertility treatments illegal. One specific example of this kind of legislation was recently voted down in Mississippi but the legislation debate continues in varies forms in both the House and Senate. Wolverton mainly uses ridicule and the depiction of absurdity to get across the point that the idea of a fertilized egg as a person seems absurd - as absurd as calling a car "a corporation person" and argues that it is impractical to give a fertilized egg the rights that come with personhood. The cartoonist is then most likely looking from a pro-choice point of view, although in reality much of the public is aligned against the idea of personhood because of the severity of legislation - even many who would generally consider themselves pro-life think that the idea goes much too far.