1950s – mackaycartoons

Thursday August 1, 2024

August 1, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 1, 2024

Link to the animated making-of clip of this cartoon.

J.D. Vance—Trump’s Liability in 2024

July 17, 2024

J.D. Vance, once seen as a strategic vice-presidential pick to bolster Trump’s appeal among the Republican base, has quickly turned into a significant liability. This sentiment is echoed by Maureen Dowd, Andrew Coyne, and Justin Webb, who collectively highlight Vance’s controversial views and missteps.

Andrew Coyne vividly characterizes Vance as a “smarter Trump,” noting that while Trump has always been defined by his “venomous ignorance,” Vance embodies a more calculated, yet equally problematic form of extremism. According to Coyne, Vance’s “wooden” demeanor and “bookish smarm” have bored and confused audiences, exacerbated by his past remarks that have alienated not just liberals but many Republicans as well. Coyne argues that Vance’s failure lies in his attempt to be the smart, strategic successor to Trump, which ironically makes him a greater liability. Unlike Trump, whose ignorance acts as a form of invulnerability, Vance’s calculated opportunism and lack of humility have made him a target for criticism.

Opinion: A smarter Trump turns out to be a weaker force

December 14, 2017

Maureen Dowd provides a starkly critical view of both Trump and Vance, suggesting that Trump’s own retrograde attitudes towards women are outdone by Vance’s “draconian and mean-spirited” views. Dowd describes Trump as stuck in a “1959 time warp,” marked by outdated and offensive perspectives on women, but Vance’s views, according to her, are even more egregious. She highlights Vance’s dismissal of women who don’t fit his traditional mold, arguing that his belief that only women in traditional marriages have a “direct stake” in America is not just archaic but “un-American.”

Dowd also criticizes Vance for his attempt to sanitize his previous derogatory comments about women, which he dismissed as mere sarcasm. She portrays Vance as embodying a modern-day “faux-billy” who tailors his beliefs to match his ambitions while projecting an image nurtured by extremist ideologies. His stance on issues like abortion and his promotion of policies targeting women’s rights further underscore his unsuitability.

Opinion: JD Vance, Purr-fectly Dreadful

April 2, 2024

Moreover, the unexpected nomination of Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden has added to Trump’s woes. Harris has invigorated the Democratic base, as observed by Webb, presenting a sharp contrast to the Trump-Vance ticket. Harris’s campaign has gained momentum, while Trump’s appears directionless, unable to effectively counter Harris’s growing appeal.

However, Harris’s current momentum could easily be whittled down with gaffes and the inevitable dirty campaigning as time goes on. The Democratic Party’s fortunes also depend on Harris’s imminent choice of a running mate, which could further strengthen her campaign. A strong vice-presidential pick could solidify her position and highlight the eroding appeal of J.D. Vance.

Analysis: Kamala Harris has rattled Trump. Things could get really ugly

July 23, 2024

Reader reactions to Webb’s piece reinforce the notion that Trump and Vance are out of touch. Trump lacks essential qualities like wit, warmth, and wisdom, making his attacks on Harris seem desperate and out of place. Vance, meanwhile, exacerbates the situation with his own misjudgments, making him a poor choice for attracting swing voters.

As Harris rallies support and assembles a strong campaign team, Trump and Vance seem increasingly isolated. The “childless cat ladies” demographic, underestimated by Vance, might very well play a crucial role in the upcoming election, potentially tipping the scales against the Republicans. The combined effect of Vance’s unpopularity and Harris’s rising profile suggests that the GOP’s strategy is faltering, making it an uphill battle for Trump in November. (AI)

Tuesday April 14, 2020

April 21, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 14, 2020

Should everyone be wearing face masks?

In recent weeks, face masks have become an unremarkable sight in streets and supermarkets.

Life in a pandemic

Many people are choosing to cover their mouth and nose with online-bought or homemade masks or scarves, in spite of the advice of the World Health Organization and, in the UK, from Public Health England, that they are no protection against coronavirus.

Yet one country after another has decided to depart from the WHO guidance and rule that masks should be worn – most notably the US.

To add to the confusion, on Monday, Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, said the UK position on masks was under review and would change if the scientific evidence warranted it.

This followed remarks by David Nabarro, a UN special envoy on Covid-19, who appeared to depart from the WHO’s line by suggesting the UK would have to get used to wearing masks.

“The virus isn’t going to go away and we don’t know if people who have had the virus stay immune afterwards,” he told the BBC, adding: “Yes, we will have to wear masks.”

Despite the mixed messages, the WHO guidance updated a week ago, has remained consistent.

It has stuck to the line that masks are for healthcare workers – not the public.

“Wearing a medical mask is one of the prevention measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including Covid-19. However, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures should also be adopted,” it stated.

Underlying WHO’s concerns are the shortage of high-quality protective masks for frontline healthcare workers.

There is also concern the public will not understand how to use a mask and may get infected if they come into contact with the virus when they take it off and then touch their faces.

Most of all, there is no robust scientific evidence – in the form or trials – that ordinary masks block the virus from infecting people who wear them.

N95 masks, worn by doctors and nurses who are treating people with Covid-19, certainly do. But the virus particles are thought to pass through other types of mask.

Nevertheless, masks do have a role when used by people who are already infected by the virus. (The Guardian)

Saturday August 15, 2015

August 15, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Click here for a larger image

By Graeme MacKay – Saturday August 15, 2015

Homage to the Paper Placemat

Source: Newseum.org

The Hamilton Spectator recenly put out an appeal for people to send in memories of their favourite local restaurants. After the results came in and the eateries were tallied, Spec reporter Saira Peesker was tasked to write the story, Librarian Tammie Danciu researched and dug up old archival photos, and I was called on to draw some kind of map. Afterall, I am a self confessed map-maniac. Maybe it’s my own experience with greasy spoons that an immediate visual lit off in my head at the mere mention of the words “map” and “diner”, was the simple often under-appreciated image of a paper placemat. While at age 46 I’m too young to remember many of the locations on the map, the experience is quite familliar eating in similar retro establishments common all over North America. As a kid, I loved poring over the neat little drawings on paper placemats, particularly on road trips to the beach. I’d be totally in my element with my family, in a restaurant booth somewhere in northern Florida waiting for my order of chicken & fries in a basket while anticipating in the excitement that laid ahead gazing upon a welcome to state paper placemat map. It was a complete delight to use those memories as inspiration to come up with this map.