Greetings From California, the Golden State! Graeme is talking shop on the Pacific coast where the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists is gathering together with the Association of Canadian Cartoonists. He’ll be back with a fresh cartoon for Friday September 28.
California cartoon gallery
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 28, 2016
President Barack Obama’s three Democratic convention speeches have, in succession, launched his national career, thrust him into the Oval Office and secured him a second term. On Wednesday, he’ll work during his fourth marquee convention address to ensure those earlier efforts weren’t for naught.
Wednesday Night live sketch of DNC2016
In his prime-time pitch for Hillary Clinton, and during a heavy campaign schedule this fall, Obama plans to argue not only for the Democratic nominee, but for the progressive policies that he’s spent the last eight years enacting — an agenda that will depend largely on his successor to maintain.
His message, according to those helping him prepare for the speech: Don’t flush everything away with Donald Trump.
Obama plans to draw on his long and complicated relationship with Clinton, which began as a rivalry but has evolved into what the pair hopes can become the first elected Democrat-to-Democrat presidential transition in modern history.
In pre-convention interviews, Obama has been frank about his relationship with Clinton, admitting they aren’t “bosom buddies.”
January 29, 2008 – Obama vs. a two-headed monster
“We don’t go vacationing together,” Obama said during a CBS interview Sunday. “I think that I’ve got a pretty clear-eyed sense of both her strengths and her weaknesses. And what I would say would be that this is somebody who knows as much about domestic and foreign policy as anybody.”
“She’s not always flashy. And there are better speech-makers,” he said. “But she knows her stuff.”
Bill Clinton at the 2016 DNC
Many top Republicans skipped their party’s convention last week, fearing links to Trump. But Democratic convention organizers had a wealth of willing speakers, programming prime-time speeches from high-profile and well-liked Democrats like Obama, Vice President Joe Biden (who also speaks Wednesday), first lady Michelle Obama, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
President George W. Bush skipped his party’s 2008 meeting and wasn’t a major presence on the campaign trail for Sen. John McCain. Obama, conversely, is expected to spend most of October on the campaign trail for Clinton, working to encourage the coalition of voters — formed of young people and minorities — to vote this time around.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll this month showed Obama’s approval at 56% — the highest point since early in his first term. (Source: CNN)
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 22, 2016
The glaring absence of prominent Republicans from the party’s convention in Cleveland raised questions about who would be filling the speaking slots in support of Donald Trump.
But, confident as ever, the New York billionaire had it covered. Waiting in the wings were a host of family members willing to get on stage.
Live Sketch – Acceptance Night
Mr Trump’s third wife Melania dominated the headlines after sections of her speech mimicked an address given by Michelle Obama – something Trump’s campaign denied for more than a day before a Trump staffer took responsibility for “including some of the phrasing” used by Ms Obama.
Now with successful appearances from the likes of Donald Trump Jr, his eldest son, and anticipation ahead of Ivanka Trump’s speech on Thursday, many commentators have been asking whether Mr Trump’s children could also follow him into politics.
Presentations by Donald Jr along with Tiffany, Eric and Ivanka Trump certainly help to “humanise” the candidate, political scientist Larry Sabato told the BBC.
But it should come as no surprise that the children are willing to speak out to support their father, he added.
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The children of political candidates have long spoken at conventions, and many even go on to take an active role in politics.
But the Trumps are “remarkable” because the sheer number of family members giving evening speeches – more than any past political family, including the Kennedys, the Clintons, and the Romneys, Mr Sabato said.
The high-profile appearances also highlight a historical pattern in American politics. “We may be a democracy but we seem to like oligarchy,” he added. (Source: BBC)
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 20, 2016
Who said it: Melania Trump or Twilight Sparkle from “My Little Pony”?
After Trump’s controversial speech from the first night of the Republican National Convention that has some accusing the Trump campaign of plagiarizing passages from a speech by first lady Michelle Obama in 2008, Republican National Convention chief strategist Sean Spicer said the lines being discussed are common phrases.
“We’re talking about 70 words, three passages,” Spicer told Wolf Blitzer on CNN Tuesday.
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“Melania Trump said, ‘the strength of your dreams and willingness to work for them.’ Twilight Sparkle from ‘My Little Pony’ said, ‘This is your dream. Anything you can do in your dreams, you can do now,’ ” Spicer said.
He also compared passages of Trump’s speech with phrases from musicians John Legend and Kid Rock.
Wed. night live sketch of 2016 RNC
“I mean if we want to take a bunch of phrases and run them through a Google and say, ‘Hey, who else has said them,’ I can do that in five minutes,” Spicer said. “And that’s what this is.”
The Trump campaign announced it doesn’t plan to fire anybody over the allegations.
Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort also addressed the controversy on CNN Tuesday morning.
“There’s no cribbing of Michelle Obama’s speech. These were common words and values. She cares about her family,” Manafort said. “To think that she’d be cribbing Michelle Obama’s words is crazy.” (Source: CNN)
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 18, 2016
About 150 anti-Trump protesters marched along the streets in an unscheduled demonstration Sunday in downtown Cleveland, a peaceful event that law enforcement officials likely hope will be the standard over the course of the next four days.
Slowly followed by dozens of officers on bicycles, the demonstrators, many who supported the Black Lives Matter movement, held up large banners that read “Stop Trump and the RNC” and “Stop Trump and stand against racism.” And when it was over, the crowd quietly dispersed.
July 18, 2016
Police Cmdr. Keith Sulzer said the protesters did not have one of the official protest permits that have been handed out to dozens of groups who have come to the city, the site of the Republican National Convention.
Still, police allowed them to march. “We’re letting them voice their concerns and that’s completely fine,” Sulzer said.
The city was given a $50-million grant to boost security specifically for the Republican convention. Officials have been wary to provide information on security, but anywhere between 4,000 to 5,000 law enforcement officers including state, local and those from other jurisdictions will be on hand for the event. Officers have undergone hours of comprehensive training, Williams said.
Debate Night, September 26, 2016
Extra equipment includes 2,000 sets of riot gear with body armour and batons, 2,500 steel barriers and 16 police motorcycles, CNN reported. Meanwhile, security cameras have been placed throughout the city.
“Trust me. There will be enough video coverage both on the ground and in the sky,” Williams told reporters.
Around 3,000 personnel, including members from the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security and the Coast Guard, are dedicated to the security of the convention itself, Johnson said.
Security officials drew up a list of prohibited items within the event zone that include items as diverse as water and pellet guns, knives, sledgehammers, ladders, coolers and ice chests, canned goods, umbrellas with metal tips and tennis balls.
But Ohio is an “open carry” state, meaning gun-owners will be able to carry firearms, except within the security perimeter that surrounds the convention venue, dubbed “The Q.” (Source: CBC News)