GOP elephant – mackaycartoons

Tuesday June 16, 2020

June 15, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 16, 2020

Don’t be fooled into thinking Republicans are split over Trump

Breaking news: Republicans might finally be willing to break with President Donald Trump. Following the president’s performance with Covid-19 as well as his response to the Black Lives Matters protests there have been a number of stories speculating about whether the GOP will finally come undone.

April 23, 2020

The drama is greatly exaggerated. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski told reporters that she is “struggling” to figure out how to vote in November … When Colin Powell announced that he would support Joe Biden and former president George W. Bush revealed he would not support Trump, the New York Times reporters a “growing number” of Republicans were debating how far to go.

The speculation about internal handwringing and possible “turning points” within the GOP never ends. It’s the drama that never happens, but one the press loves to keep following.

It needs to stop. The notion that there is a major fissure between the Republicans and President Trump simply masks the character of the modern party. Republicans nominated and elected Donald Trump to be President four years ago. They have stood by him, and done so even in the toughest of times. Nothing, even his “fine people” remarks after a 2017 white supremacist marchin Charlottesville or his recent hardline response to mass marches over George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, shakes this.

February 7, 2020

When we look at President Trump we see the modern party before our very eyes. Stories about internal division mask this basic reality and suggest that there are greater options outside the Democratic Party than actually exist.

When Trump decries those who want to bring down Confederate monuments and treats the job of governance as if it is a third rate reality show, he represents the party. When he invokes former president Richard Nixon and conservative Democrats George Wallace and Frank Rizzo while screaming about “law and order” as a response to civil rights protests, or tweets out “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he speaks for the GOP.

The story of the Trump presidency has been a story about how comfortably he sits within his party. Throughout his term, polls have shown remarkably solid support for the President within the Republican electorate, regardless of his actions. By and large, congressional Republicans have stood by him at every turn, protecting him from investigations and continuing to vote the party line on most issues. Of course, some such as Maine Sen. Susan Collins hem and haw, but that’s the sum total of their profiles in courage.

The saga of Sen. Mitt Romney captures where the party has gone. After launching the #nevertrump “movement” in 2016, Romney ended up going along with the President in the early years. Recently, he has received kudos for standing up to Trump that, while being well deserved, actually reveals how low the bar has moved. When Senator Romney was the only Republican to vote for conviction during the President’s impeachment trial for using foreign policy to help his re-election bid, it said more about what the rest of his party now considered to be acceptable than it did about Romney. When it was a headline to see Romney march with civil rights protesters against police brutality, the moment showed how far the GOP has distanced itself from this basic call for social justice.

The most realistic assessments of the President have come from George Conway, a genuine conservative married to the President’s adviser, Kellyanne Conway, knows Trump well. Conway has started the Lincoln Project, launching blistering ads about the President and the entire party. He has consistently blasted former colleagues who suggest that they can distance themselves from the person in the Oval Office.

These are platitudes meant to disguise the choice voters actually face in November, between a party that has gone all in with Trumpism and another that has not. Every American is free to decide which choice they prefer for the next four years, but nobody should be under the illusion that a different option is on the table. (CNN)

Thank you Thomas Nast for your enduring symbol of the U.S. Republican Party or Grand Old Party

November 7, 1998

January 20, 1999

February 24, 2000

August 3, 2000

November 4, 2000

May 25, 2001

February 8, 2008

November 14, 2014

October 12, 2016

March 3, 2016

September 28, 2018

Friday September 28, 2018

September 27, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 28, 2018

8 takeaways from the Brett Kavanaugh-Christine Blasey Ford hearings

The eyes of the country are on a small hearing room on Capitol Hill Thursday, where Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were both teenagers, are testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Trivia from the south

I’m watching right alongside you — and the nation. The testimony so far has been gripping — and the whole hearing, featuring both Ford and Kavanaugh, will be worth watching to get a full picture.

But several moments and themes have already stood out. Below you’ll find a contemporaneous set of takeaways that I think are worth taking note of as I watch the hearings live. Again, these takeaways are in the order of the actual hearing.

1. Ford is credible

2. The manner of questioning is, um, not great

3. Grassley’s tin ear

4. Hatch’s ‘attractive’ gaffe

5. Mitchell’s swings and misses

6. The silence of Senate Republicans

7. Kavanaugh’s angry and emotional opening statement

8. No one is more outraged than Lindsey Graham

(Continued: CNN)

Wednesday October 12, 2016

October 11, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

October 12, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 12, 2016

The GOP civil war is finally here. And Trump is winning

With the release of the 2005 “Access of Hollywood” tape and Donald Trump’s subsequent drop in the polls, many already reluctant Republicans are now running for cover from him and his campaign.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain are the most prominent among them, and Trump has responded by calling them out individually on his Twitter feed. The GOP civil war so close to erupting so many times during the course of the Trump campaign is finally here. All because of a new drop in the polls that may or may not last very long.

There may be no winners in the end of this intramural battle, but the only one who can win is Trump. And that’s why Trump should not just continue to play up this growing rift with the establishment, he should play it up as much as possible.

Think about it: If Trump loses the election, Republican leaders hoping to avoid the worst effects of being associated with his controversial persona won’t be spared much. The Trump supporters will never forgive them and the news media and the Left will never given them any credit for “doing the right thing” anyway. It’s a form of Stockholm syndrome to not only start to like your captors, but look for reasons to blame the captivity on your fellow hostages. This is a no-win scenario if there ever was one for the GOP establishment powers.

Democracy can be ugly. And what Republicans like McCain and Ryan have had so much trouble accepting is that the voters in the primaries flocked to Trump. It doesn’t matter if Trump deserved it or not. It doesn’t matter if he had the best chances to win the general election. If a political party works to undermine what its voters want, it is dead. Trump’s campaign is thus still alive while we watch the GOP commit a form of suicide as it fears national polls and the news media more than its own voters. This is what losers do — when the going gets tough and chips are down, they turn on each other. (Continued: CNBC)

Update – Wednesday November 27, 2024

From Circus to Kingdom: Trump’s Complete Takeover of the GOP

March 3, 2016

The transformation Donald Trump has wrought on the Republican Party is nothing short of revolutionary—a reshaping that has left the old GOP unrecognizable. Back in 2016, the editorial cartoon I drew captured the surreal and chaotic energy Trump unleashed on his party. The image of Trump as a gun-wielding clown chasing an elephant (the traditional GOP symbol) out of his circus tent now feels prophetic, a visual metaphor for the purge that would come.

June 16, 2020

In those early days, Trump’s rise was met with resistance, disbelief, and even derision from many within the Republican establishment. Figures like Mitt Romney, the Bushes, John McCain, and Liz Cheney clung to the idea that the GOP was still the party of Reagan, or at least of some coherent set of principles. They underestimated Trump’s ability to harness the discontent of the base and make it his personal platform. By the time they realized the depth of his appeal to Republican voters, it was too late. The elephant was already out of the tent, and the circus was firmly in Trump’s hands.

Trump’s genius—or at least his gut instinct—has always been recognizing that loyalty to him, not adherence to ideology, is the binding agent of his movement. In his first term, he faced stumbling blocks as he tried to govern with a mix of traditional Republican operatives and untested loyalists. The result was a revolving door of Cabinet members and officials, many of whom were later cast aside as disloyal when they dared question him. Those who survived were the ones who learned the golden rule of Trumpism: never upstage the boss, and never question his narrative.

Analysis: ‘He’s not going to make the same mistakes again’: Trump’s GOP overhaul is complete

January 25, 2024

Fast-forward to 2024, and Trump has fine-tuned his approach. The second Trump administration isn’t just about loyalty—it’s about sycophancy elevated to an art form. His new Cabinet choices, from Fox News personalities to controversial politicians like Matt Gaetz (briefly considered for Attorney General), showcase his prioritization of personal fealty over traditional qualifications. Even controversial picks like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services are less about policy expertise and more about doubling down on his base’s mistrust of “the establishment.”

What’s remarkable isn’t just Trump’s willingness to test these waters, but how quickly the Republican Party has adapted to swim in them. Once-stalwart voices of dissent within the GOP have been silenced, exiled, or have willingly faded into irrelevance. Figures like Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, and Adam Kinzinger—who dared to criticize Trump or hold him accountable—are now seen as outcasts. Even Nikki Haley, who has walked the tightrope between criticism and loyalty, has found herself marginalized. The party’s message is clear: there’s no room for nuance, only allegiance.

January 17, 2024

The transformation goes beyond personnel to the very soul of the party. Traditional Republican ideals—fiscal conservatism, small government, free trade—have taken a back seat to Trump’s populist, grievance-driven platform. The GOP now thrives on culture wars, a combative stance against perceived enemies (the media, Democrats, globalists), and an almost tribal loyalty to Trump himself. The old GOP’s guardrails, built on compromise and coalition-building, have been dismantled and replaced with Trump’s rules of the game: dominate or be dominated.

December 16, 2020

The irony is that many in the party have learned to not just accept this new reality but to embrace it. Trump’s loyalists argue that his approach has revitalized the Republican Party, making it more connected to the working class and more combative in the face of Democratic opposition. Critics, however, see it as a hollowing out of a once-principled institution, replaced by a personality cult.

That editorial cartoon from 2016, with Trump as the gun-toting clown in his circus, feels almost quaint now. Back then, it seemed impossible to imagine the GOP fully succumbing to his takeover. Today, it’s clear that the circus isn’t just Trump’s; it’s the Republican Party itself. And Trump, having mastered his act, is running the show with no challengers left to take the stage.

Thursday March 3, 2016

March 2, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 3, 2016

US election 2016: US Republicans express Donald Trump fears

Mr Trump has declared himself a “unifier”, but he’s strongly opposed by most of the Republican establishment.

Senator Lindsey Graham warned on Wednesday that Mr Trump would lose in November’s election.

And former nominee Mitt Romney is to make a speech on Thursday in which he is expected to challenge Mr Trump.

He has been fiercely critical of the businessman, whose hardline stance on issues like immigration put him at odds with Republican orthodoxy.

His victories on so-called Super Tuesday consolidated his position as the most likely Republican candidate to vie for the White House against the Democratic nomination.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz walked away with three states, bringing his total to four, while Florida Senator Marco Rubio won his first state (Minnesota) in the primary race to date.

Mr Trump will be joined by Mr Cruz, Mr Rubio and Ohio governor John Kasich at a Fox News Republican debate on Thursday, but retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has failed to win any states, said he would not be attending.

In a statement on Wednesday, he said he saw “no path forward” for his presidential campaign, though he has stopped short of ending his race completely.

Several party leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, have spoken out against Donald Trump’s controversial policies and positions in recent days.

His latest controversy centres on his failure to disavow David Duke, a leader of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan, who endorsed him. He later said he had on several occasions in the past disavowed Mr Duke.

Mr Ryan forcefully denounced the real estate mogul on Tuesday, saying: “They must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry. This party does not prey on people’s prejudices.”

“Let me make it perfectly clear, Senate Republicans condemn David Duke and the KKK, and his racism,” Senator and majority leader Mitch McConnell commented.

Influential congressman Peter King joked he would leave politics if Mr Trump became the nominee.

And Marco Rubio indicated in his speech on Tuesday that the Republican establishment was unlikely to back the former reality TV star.

“If this was anybody else as a front-runner, there’d be people right now saying ‘Let’s all rally around the front-runner,'” he said, adding, “that will never happen with Donald Trump”.

According to the New York Times, some party donors are already trying to raise funds for an anti-Trump effort.

Meanwhile, The Center for Public Integrity reports that Republican super PACs ran as many as 8,500 adverts in the run up to Super Tuesday to try to discredit Donald Trump’s election campaign.

Mr Graham warned that Republicans would “lose to Hillary Clinton” with Mr Trump as their party nomination.

Mrs Clinton also won seven states on Tuesday, consolidating her lead in the Democratic race over rival Bernie Sanders. (Source: BBC News)

Friday, November 14, 2014

November 13, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

November 14, 2014

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, November 14, 2014

U.S.-China climate change deal already facing challenges

A landmark agreement on climate change between the U.S. and China, the world’s top two polluting nations, faced immediate challenges from experts who warned that it would require an overhaul of China’s economy and from Republicans in Congress who vowed to undermine the deal.

President Obama’s ramped-up push on environmental issues set up a clash with GOP leaders, who blasted the far-reaching agreement with China as bad for business and promised to try to block the regulations necessary to meet its targets for curbing carbon emissions. Administration officials asserted that they would not be deterred.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke out about an agreement President Barack Obama reached in China on climate change.

The standoff was the clearest sign yet that Obama plans to prioritize his agenda — and his legacy — over hope of sowing goodwill with the incoming Republican-controlled Congress. Even as both parties promised to heed voters’ calls to find common ground after last week’s midterm election, the White House and Republican leaders have since drawn lines in the sand over immigration as well as environmental policy.

The China pact signaled that the president “has no intention of moving towards the middle,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters Wednesday.

Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, likely to succeed Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee in the Republican-led Senate next year, called the deal a “nonbinding charade.”

“I will do everything in my power to rein in and shed light on the EPA’s unchecked regulations,” he said. Inhofe, perhaps Congress’ most prominent climate change skeptic, has long criticized the Environmental Protection Agency.

Administration officials touting the deal appeared unfazed by Republican promises to throw up roadblocks, describing congressional support as a bonus but not a necessity.

“It would be nice if we had some help and support from the Congress,” said a senior administration official, who requested anonymity in discussing strategy. “But we think we have the ability under laws that have already been passed by Congress — principally the Clean Air Act, but other laws as well — to get these reductions … with authorities we already have.” (Source: Los Angeles Times)