mackaycartoons

Graeme MacKay's Editorial Cartoon Archive

  • Archives
  • Kings & Queens
  • Prime Ministers
  • Sharing
  • Special Features
  • The Boutique
  • Who?
  • Young Doug Ford
  • Presidents

Jimmy Carter

My encounter with an ex-President

August 30, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

The Ayatollah, by Graeme MacKay, c1980

The first time I gained an audience after delivering my earliest offering of political satire I was 12-years-old. It was 1980, and I was part of a generation of youth growing upon a constant diet of television news and Saturday morning mass marketing. The gag was a pop bottle being held up by the infamous leader of Iran alongside the caption “Drink Ayatollah Cola.” With the daily fear reminder of an angry, eyebrowed dude in strange garb from halfway around the world holding hostages and leading mobs in chants about death to America, the cartoon was instantly hailed by my classmates and was allowed to hang on the wall.

President Carter, by MacKay, c1980

From a Canadian kid’s vantage point in 1980, the world was clearly divided by good and bad. The Soviets, led by a wheezing, uni-browed autocrat named Brezhnev had his billing for the evilest bad guy challenged by the Ayatollah Khomeini, a real-life Darth Vader.  The good guys were the Americans led by President Jimmy Carter.

Plains, Georgia peanut

Being the leader of the free world brought with it the customary ordeal of ridicule and derision by comedians, satirists and editorial cartoonists. It was thanks to them that a brief moment of history was culturally defined by a big, toothy presidential grin on giant peanuts, caricatures by Dan Akroyd on SNL and across newspaper editorial pages. It was a golden time for an aspiring cartoonist to begin honing his skills.

I was too young to delve deeply or understand much about the details of domestic turmoil the USA faced during the Carter years. I do recall picking up bits of gloom about an energy crisis, of stagflation, of malaise and the fact that the youngest Kennedy brother had an ax to grind about an unpopular President.

The lasting memories of the Carter years for this 12-year-old-foreigner’s mind are the global events of a never-ending hostage crisis, a Summer Olympic Games boycott and a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Jimmy Carter wearing a Jimmy Carter mask

Fast forward 40 years later and that same President was photographed amidst a pandemic wearing a toothy grinning Jimmy Carter face mask, designed by yours truly.

The news of this came through a series of tweets beginning with a question to followers by the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists Twitter account asking if anyone among us designed face masks. Since I do run an online shop of history caricatures I replied. That led a cryptic reply with a photo of a senior wearing a mask under the handle @peanut_brigade. Then, to a Google search of a July 31 article in the Las Vegas Review Journal. 

David Osborne, an accomplished musician who plays piano at Las Vegas’ Bellagio hotel, is also known as “Pianist to the Presidents”, for the number of White House performances he’s made over the past several decades. He and Carter have built a friendship over the years. On the eve of Osborne receiving a music award in his home state of Oklahoma, the pianist received a texted photo of the masked ex-President by Jimmy Carter himself. He then shared the photo with the Las Vegas newspaper. 

Jimmy Carter swag

If only I could go back in time and tell my 12-year-old self that I would one day draw a cartoon of Jimmy Carter’s smile and Jimmy Carter would wear it on his face!

Jimmy Carter has built a very respectable standing in his post-presidency years. Unlike others, he hasn’t used public life to enrich himself financially. Instead, he’s lived a long life advancing human rights and helping to improve the quality of life for people around the world.

Even in their mid-90s Jimmy Carter and the former First Lady Rosalyn, continue to devote themselves to public service by doing what a sitting President is loathe to do, promote the use of face masks in the time of a deadly pandemic.

That’s a noble cause to put pen to paper to, or in this case, Presidential pearly whites.

Jimmy Carter smile masks are available through Graeme’s online store www.mackaycartoons.net, $2 from each sale goes to Habitat for Humanity Hamilton.

Jimmy Carter Face Masks are available through Graeme’s shop on Redbubble

MacKay’s Carter Editorial Cartoons

May 16, 2002

 

May 2, 2012

Posted in: Cartooning, Redbubble, USA Tagged: cartooning, editorial cartoonist, face masks, Jimmy Carter, masks

Wednesday May 2, 2012

May 2, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Wednesday May 2, 2012

‘Even Jimmy Carter would have killed Osama bin Laden’, says Mitt Romney

With the Americans remembering the anniversary of the Obama-authorised US military raid in Pakistan that ended with bin Laden’s death, campaign adviser Robert Gibbs said on Sunday that it was unclear whether Mr Romney would have made the same decision as Obama.

“Look, just a few years ago, President Obama – then a candidate – said in a speech that if we had actionable intelligence of a high-value target in Pakistan, we’d go in and get that high value target,” Mr Gibbs said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Mitt Romney said that was foolish. He wouldn’t do such a thing. That he wouldn’t move heaven and earth to get Osama bin Laden.”

Speaking in New Hampshire on Monday, Mr Romney said he would have made the same decision.

“Of course. Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order,” Romney said.

Many Americans remember Mr Carter’s foreign policy record as weak, primarily because of his inability to win the release of the Americans who were taken hostage in Iran and held for 444 days during his 1977-81 presidency.

Mr Romney has scheduled an appearance Tuesday in New York City with firefighters and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to mark the anniversary of the killing of bin Laden, who was responsible for the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Last week, Mr Obama’s campaign released a video featuring former President Bill Clinton that sought to reinforce Mr Gibbs’ doubts about Romney. “Which path would Mitt Romney have taken?” the video asks. (Source: The Telegraph) 

 

Posted in: USA Tagged: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, campaign, election, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Mitt Romney, Osama Bin Laden, President, Saddam Hussein, Teddy Roosevelt, USA

Thursday May 16, 2002

May 16, 2002 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 16, 2002

Bush Plans to Tighten Sanctions on Cuba, Not Ease Them

While Jimmy Carter called for easing sanctions against Cuba, President Bush said today that he would hew to a tough line when he speaks Monday on his policy toward Cuba.

Officials said that Mr. Bush would speak at a fund-raiser in Miami and possibly to the Organization of American States in Washington, and that he would announce measures to strengthen the economic pressure and political isolation of President Fidel Castro’s government.

The measures include stepping up enforcement of travel restrictions, promoting aid to dissidents and strengthening American government broadcasts of news and opinion, according to an official who follows the policy.

The United States also plans to ask European and Latin American nations, particularly Mexico and Spain, to help build support for Cuban critics of the government.

Administration officials denied that Mr. Bush’s announcements had been timed to embarrass the former president, Mr. Carter, who would just be ending his five-day trip to Cuba. But officials did acknowledge concern that Mr. Carter’s trip might provide momentum for calls to ease American policy toward the Castro government.

In Miami, Mr. Bush is to address a fund-raiser for the re-election campaign of his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush. South Florida is a bastion of Cuban exiles who oppose any softening toward Havana, and President Bush’s remarks are likely to be warmly received.

The president is a strong supporter of the four-decade-old American trade embargo against Cuba. His stance has won him the devotion of a large swath of the Cuban-American community, without which he probably would not have won the state of Florida, and the presidency, in 2000.

President Bush, in remarks to the news media today during a visit of the prime minister of Malaysia, said his message on Cuba was not affected by Mr. Carter’s visit.

He foreshadowed the tough line he is expected to take on Monday, Cuba’s independence day, saying, ”My message to the Cuban people is: Demand freedom, and you’ve got a president who stands with you.”

While the president is preparing to increase the pressure against Cuba, his administration is caught in a debate over public allegations that Mr. Castro’s government is developing biological weapons. (Continued: The New York Times) 

 

Posted in: International, USA Tagged: communism, corporations, Cuba, Democracy, diplomacy, Fidel Castro, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, sanctions, USA, wall

Click on dates to expand

Please note…

This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

Social Media Connections

Link to our Facebook Page
Link to our Flickr Page
Link to our Pinterest Page
Link to our Twitter Page
Link to our Website Page
  • HOME
  • Sharing
  • The Boutique
  • The Hamilton Spectator
  • Artizans Syndicate
  • Association of Canadian Cartoonists
  • Wes Tyrell
  • Martin Rowson
  • Guy Bado’s Blog
  • You Might be From Hamilton if…
  • MacKay’s Most Viral Cartoon
  • Intellectual Property Thief Donkeys
  • National Newswatch
  • Young Doug Ford

Your one-stop-MacKay-shop…

T-shirts, hoodies, clocks, duvet covers, mugs, stickers, notebooks, smart phone cases and scarfs

Brand New Designs!

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
Follow Graeme's board My Own Cartoon Favourites on Pinterest.

MacKay’s Virtual Gallery

Archives

Copyright © 2016 mackaycartoons.net

Powered by Wordpess and Alpha.

 

Loading Comments...