lame duck – mackaycartoons

Saturday December 12, 2020

December 19, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

December 12, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 12, 2020

Trump largely mum on toll of coronavirus as he continues to fight election results

U.S. President Donald Trump has been highlighting lots of really big numbers this week: New highs for the stock market. The 100-plus House members backing a lawsuit challenging his election loss. The nearly 75 million people who voted for him.

November 24, 2020

All the while, he’s looked past other staggering and more consequential figures: The record numbers of coronavirus deaths, hospitalizations and new cases among the citizens of the nation he leads.

On Friday, Trump’s team blasted out a text with this strong, high-minded presidential message: “We will not bend. We will not break. We will never give in. We will never give up.”

But it was not a rallying cry to help shore up Americans sagging under the toll of a pandemic that on Wednesday alone killed more Americans than on D-Day or 9-11. It was part of a fundraising pitch tied to Senate races in Georgia and to Trump’s unsupported claims that Democrats are trying to “steal” the presidential election he lost.

November 6, 2020

Of Trump’s tweets over the past week, 82 per cent have been focused on the election and just 7 per cent on the virus — almost all of those related to forthcoming vaccines — according to Factba.se, a data analytics company. Nearly a third of the president’s tweets on the election were flagged by Twitter for misinformation.

As he talks and tweets at length about the election he is futilely trying to subvert, the president is leaving Americans without a central figure to help them deal with their grief over loved-ones’ deaths and the day-to-day danger of the pandemic that still rages. His strategy is to focus totally on the shiny object coming soon — the prospect of a vaccine.

Friday night, the the Food and Drug Administration gave the final go-ahead to a vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, launching emergency vaccinations in a bid to end the pandemic. But Trump’s three-minute internet address hailing the vaccine made no mention of the toll the virus has taken.

July 28, 2020

Calvin Jillson, a presidential historian at Southern Methodist University, said Trump has proven himself unable or unwilling to muster the “normal and natural, falling-off-a-log simple presidential approach” that is called for in any moment of national grief or crisis.

“He simply doesn’t seem to have the emotional depth, the emotional reserves to feel what’s happening in the country and to respond to it in the way that any other president — even those who’ve been fairly emotionally crippled — would do,” Jillson said.

November 21, 2020

Trump did convene a summit this week to highlight his administration’s successful efforts to help hasten the development of coronavirus vaccines and prepare for their speedy distribution. And he spent part of Friday pressing federal authorities to authorize use of the first-up vaccine candidate from Pfizer.

At his summit, the president put heavy emphasis on the faster-than-expected development of the vaccines, calling it “an incredible success,” “a monumental national achievement,” “really amazing” and “somewhat of a miracle.” He’s also claimed credit, though Pfizer developed its vaccine outside the administration’s “Operation Warp Speed.”

In a passing nod to the pandemic’s toll, Trump promised the coming vaccines would “quickly and dramatically reduce deaths and hospitalizations,” adding that “we want to get back to normal.” But it will be months before most Americans have access to a vaccine.

Asked what message he had for Americans suffering great hardship as the holidays approach and the virus only gets worse, Trump’s answer had an almost clinical tone.

April 23, 2020

“Yeah, well, CDC puts out their guidelines, and they’re very important guidelines,” he said, “but I think this: I think that the vaccine was our goal.”

To focus otherwise would undercut Trump’s goal of minimizing the national pain of the virus’ toll and his claims that the danger will soon vanish.

Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, on Friday answered that approach with a promise for greater presidential leadership. Of the virus, he said: “We can wish this away, but we need to face it.”

Jeff Shesol, a presidential historian and former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, said Trump’s failure to express empathy was a “personal pathology manifesting itself as political strategy.” (Global News)

Tuesday April 12, 2016

April 11, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 12, 2016

Mulcair ‘a lame duck,’ says political scientist on NDP convention results

Tom Mulcair wanted a robust vote for his NDP leadership at this weekend’s party convention in Edmonton in order to stay on as leader.

He got something less, with 52 per cent of delegates voting yes to a leadership race.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð December 10, 2003 Tory stalwart Joe Clark partyless The new Conservative Party of Canada lost three MPs yesterday, hours after a proud announcement that it had officially registered for business and begun operations. Former Tory leader Joe Clark and fellow MPs Andre Bachand of Quebec and John Herron of New Brunswick said they couldn't bring themselves to participate in the new organization, formed through a merger with the Canadian Alliance. "This is not my party," Clark said as he arrived for what he called his last Tory caucus meeting. "This is something entirely new. I will not be part of this new party." Herron, like Clark, said he had notified Speaker Peter Milliken that he would serve out his current term but would keep calling himself a Progressive Conservative -- the old party name that was ditched in the merger. "I sought a mandate to be elected as a Progressive Conservative," Herron said. "I plan on fulfilling my mandate." In effect, Clark and Herron will be treated as independents under Commons rules, with reduced opportunity to ask questions, participate in debates and serve on committees. Bachand, who has been courted by the federal Liberals, said he hasn't decided whether to remain in politics but, if he does, it won't be under the banner of the new Conservative party. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Canada, long good-bye, Jean Chretien, Joe Clark, Progressive , Conservative, Reform, merger, leadership

2003 – Long Good-byes

“I think that was going to be a difficult leadership review for him but I never imagined he would get as low a number as he got. I was thinking somewhere in the 60s but not 48 per cent,” Bratt tells CBC News.

“To put this into context the last time a major federal party leader lost a leadership review was Joe Clark in 1983. Joe Clark got 67 per cent support.”

Bratt says the defeat can be, in part, attributed to disappointing federal election results in October.

“He was leading in the polls when the campaign began and they ended up as the third place party,” Bratt said.

“But second, he moved the party more towards the centre, particularly on budgets. He said they were going to run a balanced budget, and allow the Trudeau Liberals to outflank them on the left. So I think there was opposition within his party about how he lost and why he lost.”

Mulcair has said he would stay on as interim leader until a new leader is chosen, which could take up to two years.

“He is a lame duck. This isn’t a case like Rona Ambrose who is the interim leader of the Conservatives. This is a very different situation where he has been publicly defeated by his party yet continues to lead them. Once that is done I think Mulcair’s political career is over.”

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday March 29, 2006 PM given ultimatum Opposition party leaders warned recently that they are willing to bring down Stephen Harper's minority government if it does not change its course -- particularly on the Tory promise to provide a child-care subsidy to parents -- in the next two weeks. In separate meetings with the Prime Minister, interim Liberal leader Bill Graham and the Bloc Quebecois' Gilles Duceppe reminded the Conservative leader his party is outnumbered in the House of Commons and urged him to compromise on the government agenda as he drafts his Throne Speech. The speech, which will be delivered by Governor-General Michaelle Jean on April 4, sets out the agenda for the coming parliamentary session and will be passed or defeated in a confidence vote that could spark another election. Mr. Graham insisted the Liberals are willing to face the consequences of a confidence vote even though they won't have a new leader until December and are still struggling with the fallout of the party's defeat in January. He laid out his party's well-known concerns about the Tory agenda, including the fate of a $5-billion deal -- signed by the Liberals last year -- to improve living conditions for aboriginals, opposition to a cut to the Goods and Services Tax and Mr. Harper's promise to pull out of child-care agreements that were also signed by the previous Liberal government (Source: National Post) http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=dd0f2d4c-60ec-404c-8451-05c353046371 Canada, Parliament, Bill Graham, interim, Ralph Goodale, GST, Child Care, Liberal, Light, Brigade, charge

2006 – Liberal Turmoil

Bratt said at the top of the list of conflicts the next leader will face is a document pushing for a very different approach to environmental issues than the status quo.

“The other major division within the party besides over leadership was over this Leap Manifesto which is a very radical document, significantly altering capitalism, getting rid of fossil fuels, banning any future pipelines. The [federal] NDP passed a resolution to continue debating and discussing this at the grass roots level,” he said.

Rachel Notley’s provincial NDP has come out in opposition to the manifesto.

“This will be a defining feature of the [federal] leadership race. What is their position on the Leap Manifesto? I saw an obvious split between the worker wing of the party and the environmental wing of the party and it is going to be difficult to bring those two together,” Bratt said.

“That is going to be the real challenge of any future leader.” (Source: CBC News)

Feedback – Letter to the Editor, Hamilton Spectator, April 18, 2016

A cruel fate for Tom Mulcair

RE: Editorial cartoon and editorial, Monday April 11

The effective headless horseman cartoon of horse/Mulcair and the editorial reminder of a political execution completed last weekend did a fine job of capturing this sordid event.

As one who looked for change last October, I appreciate to this day Mr. Mulcair’s skilful work in opposition. At every opportunity during Question Period in Parliament, he exposed the stonewalling by Mr. Harper and his designated spokespeople, all of whom tried to defuse questions with their own concocted ones or refused to give any pertinent answers.

Surely there is much blame to go around in the NDP about why such a promising situation, mere months before the election, changed so quickly But indeed politics is a blood sport.

With few exceptions, the change last Oct. 19 was not desired by the majority of mainstream media. For the first time social media such as Facebook played a huge role in involving many groups representing well over a million Canadians, looking for new leadership. Voter turnout increased to 68.5 per cent from 61.2 per cent 2011; quite remarkable considering the antics of the then-government in trying to keep voters away from the polls

Thank you Thomas Mulcair for all your hard work; you deserved much classier treatment.

Richard Ring, Grimsby

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

November 4, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Obama facing lame duck status as America goes to midterm polls

American voters head to the polls on Tuesday looking likely to take out their frustration with Barack Obama on his Democratic allies and hand control of the US Senate to his Republican opponents.

Polls show the American people have soured on their president after six years and are preparing to use today’s congressional midterm elections to give vent to their anger.

In the ten battleground states that will decide control of the Senate, Republicans are leading in seven and a number of Democrat senators are facing the prospect of being turfed out of office.

A Republican victory would give them complete control of Congress and doom Mr Obama to “lame duck” status in his final two years in the White House.

The President, whose poor approval ratings have largely kept him off the campaign trail, made a final appeal to black voters last night to turn out and prevent a Republican surge.

“It will make a difference in the lives of you, your family, and your community,” Mr Obama told an African-American radio station. “You’ve got that responsibility: live up to it.”

Mr Obama will watch the election unfold from the White House on Tuesday night.

Get some lame duck swag here

Polls begin closing on the East Coast at 7pm (Midnight GMT) and will soon offer the first indication of what kind of night Democrats can expect.

Strategists in both parties will be closely watching the results in North Carolina and New Hampshire, two states currently held by Democrats and where the President’s party has maintained slim leads.

If either or both states fall to the Republicans it will be taken as a sign that Mr Obama’s party is in real trouble and potentially facing an electoral rout. (Source: Daily Telegraph)

SIGHTINGS

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