Tuesday October 22, 2024
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 22, 2024
See the animated making-of version here!
Why Americans Tolerating Trump’s Incivility Is a Dangerous Gamble
January 24, 2017
Consider this: A group of children recently asked former President Donald Trump some simple questions on “Fox & Friends.” When asked by a 10-year-old boy from Tennessee to name his favourite president as a child, Trump at first awkwardly offered Ronald Reagan—who was elected when Trump was already 34. But instead of reflecting on Reagan’s legacy or discussing any childhood admiration, Trump veered off into his own trade policies, claiming credit for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). As the conversation rambled, he dropped bizarre musings about the Civil War, claiming it “doesn’t make sense we had a civil war,” and somehow linked this to his belief that conflicts like Ukraine or Israel’s war with Hamas would never have happened under his watch.
January 9, 2019
This strange exchange underscores a larger truth about Trump: He exhibits no genuine respect for the office he once held, nor any real grasp of the legacy of his presidential predecessors. If a former president cannot engage thoughtfully with a child’s question about presidential history, it’s no wonder his campaign today offers nothing but spectacle, insults, and grievance politics. Trump’s inability to answer a child’s question without bragging about his trade deals reflects the same indifference that has shaped his chaotic campaign strategy—one focused on division and personal survival rather than governance or public service.
As Election Day looms, Americans face a stark decision: whether to indulge Trump’s theatrics once more, or demand more from their leaders. Trump’s recent rallies look more like circus acts than political discourse. At a Pennsylvania rally, he speculated about Arnold Palmer’s anatomy, attacked Kamala Harris as a “terrible” vice president, and complained that “woke” military officers wouldn’t help him incarcerate his political opponents. His campaign offers no serious policy vision, only grievances and attacks—a test of just how far Americans are willing to go in tolerating this behaviour.
March 26, 2019
Disturbingly, many Americans seem comfortable waiting for some “October surprise”—a twist that will suddenly make sense of Trump’s chaotic campaign. As Bill Maher recently pointed out, this obsession with surprises has become a coping mechanism, allowing voters to avoid confronting the reality of Trump’s behaviour. But the truth is, Trump has shown exactly who he is. There is no new twist coming—just the same divisive rhetoric, insults, and contempt for democratic norms. Waiting for a dramatic shift is like re-watching a bad movie, hoping for a different ending.
What’s truly troubling is how numb Americans have become to the erosion of political standards. As Timothy O’Brien argues, the Republican Party under Trump has abandoned its former values—fiscal conservatism, respect for the Constitution, and civility—in favour of authoritarianism, conspiracies, and macho posturing. What would have been disqualifying behaviour just a decade ago—mocking military officers or delivering vulgar rants on stage—has become disturbingly routine. Americans appear fatigued, overwhelmed by years of scandals and outrage, struggling to muster accountability.
Opinion: Trump Goes All In on Fear and Loathing. Will Voters?
May 11, 2023
While Democrats focus on traditional campaigning—door-knocking, opening field offices, and organizing grassroots volunteers—Trump’s campaign relies on stunts and gimmicks, including the financial backing of billionaires like Elon Musk. Reports suggest that Musk’s PAC, tasked with running ground operations, may have mismanaged canvassing efforts. Meanwhile, Musk’s desperate offer of million-dollar prizes to voters raises both ethical and legal questions. This slapdash approach reflects the deeper truth about Trump: he values power not for public service, but for the protection it offers from legal consequences.
At the heart of Trump’s campaign lies a cynical formula: harness anger and grievance without offering solutions. This fuels division, but it offers no path forward. And yet, many Americans appear willing to tolerate his incivility, dishonesty, and chaos—a dangerous gamble that risks normalizing behaviour unworthy of the presidency. Trump’s political success is not rooted in ideas but in performance art, a show of insults and fear-mongering designed to inflame rather than inspire.
May 5, 2020
The real danger lies not just in Trump’s rhetoric but in what it represents: a lowering of the standards Americans expect from their leaders. As Arnold Palmer’s daughter once noted, her father had no patience for public dishonesty or rudeness—qualities Trump has elevated into virtues. This election is about more than policy differences; it is a referendum on what Americans will accept in their leaders.
There is no “October surprise” that will absolve Americans of their responsibility. The choice before them is clear: continue down a path of spectacle, fear, and incivility, or reject it in favour of accountability, decency, and truth. The outcome of this election will define not only the future of American democracy but the standards to which all future leaders will be held.
Posted to my new *experimental* SUBSTACK page. It’s at the early experimental stage (at the time of it’s posting,) and presented in the form of notes as I figure out how to integrate it into my daily routine. Find out what’s swirling in my head as I come up with my ideas. It’s free and will continue to be, as will this carefully curated WordPress website which I’ve maintained obediently since 2012… until the traditional structure that has sustained me a livelihood collapses on top of me as it has for so many of my peers. Please take a look, and if you want to continue following/subscribe to my work, please subscribe, and thank you!
Donald Trump’s inability to answer even a child’s simple question about his favourite president reflects a deeper problem: his lack of respect for the office he once held and his reliance on performance over substance. How can we be sure that this individual has ventured beyond the shallow depths provided by his speechwriters to engage with the broader context of Presidential and American history? Oh, but that’s his appeal, isn’t it, talking on the same level of the average Joe, broad mindedness entails book smarts, and trivialities best left to pointy headed liberal elites. Leave that soaring Presidentese language to the voice overs of PBS documentaries. As his rallies devolve into vulgar spectacles and personal attacks, Trump’s campaign offers no vision for governance, only grievance and division. While Americans seem resigned to waiting for an “October surprise,” as Bill Maher reminded viewers on his weekend show, the real danger lies in normalizing behaviour that would have been disqualifying in the past. This election presents a critical choice: whether to indulge Trump’s incivility once more or demand accountability, decency, and truth in leadership.
I’ve gotten into the habit of making use of the technology made available when drawing digitally. I’ve been doing these for a few months. Apps make it faster to create and way more easy to add sound effects and music while showing the process I follow when drawing a cartoon. It adds another level to satire that I think takes editorial cartooning to a new level and makes it more interesting, entertaining, and exciting. I probably went overboard with the voiceovers in this clip, but it’s all experimentation, and you are my willing audience…
