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tombstone

Wednesday February 5, 2025

February 5, 2025 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay – Wednesday February 5, 2025

(First published in The Hamilton Spectator, October 2, 2020)

America First, Allies Last

Donald Trump's tariff threats have united Canadians, sparking renewed patriotism and prompting a reassessment of economic independence and national identity.

February 5, 2025

Under President Trump’s second term, American leadership on the global stage is experiencing significant challenges. With an “America First” stance, the administration has prioritized national interests over global collaboration, resulting in strained relationships with allies like Canada and contentious tariff negotiations. This shift reflects a departure from traditional U.S. foreign policy, leading to concerns about the erosion of America’s moral and diplomatic influence.

In the Middle East, Trump’s proposal to transform the Gaza Strip into a luxury destination, without considering the desires of the Palestinian people, exemplifies a unilateral approach that risks exacerbating regional tensions. Such actions suggest an exercise of American imperialism, overlooking the complexities of international conflicts.

November 14, 2017

Historically, the U.S. has been a beacon of democracy and freedom, but the current trajectory signals a withdrawal from these responsibilities. The fading perception of American leadership is prompting allies and adversaries to adjust their strategies, potentially leaving a void in global leadership.

In this uncertain era, it’s vital for the U.S. to reaffirm its commitment to democratic values and international cooperation. The world watches to see if America will reclaim its role as a leader in shaping a just and equitable global order, or continue down a path of isolation and diminished influence. The future of global leadership and American exceptionalism hangs in the balance.

This editorial cartoon has been repurposed after being first published October 2, 2020.

Posted in: Canada, USA Tagged: 2025-03, alliances, America, American exceptionalism, burial, coffin, Democracy, freedom, Global, imperialism, influence, isolationism, leadership, liberty, perception, tariffs, tombstone, Trade, USA

Friday October 2, 2020

October 9, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 2, 2020

The decline of the American Empire

July 14, 2020

Whatever went on between Donald Trump and Joe Biden on Tuesday night, it wasn’t a presidential election debate, it was an unpresidential disaster. 

For the TV viewers unlucky enough to have stuck it out through this 90-minute waking nightmare, the experience was like standing in front of a 10-storey fan into which heavy artillery were constantly firing mud. Or like watching two guys wrestle in the gutter over a nickel.

From start to finish it was a high-decibel cacophony of insults, accusations and angry interruptions as the ever-pugnacious President Trump — staying true to brutal form — mocked the intelligence of his Democratic rival, accused Biden of being a stooge for socialists and even attacked his son, Hunter.

May 14, 2020

And while even a saint would have been rattled by Trump’s rude and blistering attacks, it was nonetheless disappointing to hear Biden respond in kind by calling the president a “liar,” a “racist,” and “the worst president American has ever had,” as well as telling him to “shut up, man.”

No matter who you think won this ugly verbal brawl, the losers were clear: the American people and every American ally around the world that still looks to the United States for leadership.

One of the most common responses of the American pundits who watched this dumpster fire was that they were ashamed of what they’d witnessed. That’s a stunning admission in a country known for its patriotism — but it was entirely appropriate.

April 23, 2020

No matter who wins this election, the office of U.S. president has been diminished, for now, shorn of the respect that should be due to the world’s most powerful leader and, in turn, to the world’s most powerful economic and military nation. 

How can this supposed beacon of democracy continue to shine when the democratic process of choosing its highest official is debased in this way, its light heaped with dirt? And how can the widening fractures in the U.S. on racial, economic and political lines be brought together when Trump, who might still be elected for another four years, not only treats his opponents with contempt but refuses in a public debate to denounce white supremacists? “Stand back and stand by,” was his bizarre and troubling message to one of these groups, the Proud Boys.

April 29, 2020

No wonder the dismay over this debate, as well as the state of disunion it signifies, spread far beyond the U.S. “There is a consensus in Europe that this is getting out of hand, and this debate is an indicator of the bad shape of the American democracy,” observed Ulrich Speck, an analyst with the German Marshall Fund in Berlin.

“European leaders must (be) thinking, ‘The American leadership is over,’” concluded Nicole Bacharan, a political analyst living in France, adding that authoritarian leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin “must be telling themselves … they can do everything because the U.S. isn’t a leader anymore.”

The gleeful reaction in China, the emerging powerhouse that is challenging America’s global dominance, was also instructive. “Such a chaos at the top of U.S. politics reflects division, anxiety of U.S. society and the accelerating loss of advantage of the U.S. political system,” said Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, a Chinese Communist Party propaganda sheet.

Pandemic Times

The relative decline of the U.S., and its global economic and military empire, had been observed before Trump’s rise. His presidency has accelerated this decline and even if it is reversible it will take years to do so.

For Canada, which remains America’s closest neighbour and ally, the debate should serve as a reminder of this sad reality. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Posted in: International, USA Tagged: 2020-32, America, American exceptionalism, burial, coffin, Democracy, freedom, liberty, Pandemic Times, tombstone, USA

Friday, January 10, 2014

January 10, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

Friday, January 10, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, January 10, 2014

Bratina brings amalgamation debate back

Mayor Bob Bratina says he’s resurrecting a three-year-old election vow to review Hamilton’s contentious 2001 merger to “heal the rifts that divide us” — but he won’t rule out the prospect of deamalgamation.

Bratina, who hasn’t said if he’ll run for office again this fall, startled the audience at his state of the city address Wednesday by arguing it is “reasonable and perhaps critical” to look back at the 13-year-old amalgamation after years of silence on the issue.

He followed up with an afternoon promise to independently ask the province to review a new Western University study on amalgamation.

Bratina repeatedly refused to rule out deamalgamation but added it would be unlikely anytime soon.

“There may also be some way of relieving the costs that were brought on the amalgamation process by further, in-depth review by the province,” he suggested.

The announcement, made at a hastily arranged study presentation at the Sheraton, infuriated several councillors who called the move electioneering.
“He’s not registered to run yet (as a candidate) but he’s using his office to campaign,” said Councillor Sam Merulla.

He noted that the mayor’s office paid for equipment for the state of the city address as well as the cost of a Sheraton room for the study presentation. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: Bob Bratina, cemetery, de-amalgamation, Editorial Cartoon, election, Hamilton, tombstone

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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.

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