Check out our slate of Daily Kos-endorsed candidates

R.I.P. great Kosack triciawyse

Now that Trump has won Florida and is continuing his march to the GOP nomination (barring a Kasich or Cruz miracle), let’s review The Donald’s violent statements from his recent campaign rallies. Trump is again telling us we shouldn’t believe our own lying eyes and ears. He has been playing with some very dangerous fire and continues to tap dance around the truth.

Oftentimes, when I use actual audio from a politician in an animation, it loses some punch because people tend to sound more reasonable when you hear their actual words. That is not the case with Trump’s statements longing for the “good ol’ days” of campaign violence and violence against protestors. The more I listened to his words, the more awful and disturbing his statements became.

I’m not saying he’s Hitler or anything, but there is definitely something chilling about his cadence, his toying with demagoguery and longing for the days when we could sic the dogs on protestors and be done with these unseemly interruptions. This used to be funny but is now getting a little too close for comfort. (Although tactically, this may be the best thing for a more reasonable alternative because people in the United States would never vote for this guy for real, right? Right?) Enjoy the cartoon, and please visit me on Patreon for backstage goodies and the warm feeling that comes with supporting political animation!  

Follow @RubenBolling on Twitter and Facebook.

Please join Tom the Dancing Bug's subscription club, the INNER HIVE, for early access to comics, and more.

And/or buy Ruben Bolling’s new book series for kids, The EMU Club Adventures. Book One here. Book Two here.

Order a copy of Eat More Comics: The Best of The Nib, 300 pages of political cartoons, comics journalism and essays. Follow me on Twitter at @MattBors.

www.patreon.com/keefknight

In a 2003 column (“Who Can Beat President Doofus?”), Molly Ivins wrote about John Kerry’s lack of Elvis:

My early take on Kerry was that he has gravitas--sumbitch about bent over double with gravitas--but that he has no Elvis. Minus-zero on the Elvis Scale was my first read. No point in nominating some good and worthy candidate, like Fritz Mondale or Michael Dukakis, if they got no Elvis. The object is to get these people elected. Can't get elected without a soupçon of Elvis.

Ivins noted that Kerry seemed to be working on his Elvis, which gave her some hope, though as we now know, her initial judgment was unfortunately correct.

I imagine some will dismiss this as a silly way of evaluating candidates, but I think the Elvis Factor is to be taken seriously. We can parse the candidates’ utterances until the cows come home, but the fact remains that elections are largely irrational. I’m assuming a certain level of wonkery among readers of this cartoon. (You’re welcome!) Imagine for a moment that everything you know about politics vanishes except for what you’ve heard on cable news. All the book learnin’ and well-reported articles, gone in a puff. This is the starting point for many voters. And they value certain personality traits, for better or worse. Mostly worse.

Honestly, I’m a little worried that both Hillary and Bernie are low on Elvis. Those who feel Sanders is a Hunka Hunka Bernin’ Love are free to disagree.

Follow Jen on Twitter at @JenSorensen

Created by Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist Mark Fiore and Comigama Interactive Cartoons. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Play more cartoons!

One side is having a sharp-elbowed debate over policy and priorities, with the usual charges and counter-charges and gaffes and tone policing you’d expect during any political primary.  On the other side, we have sheer pandemonium unfolding, with a man who could conceivably become President of the United States openly encouraging mob violence. (This cartoon was written before the weekend chaos at Trump’s rallies, but I have a feeling that’s going to be an ongoing topic in the weeks ahead.) As someone said on Twitter, it’s as if the primaries are taking place under two entirely different political systems. Fasten your seat belts — exhausting as it seems, we’re only getting started, and there’s undoubtedly worse turbulence ahead.

…

Willard “Mitt” Romney is back in the news, and I’ll never pass up an opportunity to needle this man. As a freelancer, I didn’t have health insurance until he created RomneyCare. He then spent the next decade campaigning on the promise to take it away. There’s nothing more “phony” or “fraudulent” than that.

Any talk of a contested or brokered Republican convention is pure fan fiction for those establishment Republicans still in denial about the Trump candidacy; a candidacy they’ve sown for decades going back to Nixon’s Southern Strategy.

It makes perfect sense that a few days after touting his penis size during a presidential debate, Donald J. Trump would display raw meat, wine and champagne at a press conference. Will there be a lion on a leash or bear wrestling next? Things seem to be getting a little more primeval in this campaign, at least on the Republican side.

Dogboy and Mr. Dan are back to give their take on the current state of the presidential race. Needless to say, Mr. Dan is thrilled. Keep your eyes peeled for a winnowing field of candidates over the next few weeks. Although since that is a rational expectation, the opposite will probably happen. Will Ben Carson jump back in as Trump names Putin his running mate? (And what do you know, there is an exciting Democratic race going on, too!)

Prepare yourself for more real-time satire in the presidential race, be it in a debate or during a press conference! Enjoy the cartoon, don’t eat too many Trump steaks and remember to check out my Patreon page for goodies and behind-the-scenes access. (I’ll be posting video of the voiceover session for this cartoon soon.)