Since Tom’s already highlighted the Pulitzer photography awards, here’s Dave Weigel at Slate on the award for political cartooning:
…[I]t’s notable that Politico‘s Pulitzer went not to any of its reporting (its scoop-a-minute debt limit coverage, for example), but to cartoonist Matt Wuerker. The cartoonist is the only outright liberal voice in a magazine all about ideology-free reportage on Washington/campaigns…
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… Wuerker cut his teeth at publications like The Nation and Z… poke around the vast Internet, and you can find lots of Wuerker art with a strong POV. It’s a delightful little irony that the publication so often derided by the left as “Drudgico” has won its first Pulitzer for cartoons that made the Left’s arguments.
I haven’t seen much of Wuerker’s work, and Politico‘s awards slideshow highlights arguments as sophisticated as a hammer and a drawing style just slightly more advanced than Ted Rall’s. Two swabbies labelled ‘John’ and ‘Mitch’ jeering “Here’s the plan. We let him go down… then we get to run the ship!” as Captain O, Nancy, and Harry frantically bail red ink from the sinking U.S.S. USA does not leave much room for interpretation, but there’s virtue in clarity, I guess.
Speaking of jabbering cartoons, Weigel also shares the latest from Louie Gohmert (R-Tea Party):
Eleven House conservatives, most of them freshmen, held a joint media meet-up this afternoon. No real agenda. The theme was “conversations with conservatives.” And the first question that tripped anybody up, from The Hill’s Russ Berman, was whether members were “excited” about incoming Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
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“Well, first, we’re excited about the opportunity to defeat Barack Obama, more than anything,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, the shirtsleeved chairman of the Republican Study Committee….
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Rep. Louie Gohmert, the aggressively quotable former judge from Texas, basically conceded the point. “If you’re not sure about whether to support Mitt Romney,” he joked, “whether you’re liberal, or whether you’re very conservative, you ought to be excited, because he’s been on your side at one time or another.”…
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Gohmert returned to clean up his splatter. “So I’m not completely misunderstood,” he said, “I’m not as excited as I am desperate.”
I’m sure Mark Halperin will tell us that this is excellent news for John McCain “Mitt” Romney…
MikeJ
I too, was pretty unimpressed with the cartoons in that slideshow. I wouldn’t call any of them “liberal” but a few expressed a sane point of view. Of course in #6 he shows the republicans about to dismantle medicare, which they clearly want to do, so that makes him a liberal.
joel hanes
A drawing style a lot less sophisticated than Ted Rall, whose “scratchy” line owes much to Herriman, and perfectly suits his bile.
Schlemizel
Gawd I love that quote from Gomer! It gives me great hope for November. Another anchor handed the GOP by one of its own while it drowns. When you encourage morons to represent your party I guess you have to expect some pretty moronic stuff, glad to see not all of it is splattering onto women, children and minorities.
runt
Ponder those words for a minute and see if you feel the same icy shudder work its way down your spine as I experienced.
Raven
“LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s starting lineup of three freshmen and two sophomores did most everything together. Now, they will go their separate ways in the NBA.
Freshmen Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague, and sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb declared for the draft in a nationally televised news conference Tuesday night.”
Where’s the douche bag that was telling us this wasn’t going to happen with this year’s “Big Blue”.
Linda Featheringill
Boy, you guys are hard to please this morning!
I found the cartoons to be mildly pleasant although perhaps a bit too soft to really be political cartoons. I guess everything is relative.
On the other hand, they were also a bit too soft to be Pulitzer Prize winners, too.
The winning photos were obviously very fine. The cartoons? Meh.
Raven
@Linda Featheringill: Don’t pay any attention to these grumps!
MikeJ
@Raven: Get off my inoffensive drawing of a lawn!
Napoleon
@runt:
That was the same feeling I had when I read that.
Anya
@runt: I do a double take each time I read that. Then I wonder whether Gomert pretends to be stupid because his electorate respond to his idiotic utterances, or if he’s actually that stupid. If he was that insane and dumb then how did he manage to be a judge?
dave
A bad news day for me. My 8 year old cocker Lizzy was diagnosed with cancer, massively swollen lymph nodes and bleeding into her eyes so she can’t see very well. I’m thankful she doesn’t seem to be in pain so we’ll just keep her comfortable for now. :(
beltane
Unfortunately, insanity and dumbness are not disqualifications for the bench in any American jurisdiction, and I’m afraid this situation is even worse in Texas.
Raven
@dave: Aw I’m sorry to hear that. We went through a long struggle with Raven, our black cocker, and I feel for you.
Anya
@beltane: Then how the fuck did he pass the bar exam?
gocart mozart
@Anya:
A judge is merely a lawyer who knows the governor. If they are elected then the standards are, well you know the answer)
Ash Can
@dave: Oh dear. Best wishes to Lizzy, you, and the rest of your family.
gocart mozart
@Anya:
I hear you. Having taken the bar, it’s a pretty tough exam, but then I think “Orly Taits!!” and I has a confused.
Napoleon
@gocart mozart:
Did he have to take the bar exam? When I got out of law school I recall you did not need to in WV if you went to law school in WV.
WereBear
@dave: I’m so sorry to hear. No matter how much we love them, the best thing to do can be the worst thing to feel.
And really, I see this just as more dragging the window out of shape; look at these hard-hitting lefty cartoons! Though I do love this:
...now I try to be amused
Hee! Gohmert is such a gaffe machine, which is to say he says what he really thinks. More of this, please.
John PM
@Anya: That’s what I was thinking, but it just shows that you have to be a good test taker and not necessarily intelligent.
gaz
Jesus General found himself a real clown last week. LOL.
This guy is effin hilarious.
http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2012/04/proud-individual-of-european-descent.html
With “saviors” of the white race like this, all of you honkeys* are doomed.
*recently discovered I’m a jew – so umm, I can say honkey, amirite? =)
TG Chicago
I thought cartoons #11 and #17 were alright. The rest were pretty boring and obvious… or they had clear flaws.
Like #15 is decent until you notice that he’s basically claiming that Reagan was a Thinking Conservative. Um, no. Even his fans called him “The Great Communicator”, not “The Great Thinker”.
Most of them were like that first one. Yes, the Egyptian people rose up and overthrew Mubarak, whom the US supported. But what clever or funny or thought-provoking twist did he add? Nothing. You don’t get anything more from seeing that comic than you do from reading the sentence: “The Egyptian people rose up and overthrew Mubarak, whom the US supported.” A picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, but his was only worth 12.
JG
What Politicrap put out as the slide show was kinda ‘meh’ in my opinion, but he has better stuff out in the world.
I actually enjoy his drawing style, but that is a matter of taste. But I will point out that to trust the judgment of Politico editors as to his best work is ridiculous when you wouldn’t trust their opinion on anythign else.
Use teh great googlity first, and then hate him if you’d like but do it based on his best work.
Mike G
Gohmert is a former judge? I always thought he was one of the many dumb-and-loud car dealer/bug killer/mortgage touter “small bidnessmen” who infest Texas Repuke politics.
Damn I’m glad I got out of that redneck state. And East Texas is even dumber than the rest of that ugly place.
pseudonymous in nc
Steve Bell often jokes about how American cartoonists have that habet of labelling everything, so you get an elephant with a “GOP” rosette and “This is about Republicans” in the title.
@Mike G:
Same difference, isn’t it, in Texas, where they elect judges? Cornyn was elected to the TX Supreme Court, and while he’s not as blatant as Gomer, he’s probably as stupid.
David Koch
Can weigel be serious in saying Politico is “ideology-free”?