Pushing the Envelope: presidential campaign

Showing posts with label presidential campaign. Show all posts

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Local Pastor's Political Cartoons to be showcased on CNN

Local Presbyterian pastor, John Stuart, is to have some of his political cartoons showcased on CNN International this weekend. He's been drawing and blogging them since June 2007.

His 200+ cartoons reflect most of the political campaigning that has gone one for almost eighteen months. As he states on his blog, Pushing the Envelope, this is his way of "offering payback for the American people on all those slick politicians who put us through a never-ending Presidential campaign."

John's cartoons are frequently seen on the Knox News-Sentinel bloggers page, as well as being posted in other blogs around the world. He uses his cartoons to highlight the gaffes and inconsistencies of both the Republican and Democrat campaigns.

In the interview, John states that "satire is one of the best methods that people have to remind our politicians that we choose them as our leaders, and not the other way around."

John signs his cartoons as 'Stushie', which is a Scottish nickname for Stuart, but it is also a Scottish word that means 'causing a ruckus.' Pastor Stuart hopes that his cartoons inject some humor into the current political election.

The cartoons will be broadcast at the following times:

SATURDAY 7:30A EASTERN
SUNDAY 2P EASTERN
MONDAY 9A EASTERN
MONDAY 1:30P EASTERN

John Stuart is also a regular guest on the daily political talk show, "The Voice," which is broadcast by WQBB 1040AM.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Can a Political Machine Beat a Popular Movement?

2008 is going to be the year that party chiefs got it all wrong. Hillary is trying to finagle her way back into the Democratic nomination using Machiavellian politics. She’s trying to split the party as well as the nation using tested and tried methods of scandal, injustice, and schism which will put the Clintons way up there with the Borgias of old. She’s using the political machine against a popular movement. She’s doomed to fail.

John McCain is going to use the same tactics. He’s going to highlight his experience against Obama’s. He’s going to use the same old entitlement speeches that Hillary tried to employ. The GOP will use the swift boats of anti-patriotism accusations against Obama that have proven unsuccessful. He’s going to use the old party political machine methods against a popular movement. McCain is going to lose.

You see folks, what we have here is something that doesn’t happen very often in elections, but it has the potential of creating a tsunami against anyone who opposes it. People want change. People want their politicians to change. People want their politics to change.

I saw this happening in Britain when Tony Blair was elected Prime Minister. People wanted change so badly that they stampeded their way to the ballot boxes and the Labor Party won by a landslide. Nothing could stop the popular movement. Nothing could stand in its wake. Nothing could compete against the people being motivated.

If the Democrat party nominates Hillary Clinton as their candidate, then the Democrats will be in the wilderness for a whole generation of at least 15 – 25 years. A young, zealous generation of voters will have their hopes dashed and their dreams burned. They won’t ever forgive the Democrats for damaging their hero.

The Republicans are also facing a tidal wave. John McCain cannot even raise enough people to buy tickets for a dinner in Texas. The people in the know already believe he is a loser, and that’s just amongst the Republicans. You can’t beat a popular movement, not even if you pull out a prisoner of war as your nominee. What happened in Louisiana and Mississippi a couple of weeks ago is not a blip – it’s the first wave of a tsunami.

I could be wrong in all of this, but it feels so much like Blair’s landslide victory in Britain all those years ago. I know America is a different nation, but this is a popular movement and no matter how experienced, sophisticated, and well oiled the political machine may be, it just cannot win.

So, for what it’s worth, here’s my prediction. Obama gains the Whitehouse in ’08 and the Democrats increase their seats in the House and Senate substantially. The old notion of checks and balances no longer prevails.

Of course, this all depends on what the Democrats do about Hillary on Saturday. If they screw that one up, all bets are off.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Tennessee GOP: Remember Andrew Jackson

The Tennessee GOP has started its Fall campaign on Obama by attacking his wife Michelle for her “proud of America” remarks. They must figure that it’s easier to attack a candidate’s spouse rather than go for the main contender. It’s discourteous and one that is reminiscent of the 1828 attacks against Andy Jackson’s wife Rachel. The Republicans were soundly defeated in that campaign, partly due to Jackson’s immense popularity and the distasteful attacks against his wife.

It remains to be seen if history will repeat itself, but throughout the nomination process, trying to beat Obama with personal attacks instead of policy arguments has all but failed. GOP Tennesseans may feel they were being patriotic in singling out Michelle Obama for their initial attack ads, but this will only increase Obama’s popularity and make Tennessean Republicans look paltry.

If McCain has any spine, he will condemn these spurious attacks and call to make political spousal abuse off limits for both parties. Politics is an ugly business, but drive-by slurs only makes the perpetrators look even uglier in the eyes of voting citizens.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Poltical cartoons: Solutions and Resolutions

Hillary better be careful. She's about to make another mistake...

...if she keeps harping on about Obama making inspirational speeches...

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Political Cartoons: Rudy's Regress

Rudy Giuliani may just have made a tactical blunder by putting all his focus on Florida...

...and if so, then thank goodness he won't be our next Commander in Chief!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Dirty Tricks Brigade - Obama & the Flag

A lot has been made about this picture of Obama not holding his hand over his heart in front of the flag. His critics wrongly assert that this is happening during the Pledge of Allegiance. Actually, the photograph is taken during the singing of the National Anthem.

Go over to Snopes and watch the video. He’s the only politician who is actually SINGING the National Anthem! Have the rest of them forgotten the words???