Editorial Cartoons Analysis: the 2016 Presidential Primaries

Steve Kelley
January 29, 2016
The Week

The circus master (Donald Trump) has managed to turn the elephant (the Republican Party) on
its head. However, the elephant still thinks it runs the show. This cartoon satirizes what the 2016
Republican presidential race has been like up until this point: Trumps almost uninterrupted
status as the frontrunner has turned the Republican Party upside down. However, the party still
thinks it runs the show not recognizing, as this cartoon shows, that Trump has firm control
over it. Since the cartoon is clearly lampooning the GOP establishment, Steve Kelley probably
supports a Democratic candidate. However, the cartoon accurately satirizes the actual state of
affairs within the Republican presidential race. Everyone who follows the presidential race can
agree that Trump has turned the GOP on its head; that, of the two of them, he has the upper hand,
and that the party establishment still thinks it runs the show. Also, unlike most cartoonists, and
unlike in most of his other works, Steve Kelley doesnt exaggerate his characters physical
characteristics in this particular cartoon. This helps create a more serious tone in his cartoon,
tying back to what was said earlier about the cartoon making a statement about the current state
of affairs in the Republican race.

Matt Wuerker
January 26, 2016
Politico

This cartoon depends heavily on an historical allusion to make its point. Matt Wuerker uses the
above famous photo of the American evacuation from Saigon prior to the fall of the city to the
North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War in 1975. The photo shows a long line of U.S.
Government personnel trying to board a helicopter on the roof of an apartment building.
Similarly, in the cartoon, people carrying money sacks and boxes brimming with cash (wealthy
donors) are evacuating from a building with a big banner saying Jeb! Headquarters (Jeb Bushs
campaign), taking with them all their money (campaign contributions). Ever since Jebs poll
numbers began their long decline last summer, contributions from wealthy donors have done the
same, at an even more dramatic rate. The fact that Wuerker bases his cartoon on that particular
photo makes his point all the more mocking of Jebs woes. It can therefore be concluded that
Wuerker is not a Jeb Bush supporter and that he either supports another Republican candidate or
a Democratic one. This cartoon will draw laughs if the viewer understands the historical allusion.

Mike Lukovich
February 11, 2016
The Week

The woman at the mirror (Melania, Donald Trumps wife) is indignantly brushing her hair while
Trump pats the pillow next to him, beckoning her to get into bed with him. Since she has no
other choice but to comply, no matter how much she dreads it, she thinks, Now the Republican
establishment knows how I feel. Mike Lukovich humorously lampoons the Republican Partys
plight of being forced to accept Trump and go along with him (an idiom thats actually been used
by pundits is getting in bed with him). Lukovich uses the clich of the reluctant but helpless
wife who has no other choice but to get into bed with her undesirable husband to represent the
GOPs relationship with Trump. Trumps self-satisfied facial expression reinforces this message.
Since the party establishment is stuck with Trump as a serious frontrunner, they have no choice
but to recognize him as a potential nominee. Considering the hilariously mocking way Lukovich
chooses to illustrate his message (a beautiful, repulsed wife not wanting to get into bed with her
old, undesirable husband), he either supports another Republican candidate or a Democratic one.

Gary Varvel
January 17, 2016
The Week

Angry birds from the game Angry Birds (angry voters) are ganging up and getting ready to attack
the king pig sitting on a throne labeled GOP establishment (the Republican Party
establishment), under which two smaller pigs are cowering in fear (Republican establishment
candidates probably). As Donald Trump himself stated at one of the debates, voters are ANGRY.
Even more, theyre taking out their anger by ganging up against the high and mighty GOP
establishment whod originally dominated and run the show and the candidates who
belong to it. Even more, as with the birds, angry voters will strive to do the most in their power
to knock down and defeat the GOP establishment and its candidates (hence the bird in the drawnback sling). For their part, the GOP establishment and its candidates recognize this threat and are
afraid of it. Varvel most likely supports a Democratic candidate, since hes satirizing an
antiestablishment backlash in the GOP (but thats also happening in the Democratic Party, as he
neglects to include here). This cartoon will draw laughs from those who can relate to Angry
Birds.

David Horsey
February 4, 2016
The Week (where I found it)

This cartoon satirizes the Iowa Democratic caucus. Even though Hillary Clinton won (by .3%),
as it was received in the public, the media, and pundits alike, it was basically a tie, and was a
huge momentum booster for Bernie Sanders. The text box on the left (Iowa picks a winner)
serves as a caption for the two-headed figure featuring Clintons and Sanders faces and both
their hands raised in the V-for-victory sign. The message is clear: the winner is both Clinton and
Sanders. However, as Clintons anxious facial expression and Sanders self-satisfied one show,
Clinton recognizes the clear and present threat he poses to her candidacy. David Horsey therefore
evidently agrees with overwhelming public opinion that the Iowa caucus was basically a tie, and
in some ways, a victory for Sanders (he came an astonishing .3% to tying/beating Clinton, a
remarkable feat showing that he actually has a chance of winning). As with the Donald Trump
circus master cartoon, a definite conclusion on Horseys political leanings cant be drawn from
this cartoon, since rather than making fun of either candidate, its actually satirizing what
basically happened in Iowa.

Scott Stantis
February 11, 2016
The Week (where I found it)

As indicated by the Hillary Clinton campaign logos on the carriage, Clinton is the woman headed
to her coronation as queen (the Democratic nomination) in her fancy golden carriage (her easy
lead in the polls up until recently). However, a funny (read: ironic) thing happened on the way
there: a sickle labeled Bernie (Bernie Sanders) lodged in one of the rear wheels and blew it
(Sanderss emergence as a formidable threat to her candidacy). The occurrence is ironic because
the sickle one of the most potent symbols of communism (an allusion to Sanderss
identification as a democratic socialist) has thwarted the queens progress to her coronation
(communism is generally associated with antimonarchism, most famously in its violent handling
of the Romanov imperial family during the Russian Revolution). The golden carriage can also
symbolize the order of concentrated wealth and power (including Clintons connections to Wall
Street) that Sanders seeks to destroy. Scott Stantis obviously thinks its highly ironic that
Clintons road to her coronation as the Democratic nominee is being thwarted by a socialist.
He might therefore support a Republican candidate, since he used a sickle instead of a raised fist
or red flag (more socialist symbols, versus the very communist sickle) to represent Sanders.

John Deering
February 4, 2016
The Week (where I found it)

The Evil Queen from Snow White (Hillary Clinton) sighs in disappointment as Bernie Sanderss
face appears in her magic mirror instead of hers. The analogy between the queen wanting to
always be the fairest in the land represents Clinton wanting to always be the more popular of
the two Democratic candidates. As in the tale of Snow White, however, it all changes one day,
when the underdog (Snow White/Sanders) becomes the fairest in the land (the more popular of
the two Democratic candidates). This cartoon satirizes Clintons recent struggles brought on by
Sanderss landslide victory in New Hampshire, public perception of her as being controlled by
Wall Street, and her inability to connect with female voters and millennials, weaknesses that
Sanders has been able to successfully exploit to his advantage. John Deering clearly shares this
negative popular opinion about Clinton, ridiculing her as the Evil Queen in his cartoon. Since
Deering is obviously not a Clinton supporter, he most likely supports Sanders or a Republican
candidate.

Daryl Cagle
February 11, 2016
The Week (where I found it)

In this Valentines Day-themed cartoon, young, overwhelmingly female voters are passionately
flocking to Bernie Sanders and ditching Hillary Clinton. This cartoon satirizes Clintons inability
to attract millennials and female voters, since, ironically, shes a woman AND a self-proclaimed
feminist, and her opponent is an old man in his 70s with a few strands of messy hair left. Yet,
defying all logic and common sense, millennials and female voters seem to be so much more in
love with him than her. The pedestal Sanders is standing on can symbolize his almost godlike
status among his supporters. Cupid is there to reinforce the symbolism of the young voters
passionate love for Sanders, implying that he shot them with his arrows of love (toward Sanders,
that is). Cagle portrays the infatuated young voters very mockingly, depicting them as bright, upand-coming young people who somehow adore a kooky old man who is their physical polar
opposite. Cagle is therefore either somewhat sympathetic towards Clinton or supports a
Republican candidate.

Reflection

The central theme of this collection of eight cartoons on the 2016 presidential race is
antiestablishment forces upsetting establishment ones. In the first cartoon, circus master and
antiestablishment candidate Donald Trump has turned the elephant of the Republican
establishment on its head and, although the elephant objects to it, is in firm control of the
proceedings. In the second cartoon, wealthy donors a symbol of the establishment are
evacuating from establishment candidate Jeb Bushs campaign with all their money, leaving to
seek better options elsewhere than his troubled campaign. In the third cartoon, Melania Trump
represents the GOP establishments reluctance to accept Donald Trump as a serious frontrunner
and potential nominee. In the fourth and final cartoon satirizing the Republican race, angry
voters are laying siege to the powerful GOP establishment and its candidates. In the fifth cartoon,
the first one satirizing the Democratic race, the triumphant antiestablishment candidate Bernie
Sanders is rejoicing at his status as a virtual co-winner alongside longtime establishment favorite
Hillary Clinton in the Iowa Democratic caucus. In the sixth cartoon, Clintons previously
uninterrupted progress to her coronation as the Democratic nominee is thwarted by a sickle
representing the socialist Sanders. In the seventh cartoon, Clinton as the Evil Queen from Snow
White is sulking over Sanderss unseating her as the most popular Democratic candidate. Finally,
in the eighth and final cartoon, demographic groups Clinton had been targeting, including
millennials and young voters, are flocking to Sanders instead of her. This central theme is one of
the main themes of the race itself: never have antiestablishment candidates been so successful in
a presidential race, and never have establishment candidates been so scorned. Although this
theme has been present in the Republican race throughout the entire process, it has recently

emerged in the Democratic one, catching Democratic elites totally off-guard, as Republican ones
were over the summer and the fall of 2015.
The collection is evenly split between representations of both parties races. Most of the
cartoons are witty, using incredibly witty and creative ways and symbols to poke fun at but still
convey a profound message about both races. Id chosen some of these cartoons specifically
because they were so funny. There were so many other wonderful cartoons I wanted to use, but
unfortunately, they didnt fit into my central theme. I must confess that the cartoons affected my
opinions and perceptions of the Democratic and Republican races. If made well (and I feel all
these were), cartoons can really get you to see things the way their artists see it. And since
cartoons tend to be exaggerated, they can also make you think that an occurrence they depict is
more overblown than it really is. In most of the cartoons I found, however, the artist really did
represent an opinion a substantial majority agrees on. These include Jeb Bushs floundering
campaign, the Iowa Democratic caucus, Hillarys thwarted coronation as the Democratic
nominee, and the Hillary vs. Bernie free-for-all on young voters and female voters. These are all
election events that have taken over the news and generated lots of food for pundits. All in all, it
was extremely fun going through The Week and Politico browsing through hundreds of cartoons.