Before Jibjab.com and "The Daily Show," Americans got their political satire from cartoonists who relied on simple pen and paper rather than multimedia expertise to render their wit.
Three leading editorial cartoonists in that grand tradition discussed their craft Sunday afternoon at the JFK Library. In a forum moderated by Scott Simon of NPR, titled "The Art of Political Cartoons," Mike Peters of The Dayton Daily News, Mike Luckovitch of The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Dan Wasserman of The Boston Globe discussed the role of cartoonists as watchers of democracy.
Exposing the gaffes, flip-flops and absurdities of political icons is all in a day's work for the three artists, who all say they rely on adrenaline to distill complex social and political issues into topical, concise and humorous pieces every day in time for a press deadline.
This is a task that is impossible without a healthy dose of cynicism, according to Peters. When asked about the cartoons that he regrets drawing, Peters responded laughingly, shaking his head with chagrin, as he recalled a piece he created early in his career lauding Gerald Ford when he took the presidential oath. Soon after, Ford pardoned Nixon - and in Peters' opinion, no longer deserved the high praise.
"Our job is to be the attack dogs," Peters concluded.
Luckovitch noted that while the artists' respective papers have an obligation to present political editorials with balance, cartoons and cartoonists are not held to the same standards. Cartoons are pure opinion, and as such, can take the hard stance.
"Editorial cartoonists are one of the few groups trying to show what is going on," Luckovitch remarked, "We're trying to bring the truth out."
This truth, especially in the current political climate, seems to be markedly in favor of the Democrats; current cartoons shown by each artist were clearly for a laugh at the GOP. The artists agreed with that observation, and Luckovitch remarked that "there aren't that many conservative cartoonists."
Likewise, Luckovitch noted that the use of humor is more prevalent now. He noted that cartoonists are "competing with the culture," citing Letterman and "The Daily Show" as two examples.
When asked whether or not he could draw a pro-Bush cartoon if the occasion arose, Wasserman answered, "Absolutely." He stated, "I don't have to march in lockstep with the Globe." Wasserman also noted that people want a "consistent point of view" in their editorial cartoons, similar to what is found through a columnist.
"If they [readers] are looking for a conservative columnist, they won't look to my work," Wasserman said.
Peters feels that the cartoons addresses his own personal worry concerning the election, as he explained, "We find ourselves doing these Bush cartoons ... because it's [the current political situation] dangerous." He went on to explain that this election is among the most important in his lifetime; he strongly feels that the reelection of Bush would be a mistake.
As a Democrat drawing for a primarily Republican audience in Atlanta, Luckovitch is aware that the stances he takes are unpopular with his neighbors that have an unconditional, almost religious, support of President Bush. Luckovitch remarked that, for the uninformed, the repeated catch phrases of politicians become almost dogmatic, which he finds frustrating. He is unable to gauge whether or not his work affects public opinion, but as he stated, "I would like to believe that it makes a difference."
Editorial cartoons do make a difference, according to Steven Goode, a history teacher at John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, a high school in Roxbury. He includes political cartoons as part of his curriculum, as he feels cartoons "act as a segue" to the political issues.
Francisco Rodriguez, a junior in Goode's class, feels that political cartoons do help educate the public about politicians' stances. He stated, "It's a more down-to-earth description of the issue at hand. Instead of these long speeches, it's to the point."
While the role of cartoons in the political arena is clear, the cartoonists remain artists. "As cartoonists, we get attached to these characters. When they leave office it's traumatic," Wasserman joked.
