Comedic Relief In Politics

Political cartoons have been used to portray politicians since the time of colonial America. Through political cartoons, viewers are able to gain a sense of politicians that they would not be able to get from simply hearing the politician speak or reading an article about the politician. Political cartoons often distort the image of a politician, whether is be in a positive way or a negative way. The humorous side of the political caricatures adds a great deal of fun to a campaign that often becomes dry and boring and loses the attention of voters. Debates appear so regulated and practiced in today’s society that they fail to fire up the candidates or the voters. The questions and answers are so structured and rehearsed in the televised debates that it fails to attract or excite the audience. Often times, humor draws attention back to a campaign and a lighter and more enjoyable way of viewing the candidates and their platforms.

Caricatures in which the artist exaggerates or distorts an aspect of the candidate have been part of political campaigns for a very long time. Often times, after a candidate is retired or deceased, caricatures create a lasting memory of the person, not always flattering as in the case of Lyndon Baines Johnson, when he permitted pictures of his scar from a recent surgery to appear on the front pages of the newspaper. One expects a little more dignity than that from the President of the United States. But then if one listens to Sarah Palin's comments, it is questioned how much dignity we find there. When a political debate is spent discussing the comparison of hockey moms and pit bulls, why would comedians and cartoonists not jump at the chance to mock such a comparison? Sarah Palin's style has given comedians and writer for late night talk shows the material they long for. Her rough and tough lifestyle is perfect for comedic programming and political cartoonists.

Although Sarah Palin has been used as the subject of many jokes for both comedians and political cartoonists since she joined the 2008 campaign, nearly every candidate that runs for a political office is used as the subject of jokes as well. Caricatures are used to form images of political candidates. Each of these candidates’ images is not only formed by their stances on particular subjects and political viewpoints, but these images are also formed by caricatures that are portrayed on television and through the newspapers. Just as celebrities’ images are formed from the gossip found in magazines, candidates’ images are formed from the caricatures created by comedians and political cartoonists. As discussed in Edward Rothstein’s article, the caricatures that are used to portray politicians are not truly accurate. Although these images are not accurate, they still remain in the minds of many Americans each day. Political caricatures such as the ones discussed in Rothstein’s article play an important role in political campaigns because they not only allow American citizens to express their beliefs about various candidates, but they allow each American citizen to take what they want away from the forms of media and form their own opinions.

Corruption: Nothing New to the State of Illinois

Although Illinois is known for the city of Chicago and all of its attractions, it now seems to be known for something a little less appealing -- corrupt politics. Although recent news of Governor Rod Blagojevich has caused a great deal of discussion about the current corruption taking place in Illinois' government, many are unaware that Illinois has had a long history of corruption by both elected and appointed officials in the state. The corruption in the state of Illinois' politics began in the late 1800s.

At this time, a man by the name of Michael Cassius McDonald held great political power in the state of Illinois. McDonald began his career as a gambler and used his winnings to open his own gaming parlors and saloons around Chicago. As his wealth grew so did his political power. McDonald eventually became leader of the Chicago Democratic Organization, where he exchanged jobs for political support. It is said that McDonald had become so powerful that on his endorsement alone he could get men elected to high political office. In 1873, McDonald built "The Store" a large four-story saloon, boarding house, and gaming hall. The Store was known as "the unofficial City Hall" because much of the city's business was conducted on it's upper floors. A famous phrase, which was believed to have first been said by banker David Hannum, was allegedly attributed to McDonald. When an employee asked McDonald how they would ever keep The Store filled to turn a profit, McDonald allegedly responded "Don't worry about that. There's a sucker born every minute". Apparently Blagojevich believed McDonald's words in thinking that the United States government was a sucker and believing he could pull off these illegal acts.

According to the Sun-Times, 79 current or former Illinois, Chicago or Cook county elected officials had been found guilty of a crime since the year 1972. Although, just about five years ago, Illinois Governor George Ryan brought the debate of capital punishment to the table, his image was soon taken over by scandal. After great speculation of Ryan's administration, the government began to investigate into widespread corruption during his administration and this led to his retirement from politics in 2003 and eventual federal corruption convictions in 2006. Ryan entered federal prison on November 7, 2007, to begin serving a sentence of six years and six months for his wrongdoings. As of June 13, 2008, he is housed at the satellite prison camp in Indiana, serving the remainder of his sentence.

Clearly, corruption in politics is nothing new to the state of Illinois. After watching Governor George Ryan go to jail for his corrupt ways, it is unfortunate to think that the citizens of Illinois still could not manage to elect someone qualified to fit the job. With Illinois being known as "The Land of Lincoln", I think it can be assumed that President Lincoln would currently be embarrassed to have his name associated with the corruption of this state government. As a resident of Illinois for the twenty years of my life, I find it disheartening to see this corruption take place. I hope that the issue of such corruption in the Illinois government will get resolved and the citizens of my home state will join me in electing someone who can make change in a state that deserves much better.