The New York Times reported that the Democratic Party is losing voters, and lost over 2.1 million between the 2020 and 2024 elections in the 30 states and Washington, DC that allow voters to register by party. Republicans, on the other han,d picked up over 2.4 million. There are still more Democrats registered nationwide, but the gap between the two parties is shrinking.
This is a fact. Don’t say it’s a fake poll like a MAGA would, because denying it isn’t how you fix it. And yeah, I get it. It’s as confusing as why anyone would choose Trump over Kamala Harris.
The truth is, too many people in this nation don’t care. They don’t care about Russia meddling in our elections. They don’t care that Trump is a felon, rapist, racist, or a puppet for Putin. How else could this nation put the man back into the office he tried to steal? How could this nation put a man into the presidency after attacking our nation?
Is our country so racist that it would vote for the worst president in our history just because his opponent is a black woman? Yes. It is.
Another troubling and confusing factor is that most Americans agree more with the Democratic Party on issues than the GOP. Did the nation actually vote solely on its fear of immigrants? Why would America vote for its worst interests?
It could take decades to repair this nation from the effects of Trump fuckery, from our rights being taken away to making the White House look like MAGA-Lardo on crack. And it’ll be longer to repair if it’s going to take Democrats years to rebuild their party.
Do you remember after the 2020 election and Republicans started changing voting laws instead of making the party more appealing? They created new laws making it harder for minorities to vote. It was their response to losing a fair election. As it turns out, all you need to do is have policies of hate and make it harder for Democrats to vote. They did swing Georgia back in 2024, after that state passed massive voter suppression laws.
But why are some Democrats finding the party of hate appealing? What policies are stealing them away from the Democrats? Republicans suck on every issue except giving the rich and corporations more power. So why are Democrats joining them? And if Republicans are so attractive to the majority of American voters, then why do they have to cheat?
If they have the winning messages and winning candidates, then why are they gerrymandering twice a decade in Texas to keep the House? Why are they making it harder for Black people to vote if they’re so appealing? Why did Trump try to steal the 2020 election if he was such a good president? Wouldn’t he have won if he were a successful president? Why did he have to try to steal votes in Georgia?
If Republicans are all that and a bag of chips, then why are they pushing for fewer people to vote? Why are they trying to ban voting machines and mail-in ballots, where no evidence of massive voter fraud has been found?
If Trump were such a great candidate, then wouldn’t the voters have given him a mandate in 2024, instead of him winning by less than 2 percent?
Let’s see what happens in next year’s midterms, and then maybe Republicans will be the ones with questions. Maybe they’ll have questions after this year’s state-wide elections in Virginia.
Republicans can ask why Virginians would replace a Republican governor with a Democrat. They can also ask why Donald Trump’s approval rating is in the golden toilet.
Hopefully, Trump fuckery over the next four years will chase sensible people out of the GOP, and back to the Democratic Party or at least to becoming Independents.
This nation will swing back to Democrats, unless the Trump regime makes political opposition illegal, just like Vladimir Putin has done.
Watching this nation embrace fascism, or not care, is another reason to be disgusted and ashamed by it. What are we fighting for?
Letter from an editor: Did I mention the editor who replied to my email campaign?
An editor in Kansas replied to my pitch: “We are in the news business. We objectively report the news, not serve political agendas.”
I gave it a day before I replied: “It was my mistake to assume you had an opinion section. By the way, do you believe every political cartoon is pushing a political agenda?”
I really wasn’t looking for a fight, but he shot back: “We do have an opinion section in most of our newspapers and we run political cartoons from a national source. And no I do not believe the ones we use push a political agenda and that is not the purpose of an opinion page. They should make people on both sides of the political spectrum think. They should tackle tough issues with some some humor when appropriate. I teach our editorial staff to leave their agendas at the door and present an objective voice.”
Oh, hell no! Don’t lecture me, MoFo. I wrote back: “Oh, please. I've been doing this for 35 years, and while on the staff of newspapers. There are liberal cartoons and conservative cartoons. If you want "objectivity," you publish both. I don't see how mine are any more "agenda-driven" than the conservative cartoons sold by Creators or Cagle.
With all due respect, I don't need your lecture on how to do my job, and quite frankly, I think you're full of shit.
Have a nice day.”
This editor probably thinks the cartoons he agrees with don’t push a “political agenda,” but the ones with opinions he hates, like mine, do. But like most editors (not all), he doesn’t know shit about political cartoons and can’t tell the difference between a good one and a bad one. So yeah…he’ll never be a client, but that’s why I have you, Peezeheads. You make it easier for me not to take any bullshit from a right-wing no-nothing wanker editor in Kansas. So thank you to all the PAID subscribers.
If nothing else, this editor told me he’s a MAGAt without saying he’s a MAGAt.
Close Call Covid: I’ve been lucky with Covid. See this woman? She tried to kill me.
She even had the finger guns on me, but she missed. Alex and I hung out last Sunday in a cafe in Manhatten, and on Thursday, she informed me that she has COVID. I took a test, but it was negative. If I did have it, at least I was home all week and wasn’t skulking around town spreading it.
After being out every night on my last trip, I spent the last week staying at home and only eating what I had in my apartment. However, I don’t know if that would have mattered if I had it, because I was around thousands of people between hanging out with Alex and arriving home last Monday. I’ve been on planes and trains, and those things are petri dishes. I probably caught my 2020 COVID from a train.
Last year’s convention for the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists was in Montreal, and everyone I was physically near went home with COVID. I don’t know how it missed me, but I was vaxxed.
But, pull for poor Alex because she’s apparently having a rough go with this bout of COVID. She’s informed me she’s all hacky, and sneezy, and snotty, and gross, and she can’t even have her boyfriend come inside her apartment to make her hot soup….so best wishes to Alex. Hang in there, kid. You will beat this and hang out with me again in September (cartoonist convention).
This reminds me I need to get this year’s vaccination.
Corrections: Do you see a boo-boo and can’t live until it’s corrected? I know the feeling. If you want to report it to me, please email it to clayjonz@gmail.com. If you put it in the comments, I may not see it until hours or days later. Thanks.
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BRAVO on your response to that editor! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 You at least understand the (traditional, at least) purpose of an opinion page, to present a variety of viewpoints to give readers food for thought and a broad understanding of different perspectives. God knows what today's editors think the purpose should be. Also, even though you have a definite point of view on politics, that doesn't stop you from asking some damn fine questions of all sides. Talk about food for thought.
P.S. - I'll be wearing my Pizza Rat T to the Minnesota State Fair on Monday. 🍕🐀
Cheating is normal for the GOP. This toon and blog shows how.