Political cartoons have long been a way to communicate the feelings and impulses of the American voter. Did you know that political cartoons in America are older than the US Constitution. Colonial leaders such as Ben Franklin used them to convince people to act. His famous 1754 cartoon, ”Join or Die” is a call for colonial unity in the face of The French/Indian War and British taxation it is seen as a powerful way of stirring up the emotions of patriotic unity.
One of the earliest and most famous examples of American political cartoons is this woodcut showing a snake cut into eighths, with each segment labeled with the initials of one of the American colonies or regions. The cartoon, which first appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette in May of 1754, became a symbol of the need for organized action against the threat posed by the French and their native allies during the Seven Years’ War. It has been an enduring American symbol ever since.
An image is worth 1,000 words and tone is more effective than the word themselves. This is why political cartoons continue to be so popular and effective. The majority of human communication comes from tone and body language. “Based on research, Albert Mehrabian has concluded that only 7% of feelings and attitudes takes place through the words we use in spoken communications, while 38% takes place through tone and voice and the remaining 55% take place through body language.” Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 Communication Model
What are the attitudes, tones and emotions leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election? Let’s scrutinize a few select political cartoons to see if they can give us any guidance. Below is a student exercise applying a learning task of perspective to the “Word of the Day”.
fairness or justice in the way people are treated
We The People
We have EQUITY
In one another;
How do you invest in the value of each other?
Who is the ORIGIN of the law?
What must be done?
LOVE generously without self justification
Be neighbors of mercy.
Do these political cartoons show EQUITY in how they make fun of Presidential candidates?
Yes, because it makes fun of both political parties, It’s a transparent humor that brings out the limited humanity of each candidate and also of the voters.
How many show the perspective of a Democrat and how many show the perspective of a Republican? Can you describe one example of each?
This image shows me the reason undecided voters can’t choose the one they want to vote for because the two candidates did not show them clearly acting to improve the United States. They are not focused on solving and proposing solutions the people want. All they do is just talk about them. They do not gain the trust of voters. The cartoon can seem pretty neutral and critical of both candidates but it may be trying to defend the Democratic perspective.
From another perspective this cartoon addresses the important issue of undecided voters. These are the voters that have the final sway on the result so they seem like the voters with the most influence. These are the voters that the candidates are trying to convince. The irony is that these are the very voters who lack insight and structured stances regarding political issues. The cartoon highlights the contradictory mindset of indecisiveness and unwillingness to take a stance in our personal politics. Too many voters choose not to properly engage so regardless of what the candidate says their decision will remain unclear . While at first it might appear that they have the most impact, their lack of confidence in what they are voting for often results in having the least influence and awareness, as many end up not voting at all. The term “blathering” implies the candidates are not even being heard or listened to. The voter has what is known as “voter apathy”.
What is symbolized: Elephant represents the republican party and donkey is democratic.
Who are undecided voters? Undecided voters are those still on the fence, weighing their options as each candidate promises something appealing to the public.
What are swing states? Swing states are political battlegrounds where neither the Democrats nor the Republicans hold a clear advantage. These states have the power to flip the outcome of an election, swinging between parties from one election to the next.
What is Donald Trump doing in North Carolina? Donald Trump is on the campaign trail in North Carolina, holding rallies in three key areas of the state. North Carolina is a swing state that voted for Trump in the last election so he is aiming to win over voters again with his bold strategies.
What visual strategies help Trump?
His highly stage-managed stop over the weekend at a closed Pennsylvania McDonalds where no one ordered and he dodged a chance to take a position on a $15 minimum wage resulted in an innumerable amount of memes and Facebook posts that flooded the timelines and feeds of voters in the battlegrounds.
Trump wants the last word and Harris is taking him as a joke. It is not clear which perspective is being favored but the Democrats will say that Harris is an effective communicator by her body language while Republicans will say that Trump always gets the last word.
What is the most effective way to communicate? Words or body language?
For the past 300 years, political cartoons have been an important medium of speech in Western society, and have commented on a wide variety of political or social epochs since Hogarth’s Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme.
It is likely that political cartoons will continue to humor, inspire, critique, and challenge for another 300 years and beyond.
I see the presidential candidate referring to Trump in a way that she always does, playing the victim and bringing up the past and everything bad that Trump did until today. This is a republican cartoon perspective.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6363352689112 
In the video you can see that the interviewer is continually blaming the candidate directly for the murders that have occurred related to the border and migration problems. But the candidate responds only with facts and defends herself with good arguments, sometimes mentioning Trump but only with facts that have happened and does not blatantly blame him.
What is meant by the word AIMING? What is being AIMED at political candidates?
Guns
Insults
Accusations
What is the most effective thing to AIM at politicians?
The Vote
The choices on the ballot that you make on election day
When is election day? Election Day is always the first Tuesday in November.
This year election day is NOVEMBER 5th. Many are choosing to vote early.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gqyezwj7lo
I see a ballot box in the picture. We the people can defend the election team that is really for the people’s rights and benefits. We should vote honestly and respect differences, instead of targeting the other party with insults, accusations and even guns. This is what is meant by the word AIMING. By voting for an honest person, we can save the lives of millions of people and all citizens are obliged to cast their votes.
What are swing states or purple states in American politics?
Arizona 11
Georgia 16
Michigan 15
Nevada 6
North carolina 16
Pennsylvania 19
Wisconsin 10
What Is a Swing State?
A swing state, according to a by-the-book definition, is one that’s “considered to play a key role in the outcome of presidential elections” and where candidates of both the Democratic and Republican parties “have similar levels of support.” The group of swing states is often similar during each presidential election cycle, though factors like changing demographics and turnout can make a traditionally red or blue state turn purple. Georgia, for example, swung into the swing state category in the wake of Biden’s surprise victory there in 2020 and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s election win in 2022.
Both Harris and Trump have made swing states a priority of their campaigns, targeting them with visits and rallies as the election season steams toward Nov. 5.
We see Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are candidates for president of the United States and they are swearing allegiance to the American flag. Instead of 50 stars for each state, this flag has only 7 stars because they represent 7 states that will decide the election results. These states have a very narrow difference in voting for Republicans or Democrats and still have undecided voters.
TUESDAY 10/22: COMMUNITY
A social state or condition of unity; People with common ideals and values coming together
____________________________________
In Order to FORM a more perfect UNION
Be Aware of the Divide
Reconcile the Truth
Of Citizens FAR & NEAR
There are many ways
To the one light of LIBERTY
Along the peaceful paths of RESPONSIBILITY
::::::::::::::::::::::::
Think about all the forms of COMMUNITY that you experience.
How is membership in COMMUNITY like a type of CITIZENSHIP?
What is the DIVIDE of FEAR between Republicans and Democrats
In what ideals of Greatness do all Americans pledge allegiance?
Look at the history of the PLEDGE of ALLEGIANCE
What do you notice?
I see two scared people. It’s Halloween, before the elections, the woman wants to see another movie.
When is election day? Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Why are they so scared? Because the elections are approaching and nothing seems stable or certain.
Who wants to watch something else? The woman. Does this mean they have more issues to be afraid about the election ?
Do you think the man or the woman is more scared or do you think they are both equally scared? Why?
I think they’re both scared, but the woman wants to see something else, so I think she’s a little more scared.
Is it more negative or more positive to Democrats?
It says that Harris is on a mission to save democracy so at least that could be a hopeful message to some.
Is it more negative or positive to Republicans?
The cartoon calls Trump a convicted felon so that is negative to Republicans.
The cartoon shown above represents swing states with the color purple, often associated with royalty, along with a regal robe and purple ring. Such imagery addresses the issue using irony of misdirected prioritization over the general public As a Federal Democratic Republic whose formation occurred as a result of rejecting monarchy, this furthers the irony by bowing and kissing a royal ring. Although purple’s association is with royalty it is also representative of the combination of the Democrat blue worn by Harris and the Republican red worn by Trump. However, this representation does not soften the irony as it shows a power hierarchy of influence in America where some votes are prioritized more than others. It is those with the most perceived influence who those in office (or campaigning for) will focus on, often leading to neglect of the rest of their citizens. Although the purple swing states are symbolic of a population with diverse opinions, such opinions go without proper acknowledgement.
