A Roll Call editorial cartoon by R. J. Matson equating the 9-11 Al Qaeda attacks of 2001 with the current Russian attacks on the United States’ voting sovereignty has some taking umbrage.
From a Conservative Review news item headlined “Sick:”
A tasteless political cartoon disgraced Roll Call’s cartoon page Tuesday morning, on the 17th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The cartoon represents the World Trade Center buildings as ballot boxes, with a plane labeled “Russia” heading toward them in an attack. Yes, the cartoon compares supposed Russian meddling in the 2016 election to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
From the conservative Daily Caller:
Roll Call, a DC-based news outlet, published a cartoon on Tuesday comparing Russian election meddling to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
The cartoon was published early Tuesday morning by Robert Mason with the tagline “Never Forget.”
The image depicts the Twin Towers in New York City reimagined as ballot boxes. A plane marked “Russia” is shown flying into the ballot boxes, suggesting that Russia took away the voting rights of Americans.
From the left leaning Mediaite:
Tuesday morning, Roll Call’s Capitol Ink featured an illustration titled “Never Forget.” While that phrase may evoke somber remembrances of Sept. 11th, 2001, the artist, Robert Matson, turned it into a commentary on election meddling instead.
Shown in his drawing is a Russian plane headed toward two grey towers meant to represent ballot boxes. The implication is clear: Russia is a treat to the security of U.S. elections.
While the point, based on American intelligence, is valid, the way in which it was made has already begun sending shock waves through social media.
It seems some are reading more into it than intended, and there are some questions (what about that second plane with Iranian colors?), but which of the attacks are more dangerous to our Democracy?
It’s not real outrage. It’s a fake pose adopted for political reasons.Conservatives – who claim that everybody else is “easily offended” – always look for excuses to stoke grievance.
There is not only nothing wrong with this cartoon, it’s makes a valid points, and makes it very imaginatively. Our elections are being attacked.
Being conservative, I’ll give my take. It is tasteless but what makes it disgusting is that it was published on the anniversary of the event. A day that should be about the victims in the planes and those on the ground that died. Just one day out of an entire year to focus on them and the memory of what happened.
Suppose someone did a political cartoon about current events on the anniversary of JFK’s assassination and it showed his head exploding at the moment of the bullet’s impact? Is that okay?
Lastly, if the conversation an editorial cartoon spawns is all about how the point was made and not about the point the artist was trying to convey then it’s a failure, whether it was offensive or not.
What Ignatz said. The neo-Soviet attacks on our voting system are possibly more consequential than the physical attack of 2001.