CSotD: Spin, Lies and Occasional Facts

Timing is everything, and while Jeff Stahler (AMS)‘s image of the impossibility of getting it back in the tube is hardly a new metaphor, we’re at a stage where we should be wishing there were some way to do it.

It’s astounding to have a vice-presidential candidate openly admit that he is willing to tell lies in order to win, even with a presidential candidate who has been telling false stories and citing bogus statistics since he entered politics eight years ago.

And while the left is not above a bit of spin, you really can’t both-sides this one. People are not eating dogs and cats. The number of violent criminals among immigrants is lower than among native-born citizens. Tariffs are paid by importers and passed on to consumers.

They aren’t opinions and they aren’t exaggerations. They are lies.

By contrast, here’s a challenging example of spin:

It’s not clear what point is being made in Prickly City (AMS), because recalling the election of Richard Nixon is a warning to the nation, but the strip has been both-sidesing the campaign, so while it may be a caution about Trump, the specifics are hard to parse.

The problem with the parallel is that LBJ’s announcement came on March 31, nearly four months before Biden’s July 21 decision, and Johnson was already under pressure from Eugene McCarthy and Bobby Kennedy, while Biden had no rivals.

And while we didn’t know that Nixon was negotiating with North Vietnam to prolong the war, Trump has been clear in siding with Putin over Zelensky.

Still, it’s spin and within reasonable bounds. Also, if we had known Nixon was in cahoots with Ho Chi Minh, it would likely have been a boost for Humphrey, who was largely seen, Bill Mauldin said, as an extension of his boss, who owned the war.

Republicans are attempting to paint Harris as an extension of Biden, but even those who oppose Israel’s attacks on Gaza haven’t rallied anywhere near the number of people who chanted “Hey, hey, LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?”

As Johnson himself might have said, “That ol’ dog won’t hunt.”

Still, it’s only spin, not lies, and innocent enough, though even spin has to be carefully tuned, as demonstrated in this

Juxtaposition of the Day

Clay Jones

Nick Anderson — Tribune

Deb Milbrath

Pat Bagley

Four reactions to the violence being encouraged against public servants, and the first thing to note is that, while attacks on poll workers, librarians, health workers and teachers have so far been limited to death threats and harassment, FEMA officials have actually had guns pointed at them.

The fact that there hasn’t been a shooting is, at this stage, more of a detail than a guarantee of safety.

Jones has a style that includes mockery of those he opposes, but it seems inappropriate and perhaps counterproductive here. Even knowing his intent from following his career, it seems his humor downplays the issue, and for someone encountering his work for the first time, might even feel celebratory.

Anderson’s approach is less jovial, but it’s still a matter of joking about a situation that is no joke. It would be more appropriate if the President had activated the National Guard to provide protection, but, as things stand, I don’t feel it takes the situation as seriously as is called for, given that we’ve had two, perhaps three, screwballs attempt to shoot Trump.

And nobody encouraged them, either.

Milbrath cuts to the core, blaming the threats squarely on those who spread absolute, deliberate lies in the wake of the hurricane, flaming paranoia and hatred among an already stressed population.

And, as she suggests, it’s not as if the one at the head of that toxic effort did anything to calm the storm.

Bagley chooses a more somber approach, and, though Milbrath leaves no doubt, I don’t think a reasonable person seeing Bagley’s cartoon would have to ask who put those “helpers” — a nice Mr. Rogers reference — in the crosshairs.

Chilling is the appropriate note, as we threaten to go back to the days of mob violence and midnight murders seen in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Movement.

Speaking of which, here’s

Juxtaposition of the Day #2

Dana Summers — Tribune

Mike Beckom — Counterpoint

Mike Lester — AMS

Obama’s address to a group of campaign workers and volunteers in Pittsburgh struck a number of raw nerves. His accusation that young Black men may be sitting out the vote because of sexism drew praise from several quarters, but others — even within the Harris camp — warned that it might alienate more men than it inspired.

And these conservative cartoonists leapt on it.

Summers puts spin on what Obama actually said, because while Obama directly addressed Black men and mentioned women’s roles in the Civil Rights Movement, he criticized their machismo, not their race consciousness.

Beckom goes further, suggesting that Obama overlooks the misogyny of famous Black men, which goes beyond spin into the category of a lie: Obama has bitterly criticized that attitude and behavior since he first began running for office. It’s best for white cartoonists to take a close look at the terrain before they venture to criticize internal Black conversations.

Lester spins, not just by suggesting that Obama wants Black men to see color rather than to consider policies — which he didn’t say, but it amounts to reasonable spin — but by assuming Obama was addressing young men who planned to vote.

That’s heavy spin, because Obama was precise in targeting those who planned to sit out the election and he said so specifically. Still, it’s spin.

I’m more inclined to cite this Speed Bump (Creators), which — given its lead time — addresses the issue though not the specific incidents …

… than Andy Marlette (Creators)‘s more pointed and direct attack on the GOP attempt to appeal to young Black men.

Marlette’s spin is valid in that it doesn’t take a political science degree to spot racism, starting with speeches that call all brown immigrants murderers and drug dealers, and cite dubious concerns about “Black and Hispanic jobs” being taken by Black and Hispanic immigrants from shithole countries.

Misstatements happen, but people who enter politics, as candidates or cartoonists, have a moral duty to know whether they’re spinning, lying or telling the truth.