@ John Cole The Time Tribune 2/29/2012
Politicians & Primaries
Team Member Name: Hillary Gallup
Publication: The Times Tribune Scranton, Pennsylvania
Date: February 29, 2012
Cartoonist: John Cole
U.S./International
Title of the cartoon: An Eternity of St.Rick Cartoon#: 5
What action is taking place in the cartoon?
This cartoon is comparing former president J.F.K to republican candidate Rick Santorum. On the left is J.F.K ’s grave sight acknowledging him as the eternal flame. On the right there is Santorum wearing a fake halo and spouting out his conservative beliefs labeling him as the eternal flake.
Tone of the cartoon:
1) Positive or negative framing of the candidate
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to the candidate
What “reality” is constructed/framed about the candidate?
The way Rick Santorum is being portrayed in this cartoon is a senseless fake who believes in ridiculous things. The cartoonist focuses on the most severe believes of Santorum. The main incident focused on is what Santorum said when he heard the 1960 Kennedy speech. It made him want to throw up. This is emphasized with the placement of the eternal flame grave sight of J.F.K next to Santorum. On September 12, 1960 John F. Kennedy was the presidential candidate and he gave a speech about religion to a group of Protestant ministers. Many voters wondered if Kennedy’s Catholic Faith would affect his presidential decisions. He said this “Finally, I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end; where all men and all churches are treated as equal; where every man has the same right to attend or not attend the church of his choice; where there is no Catholic vote, no anti-Catholic vote, no bloc voting of any kind; and where Catholics, Protestants and Jews, at both the lay and pastoral level, will refrain from those attitudes of disdain and division which have so often marred their works in the past, and promote instead the American ideal of brotherhood.” Kennedy believed in separation of church and state. When Rick Santorum heard this speech he said that he wanted to throw up. On ABC news he said "To say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes me want to throw up. What kind of country do we live in where only people of non-faith can come in the public square and make their case? That makes me throw up. And that should make every American [throw up]". This remark received a lot of attention in the media and Santorum seemed to flip flop between agreeing with his comment and saying that it was the wrong thing to say. Another Santorum issue addressed was homosexuality. In 2003 Santorum was talking about homosexuality and compared it to “ man on dog” or bestiality. This remark angered many Americans. Santorum also thinks that if a woman is raped that abortion should not be an option, “ A baby from rape is a gift from God”. He also thinks employers should be allowed to deny contraception coverage for moral reasons. The cartoon had all of these beliefs tacked up around Santorum to frame him as a crazy conservative with opinions that don’t represent the reality of the world. John Cole the cartoonist gives Santorum a large nose possibly to show how much he lies, and gives him a small head, which indicates a small brain. Santorum is wearing the righteous sweater vest with what appears to be a string flimsy halo around his head.
@ Matt Wuerker Politico 2/23/2012
Politicians & Primaries
Team Member Name: Hillary Gallup
Publication: Politico.com
Date: February 23,2012
Cartoonist: Matt Wuerker
U.S./International
Title of the cartoon: Untitled Cartoon#: 6
What action is taking place in the cartoon?
Santorum dressed as a holy knight knocks down a door invading the privacy of two homeowners shouting to bow down before his one true God. The shocked couple were reading about the birth control debate and remarking how Santorum’s views are very old school.
Tone of the cartoon:
1) Positive or negative framing of the candidate
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to the candidate
What “reality” is constructed/framed about the candidate?
The cartoonist Wuerker depicts Santorum as a holy Templar Knight from the Middle Ages. These knights used their services to defend the Catholic Church. With the Catholic cross-branded across their shields and chests the knights uphold the crusader’s vows and the rules of the Catholic faith. This persona portrayed by the cartoonist is very fitting for Santorum because of his Catholic background and the religious elements he brings to his campaign. The cartooned Santorum knight commands the homeowners to “Pagans bow down before the one true God”. Like The Catholic Clementine Homilies says"[T]he Scripture says, ‘As I live, says the Lord, there is no other God but me. I am the first, I am after this; except me there is no god’ [Is. 44:6]. " (Clementine Homilies 16:7 [A.D. 221]). The cartoonist used to word pagan, which means a non-believer or non-Christian, and in the Middle Ages anyone who was against the Catholic God was considered a pagan. Rick Santorum has established his anti-birth control views on during this primary season. In an interview about birth control he says this "I don't think it works. I think it's harmful to women. I think it's harmful to our society to have a society that says that sex outside of marriage is something that should be encouraged or tolerated, particularly among the young. And I think we've very, very harmful long-term consequences to our society. Birth control to me enables that, and I don't think it's a healthy thing for our country." The cartoonist labels a newspaper in the cartoon about the birth control debate, with the husband saying “ what? Are we back in the 1950’s?” This obviously is referring to Santorum’s views on birth control. His views are linked to the 1950’s because that is the era when in some states like Connecticut it was still illegal for couples to buy or use contraceptives. In 1951 the Catholic Church was still against the use of birth control. Today the Catholic Church still does not condone any form of contraception. Quoted from the Catholic Church “The spouses’ union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple’s spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family”. Santorum has his own beliefs and faith. He is not trying to ban contraceptives from the United States but states in this quote that he doesn’t want employers to pay for contraception if they believe it’s morally wrong. “I agree with the Catholic Church on the issue of contraception. But as you know, I mean, I — that’s, that’s a different position than I have with respect to public policy. You know, public policy, women should have access to contraception. I have no problem with that at all. The question is whether some religious organization should be forced to pay for something that they believe is a moral wrong, and the issue is — the answer to that is no. And under the Obama administration policy, they are continuing to be forced to do so.” The message relayed from this carton is framing Santorum in a negative way, making him an ancient religious freak.
@ Adam Zyglis Buffalo News 2/22/2012
Politicians & Primaries
Team Member Name: Hillary Gallup
Publication: Buffalo News Buffalo, New York
Date: February 22, 2012
Cartoonist: Adam Zyglis
U.S./International
Title of the cartoon: Santorums Phony Theology Cartoon#: 7
What action is taking place in the cartoon?
A religious conservative Santorum informs Mother Earth that because she is a woman, Man and the people of the world are entitled to reap from her benefits and resources, referring to Santorum’s environmental and female issues.
1) Positive or negative framing of the candidate
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to the candidate
What “reality” is constructed/framed about the candidate?
Zygils portrayed Santorum in this cartoon in a very conservative religious way. He is holding a bible with a cross on it symbolizing his religion, two badges on his chest showing his opposition of pro choice abortion and contraception birth control. Zygils also exaggerated facial features by giving him large teeth, a pig nose and an elongated face. Santorum is also dressed in his regular sweater vest that has grown into his signature style on the campaign trail. Standing opposite Santorum is a labeled Mother Earth. Robert Kanigner created the comic character poison ivy in 1966. The comic world needed a new prominent female villain and the feminist movement was in full swing, so Poison Ivy was created. Pamela Isley aka poison ivy was a botanical biochemist in Seattle and was poisoned by her colleague affecting her psychologically and physically. As a result from the poisoning she could not bear children. As the poison spread, her control over the flora around her grew. She began to believe she was mother earth and all the plants were her children. She changed her name to Poison Ivy and became an eco-terrorist who protected the world at any cost. This cartoon reveals mother earth with flowing hair a beauty mark, twisted in vines, flora, and small creatures. Her arms are crossed in a guarded defensive position with a glaring scowl at Santorum. This depiction of Mother Earth has a definite poison ivy vibe to her. Some believe that Santorum is an anti feminist and in his book titled It Takes a Family he says “What happened in America so that mothers and fathers who leave their children in the care of someone else -- or worse yet, home alone after school between three and six in the afternoon -- find themselves more affirmed by society? Here, we can thank the influence of radical feminism.... Sadly the propaganda campaign launched in the 1960s has taken root.... The radical feminists succeeded in undermining the traditional family and convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness.” When asked about this quotation he reminds people that it was co written with his wife who was a working lawyer and nurse who gave up those jobs to raise seven children. Santorum also does not support military women serving on the front lines, is against abortion and contraceptives which all deal with a woman’s choice. The cartoonist is also portraying how Santorum views the environment. He says in the cartoon to Mother Earth with eyebrow raised “Since you’re a woman, man is fully entitled to your resources.” This implies that Santorum thinks the earth is here for the benefit of humans and we should be allowed to take all we need from her and give nothing back. He does not believe in global warming “When you have a worldview that elevates the Earth above man and says that we can’t take those resources because we’re going to harm the Earth; by things that frankly are just not scientifically proven, for example, the politicization of the whole global warming debate — this is all an attempt to, you know, to centralize power and to give more power to the government.” At a campaign rally he explained were his beliefs stem from. Genesis 1:28, reads: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Santorum explained “we were put on this Earth as creatures of God to have dominion over the Earth…. We should not let the vagaries of nature destroy what we have helped create.” He also said that environmentalism is “a worldview that elevates the Earth above man and says that we can’t take those resources because we’re going to harm the Earth.” Adam Zyglis the cartoonist is expressing his environmental difference of opinion with Santorum through this cartoon. The title of this cartoon is Santorum’s phony theology. In Ohio Santorum was questioned by CBS about a comment he made about Obama’s “ different theology that is not based on the Bible.” But Santorum said he wasn’t questioning Obama’s Christian faith in claiming the president believes in a “phony theology”. This incident could have been the reason for his cartoon.
@ Gary Markstein Milwaukee Journal 1/18/2012
Politicians & Primaries
Team Member Name: Hillary Gallup
Publication: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Date: January 18, 2012
Cartoonist: Gary Markstein
U.S./International
Title of the cartoon: Santorum Anti Gay Cartoon#: 8
What action is taking place in the cartoon?
This cartoon of Rick Santorum is showing how anti-gay he is by comparing being gay to polygamy and incest.
1) Positive or negative framing of the candidate
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to the candidate
What “reality” is constructed/framed about the candidate?
Gay Markstein exaggerates Santorum’s facial features in this cartoon. His eyes tiny are narrowed together, which could show how narrow-minded Santorum is as an anti gay. He has an elongated face with large horse teeth coming out of a gigantic smile. Markstein gives him a small neck with broad shoulders and poses his hand in a very feminine or flamboyant way. It’s ironic to have an anti gay opponent in a stereotypical gay pose because it makes him look like he is gay himself. On the campaign trail Santorum has established himself against gay rights and marriage. He said this in January "Even fathers in jail who had abandoned their kids were still better than no father at all to have in their children's lives. "Allowing gays to marry and raise children, Santorum said, amounts to "robbing children of something they need, they deserve, they have a right to. You may rationalize that that isn't true, but in your own life and in your own heart, you know it's true." Santorum is not hiding his thoughts about being gay from the public. This month he received support and prayed with Bellevue Baptist Church Pastor Steve Gaines in Tennessee. Pastor Gaines back in 2006 was involved in a case where he admitted 17 years ago he did not report to the police when a fellow minister on staff admitted to inappropriate behavior involving his son. Gaines has also been known for his anti gay sermons, one in which he said this “homosexuals and lesbians cannot reproduce biologically so they prey on the children of normal people, seeking to entice them to be trapped in their perverted lifestyle”. Rick Santorum still took Gains support and prayed with him. The intent of this cartoon is to show people that Santorum is a very anti gay candidate. Markstein accomplished this by adding, “ In fact, I rank their sexual deviancy only third, behind polygamy and incest!” to the cartoon. This emphasizes how Santorum thinks being gay is abnormal to the social norm and is comparable to polygamy and incest.
@ David Horsey Los Angeles Times 2/28/2012
Politicians & Primaries
Team Member Name: Hillary Gallup
Publication: Los Angeles Times
Date: February 28, 2012
Cartoonist: David Horsey
U.S./International
Title of the cartoon: 700club Cartoon#: 9
What action is taking place in the cartoon?
This cartoon is set on the 700 Club Christian broadcasting show with Pat Robertson and Santorum. The cartoonist is linking the two together and showing Santorum’s view on why Satan is attacking America.
1) Positive or negative framing of the candidate
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to the candidate
What “reality” is constructed/framed about the candidate?
Los Angeles times David Horsey uses the backdrop of the TV show 700 club in this cartoon. The 700 Club is a Christian broadcasting TV show that discuses daily news and religious ministry. One host of the show is a man named Pat Robertson. Robertson has hosted for many years and through the years has made some interesting theories. He believes that pagans, gays, and feminists caused the 9/11 attacks, and that the world would end by the autumn of 1982. Robertson ran for election in 1988 and has been compared to Santorum because they hold very similar religious conservative views. This year Robertson even vowed that God told him who the next President was going to be "I think he showed me about the next president, but I'm not supposed to talk about that, so I’ll leave you in the dark -- probably just as well -- but I think I know who it's going to be. The Satan poster Santorum is holding refers to the 2008 speech he gave at Ava Maria in Florida where he basically said that Satan was attacking America. Santorum said, “This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country—the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age. There is no one else to go after other than the United States, and that has been the case now for almost two hundred years, once America's preeminence was sown by our great Founding Fathers”. And the same-sex marriage, abortion, the pill, atheists, and Obama are all things satanic for Santorum. What Santorum said at Ava Maria also goes along the lines of what Robertson said if Obama wins the election. "Your country will be torn apart by internal stress. A house divided cannot stand. Your president holds a radical view of the direction of your country, which is at odds with the majority. ... This is a spiritual battle which can only be won by overwhelming prayer. The future of the world is at stake because, if America falls, there's no longer a strong champion of freedom and a champion of the oppressed in the world." Both Santorum and Robertson seem to be fighting a spiritual war with America and that is why the cartoonist put them together in the cartoon and had Robertson saying “And here’s the newest member of our TV ministry!” The intent of the cartoonist was so show the world how Santorum emulates Robertson and to show what a kooky candidate he actually is.
