There are times that doing what we do is incredibly difficult.
Attempting to create fresh new content five days a week, drawing a cartoon, writing a commentary, editing the commentary, finding links, and putting it all together takes a great deal of work. Researching to make sure all the facts are right is another time-consuming task. With regular jobs, families, non-work lives, and occasional traveling thrown in, what we provide for you can take a lot of extra energy at times.
Then there are those days where a politician, or two, or more, shove their shoes halfway down their gullet, and we breathe a sigh of relief for an easy day of work. You could say it's as easy as shooting fish in a barrel - or getting grapes from a jar.
Today is one of those days, courtesy of the leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and current Nebraska Attorney General, Jon Bruning.
In case you missed it, although it was covered locally here, here, here, here, and here, and nationally here, here, and here - we recommend you watch the YouTube video of Mr. Bruning making multiple insults in the span of a few seconds, right here.
In short, Jon Bruning gave a speech at an event in Papillion, Nebraska, last weekend where he compared people who are on welfare to scavenging raccoons.
The racist and classist overtones alone should have scared off anyone with a half a brain from using the comparison he did. That Mr. Bruning also delivered those words publicly in the midst of an ongoing recession, displayed either a severe lack of understanding of the economic sensitivities of millions of Americans - or displayed a craven grab at attention from the media. Or both.
Some of our staff have met Jon Bruning before. At least one has has enjoyed a beverage or two with him at a Lincoln bar. He's not a horrible fellow, though he is definitely a bit green. He's not overtly racist, nor is he overtly classist. He is, however, more than a bit ambitious.
Ambition isn't always a bad thing - but it can easily be abused by powerful outside forces, and turn a rising star of any kind into a puppet zealot. The advisors and assistants an ambitious person chooses to surround themselves with need to be more than just toadies and sycophants - and they certainly can't be incompetent.
Like whichever staff member Mr. Bruning delegated to write the speech he gave in Papillion.
If the goal was to get people talking about John Bruning, the staff member who wrote that disgusting line in his speech certainly did his or her job. We'd also fully agree that the staffer's observation of the tactics of that known slimeball and piece of human trash, Karl Rove, paid off in terms of getting Mr. Bruning attention, from both the press and the public.
Of course, each of us had parents who echoed one another when they taught us that there are different kinds of attention - and the kind Mr. Bruning has received for this gaffe isn't positive.
Since we know Mr. Bruning is an occasional Daily Felltoon reader we'll simply say this to him: Jon...? Find out who the twit is who wrote that racist, classist drivel, and fire their ass. With cause. Regretting you said those words is nice - but Americans are tired of pretty words and apologies.
Americans want leaders who are going to tackle the problems of the present and the future. Not people who surround themselves with those who should know better - and still choose poorly anyway.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well, including giving speeches - and hiring assistants.
Right now, it's obvious you've failed on both counts.
