No Surprises Here

August is traditionally the month when Congress is in recess, and nothing much happens, in political terms. Unless someone forces something to happen - as the Koch Brothers-supported AFP and other far right-wing groups did during the Summer of Hate in 2009  - it's generally a slow month for news.

Combine the usual dearth of fresh real news with overbearing heat, and add in the stress of summer vacation coming to an end. Now mix in the annual ramp-up of the school year complete with sports practices, music lessons, and every other activity helicopter parents can cram into their kids' lives, and you have a perfect recipe for a grumpy American electorate.

It's the same social pie Americans have been sitting down to in August for many years - and its effects on our collective system are as negative as always.

We weren't surprised then, at the results from the Iowa Straw Poll over the weekend. Historically, the straw poll means very little to the eventual outcome of who gets the GOP nomination. It's basically a contest to see who can buy the most voters and throw the best party - or whose supporters are the most fanatic. Think of it as a caucus with even fewer rules and organization.

Put those factors together, and you can see why it was no surprise to us when Michele Bachmann bit off a win over the weekend. It was also no surprise that Ron Paul's fanatic followers propelled him to a close second place finish - or that Tim Pawlenty dropped out of the GOP race after coming in third.

It's also not a shock that Rick Perry's official announcement that he was running came over the weekend - or that Sarah Palin didn't announce an official run for President. If she had announced, she might actually have to put some effort into the race - and it would limit her ability to make money from the stupidity of many in the media. Thankfully, others are finally echoing what we've said about Ms. Palin for some time - that her fame clock says her fifteen minutes have just about expired.

We're also not surprised the heat and stress have begun to build to a low boil for those people grousing about President Obama - especially those from the more liberal Left. There are those bored media folk jumping up and down that Obama's poll numbers have slipped here or there. Sadly, it's obvious many of them haven't done their homework, as his numbers compare favorably to, say, President Clinton at the same point in his first term.

We understand - the heat and boredom make some people lazy.

That's not to say some on the left aren't justifiably incensed with the President's over- willingness to compromise with the GOP. Still, the yowling and complaining and threatening to run a primary campaign against President Obama, as though such a thing would hurt him politically, is laughable.

A primary campaign could really only help Obama, much as it did when Hillary Clinton ran against him in 2008 - so that kind of threat from those on the left is hollow, at best. Yes, we're hoping that when Congress returns, President Obama gives them hell. No, we're not expecting he'll put members of Congress in a pro wrestling ring and give them a cosmic noogie until they learn to act like grownups, much as most Americans would love to see that happen.

For now, we're content to let Mr. Obama also take his vacation, after his bus tour through the midwest this week.

In short, while we're also tired of the heat, the humidity, and the stupidity, we're still sane enough to realize it won't be long before people will be pulling out their winter coats, longing for these last few days that signal the end of summer.

It happens every year.

Friday Funday: Extending Our Family

In putting together today's edition, it occurred to us how interconnected our little staff is. Paul's wife finished Amy's wedding dress. Amy and Shawn went to school together over twenty years ago. Paul and Shawn have worked together for over a decade, beginning at the Nebraska Press Association.

We've known each other, been friends with each other, worked together, travelled together, and enjoyed each other's work for a long, long time.

We're a family, of a sort - and frankly, we sometimes communicate with each other more often than we do members of our own families.

Our friends, Sarah and Ian, are beginning their lives together - officially - today, adding to their own extended family, which includes us.

It amazes us sometimes, when we think of the incredible people who make up our extended families. From lawyers and lobbyists, to seamstresses, business people and car buffs. There are a great many theatre people in our extended family, and several large clusters of folks who work in radio, print, and web too.

There are more cartoonists then you can shake a Hunt Crow Quill pen at. From the man behind Hagar the Horrible, to Batman's body double/Mad Magazine cartoonist; from the man behind the Undercover Cockroach and the Martians, to the first cartoonist in space (ok, it was his work that went up in the shuttle, but still...)

While all of these people are incredibly talented, we'd love them even if their skill sets consisted of merely being good friends.

It's often said that we don't get to choose the families we're placed into. Whether through biology or adoption, that's at least partly true for almost everyone.

For the most part, the families that we each choose as we become adults - our spouses and friends - are individuals who often have characteristics we admire and strive for in our own lives. Whether those characteristics include beauty, intelligence, loyalty, integrity, or a combination of all those qualities and more, the people we choose to bring into our larger families are no less important to us than the people we grew up with.

With that in mind, as our friends join together their already somewhat mixed families, we proudly welcome their newest members into our own extended family.

Congratulations, you two.

May you have many, many, many long years of happiness together.

"Like Grapes In A Jar"

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.