When Kamala Harris lost the election, a lot of centrist Democrats blamed progressives (as they did when Hillary Clinton lost in 2016), and it’s been a constant drumbeat of recrimination ever since. I’m talking about folks like Quentin Fulks, who blamed Harris’ loss on activists forcing politicians to apologize and “men don’t like people who apologize.”
Personally, I blame Trump’s election first and foremost on Trump voters. Wacky of me, I know.
A lot of people (including me) have blamed 2024 for being a terrible year for incumbent parties worldwide – but I just read an argument that the popular wisdom is wrong about that one.
A lot of people blame stay at home voters – but the problem with that is, stay at home voters would probably have voted for Trump.
(I’d definitely blame the press’ determination to sanewash Donald Trump, but that’s a subject for another cartoon).
But if I had to blame Democrats, I would blame the people who actually ran the Harris campaign. People like Quentin “men don’t like people who apologize” Fulks, who was Harris’s deputy campaign manager.
Progressives didn’t select Clinton, Biden, or Harris (all of them centrists). Progressives didn’t decide to have Biden run for a second term – or for Biden to drop out less than four months before the election. Progressives didn’t select the very centrist Harris, didn’t decide on her campaign strategy, didn’t write her speeches or choose her issues.
I don’t really blame the centrists for Harris’ loss. Maybe there was no way for Harris to win. She had less than four months to go, and swing voters seemed really down on the Biden administration.
But the self-serving pretense by centrists that progressives are to blame – when they themselves made every decision in the Harris campaign – is ridiculous.
Man, the dude’s office in panel three was a pain to draw. But it gave me a lot of opportunity to put in chicken fat.
The most fun bit? Probably the woman’s tattoos. Frank Young did a bang-up job coloring them, too. (One reason I enjoy drawing fat characters: More room for tattoos.)
What’s the origin of the idiom “bang up job”? I wasn’t able to find it. But it’s been in use since the early 1800s.
I don’t have a cartoon syndicate and I’m not in newspapers. But I get to do this for a living because lots of readers support my Patreon with mostly small pledges! I also have prints and books for sale.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four regular panels, plus a tiny “kicker” panel under the bottom.
PANEL 1
A large caption says “PRE-ELECTION.”
Two people, a casually dressed woman and a more business-dressed man, are talking in an office. The man makes a dismissive gesture.
WOMAN: Progressives have some ideas for this election…
MAN: Here’s my idea. Step one: donate to our campaign. Step two: you get lost.
PANEL 2
The man pushes the woman out of the office.
WOMAN: Hey!
MAN: No insult, but you woke special interest social justice freaks repel normie voters. Leave us in charge of this election so we can win!
PANEL 3
The man sits behind his desk, looking very pleased.
MAN: Good riddance! Now we can run a winning campaign – a centrist campaign with a centrist candidate and centrist strategies!
PANEL 4
A large caption says “POST-ELECTION”.
The same man and woman are in a hallway. She glares at him, while he yells at her, jumping with fury.
MAN: WE LOST AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!
KICKER PANEL
The man smiles as he talks to Barry the cartoonist.
MAN: Centrist Democrats can’t fail! We can only be failed.
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is archaic cartoonist-speak for fun little details that don’t matter.
PANEL 1: On the shelves in the background: A book called “Really Big Book.” A framed picture of Tintin. There’s a framed picture of Amy from “Futurama” on the wall. The woman’s shirt says “Woop Woop.”
Her arms are covered with, well, random doodles, including a Rubik’s cube flying on angel wings, a cloud that says “meh,” a sake, and a explosion with a “BOOM” sound effect.
PANEL 2: The snake tattoo has moved to her other arm, which also features a hand hatching from an egg and a paper saying “8675309.” Her shirt now ways “Hi Mom!” There’s a framed picture of Groucho Marx on the wall.
PANEL 3: There are framed photos on the wall of Kermit the Frong, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, the Mayor from “Nightmare Before Christmas,” and Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons.
On the shelves are: A globe with a goldfish-shaped continent; a stack of three books: Really Big Book, RBB Strikes Back, and Return of the RBB. The photo of Tintin has been replaced with Tintin’s dead, decapitated head. A photo of a seagull with a fish in its beak. A mouse with a bow and arrow, taking aim at an apple on the head of another mouse. A mouse painting a picture of cheese. A napping cat.
On the desk: The book says “Scary” on the spine and “Boo” on the front cover. The icon on the back of the laptop is a cracking egg.
Finally, a mouse or rat is clinging to the arm of the chair in the foreground.
PANEL 4: The snake tattoo is back! Now looking at a tattoo of a mug of steaming liquid. There are framed pictures of Popeye and Olive Oil.
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