I really appreciate — and enjoy — political cartoons. And can I say that I really miss Tom Toles? Since he retired as cartoonist for the Washington Post the old rag has never been the same.

To help get me through this political season, I’ll occasionally post a few of my favorite ‘toons. I suspect they will make you laugh, think, and/or cry. Or get mad. As Toles said in a final NPR interview,

(T)he nature of political cartooning is — the thing that differentiates it from other commentary is the image for sure. And the image is part of its strength — a great deal of its strength, actually. And it’s something that touches a more visceral spot in the brain of the viewer or the reader. And so it’s volatile. It’s almost a dangerous, combustible combination of meaning and imagery.…

Editors have never been in love with cartoonists because cartoonists are trouble. And it takes a certain kind of editor that will put up with somebody that’s causing his inbox to fill up with things he doesn’t want to deal with. 

I think John Lewis would call that making “good trouble.”

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BIDEN’S AGENDA by John Darkow https://t.co/lg0tGrC68P pic.twitter.com/UU8Out7Edv

— The Cagle Post (@CaglePost) August 19, 2022

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TRUMP’S OTHER STOLEN BOXES by Christopher Weyant https://t.co/dLmJAPrCAv pic.twitter.com/SojJH5eVpr

— The Cagle Post (@CaglePost) August 18, 2022

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This was done by @Patbagley incredible for tfg's declassified lies pic.twitter.com/vG3cR6DASJ

— 🇺🇦ExtremeMaskerRoni💉💉💉😷😷 (@Ronilj261) August 18, 2022

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For my money, Mike Luckovich is the best of the current crop, day in and day out.

pic.twitter.com/x4uYNINVBP

— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) August 16, 2022

pic.twitter.com/chXeDZeKyI

— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) August 18, 2022

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Here are a couple of the latest from the current Washington Post editorial cartoonist, Ann Telnaes.

The dumbing down of Americans continues with book bans and limiting library books available to schoolchildren.https://t.co/mgx5M8wgP2 pic.twitter.com/SqMU2yY4RY

— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) August 18, 2022

#Giuliani https://t.co/ULbiGrCq8Z

— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) August 17, 2022

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And I’ll end with a vintage Toles from 2020:

Make it stop.https://t.co/8ya2ZxcDKM pic.twitter.com/Ov4MjAgoow

— Tom Toles (@TomTolesToons) October 29, 2020

Enjoy!

More to come…

DJB

The image of the cartoonist’s desk is from The Comics Journal, which posted an essay excerpted from the introduction to Jeff Danziger’s book, The Conscience of a Cartoonist: Instructions, Observations, Criticisms, Enthusiasms.