Politics makes for a good joke to cartoonist Rall

March 4, 2009
By Luke Runyon
Staff writer

A big portion of the U.S. population could probably explain how much they disliked the Bush administration while they were in power. However, not too many Americans could claim that politicians like Alberto Gonzalez and John Ashcroft returned their fervent hatred. Ted Rall does not just like being hated by these people, he relishes it.

“When my friend told me that they said that I thought, ‘Aww, they noticed!’” said Rall.

Rall, a syndicated political cartoonist and columnist, paid a visit to UIS this past Thursday as a part of the Political Art and the Public Sphere series. A collection of Rall’s work will be on display in the Visual Arts Gallery until March 23.

Rall said he first began work as a cartoonist in 1986 after meeting street artist and activist Keith Haring in a New York subway. Since then his cartoons have been featured in Rolling Stone, Time, Fortune, and MAD Magazine.

Between drawing cartoons of Sarah Palin poisoning John McCain and George W. Bush as a Latin American dictator known as El Generalissimo Busho, Rall splits his other time between writing a weekly column, working on his autobiographical graphic novel, and appearing as a pundit on FOX News’ “Hannity and Colmes.”

Rall started his presentation in Brookens Auditorium by showing a select few of his cartoons both past and present. With topics ranging from the failing economy, the appointment of Obama’s cabinet, and torture at Guantanamo Bay, Rall seemed to have an opinion on every matter in politics.

After showing a panel which addresses the issue of torture within the confines of Guantanamo Bay, Rall jokingly commented, “I’ll be really sad if the U.S. ever stops torturing. It’s terrible but as a cartoonist, it’s awesome.”

Rall took this stance on another issue-- the fact that John McCain and Sarah Palin failed to win the 2008 election. “I’m very sad [Sarah Palin] isn’t the dictator of the U.S., not as an American or human, but as a cartoonist,” Rall stated with a laugh.

Although most of Rall’s beliefs tend to fall on the liberal side of the political spectrum, the new president is not going to go without criticism. Rall showed the audience a series of panels in which he christens Obama as superhero “Obama-man”, making his tagline “the somewhat superhero that doesn’t solve anything but somewhat alleviates it.”

He cited his ability to criticize as his strongest point in cartooning.
“If I agreed with everything [Obama] did, I wouldn’t have anything to draw,” Rall said. “If he falls short, it’s my duty to criticize.” Rall later went to explain that his cartoons are meant to be a catalyst in the democratic system. “The goal of a cartoonist is to provoke debate and conversation and a bland cartoon won’t do that,” Rall said.

According to Rall, the political cartoon industry has been in trouble since the mid-'90s with many cartoonists being laid off at newspapers across the country, citing that he even lost two colleagues last week. He explained that after Sept. 11, 2001, the cartoonists were unable to generate appropriate cartoons to the situation. Rall said that the time between 2002 and 2004 were especially bad in the trade.

Rall began his presentation stating that he would love to get a debate going between himself and the audience. Debate seemed to be something that comes easily to Rall who has had frequent appearances on FOX News segment “Hannity and Colmes.”

“I’m tired of seeing these weenie liberals go on there. I decided ‘I’m going to go on there and bust their balls,'” said Rall.