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In Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema (D) is running for U.S. Senate against Congresswoman Martha McSally (R-AZ). Both candidates are looking to fill Jeff Flake’s (D-AZ) vacant seat. Cartoonist Steve Benson at the Arizona Republic appears to be a Sinema supporter with the publication of this cartoon.
Arizona Republic editorial cartoonist Steve Benson on the McSally vs. Sinema #AZSEN race. More Benson cartoons here: https://t.co/A1Fwr4pTCV (via @azcopinions) pic.twitter.com/iLcGDfNNwW
— Dan Nowicki (@dannowicki) October 19, 2018
But if this cartoonist meant to sway public opinion toward Sinema through this rendering, it appears he is way off the mark. Can you say “Backfire?”
tfw you think you're clever but remind everyone that Sinema said she didn't care if people joined the Taliban https://t.co/wHJtH6q3DJ
— Just Karl (@justkarl) October 19, 2018
Shooting down an American jet might not be the image Kyrstem Sinema wants.
— JavelinaBomb (@javelinabomb) October 19, 2018
This is despicable. I cannot believe the Arizona Republic published this. Martha McSally was combat-deployed and served 26 years in uniform. She put her life on the line for our country. Getting shot down isn’t a political punchline, it’s a reality our heroes face. #AZSEN https://t.co/0Homl2V2Y2
— Torunn Sinclair (@TorunnSinclair) October 19, 2018
We have blogged about Sinema before, here, here, and here. She has shown herself to be a hater of Arizona, and America generally, and that’s not an exaggeration. She has called Arizona the meth lab of democracy and staged so many anti-war protests they are too numerous count. She supported terrorist lawyer Lynne Stewart even after she was indicted, waved off criticism of the Taliban, and in two-faced fashion denigrated John McCain in 2009, only to offer his family her “sincere” condolences upon his death.
President Trump headlined a GOP rally in Arizona last night, with future Arizona Senator Martha McSally:
Maybe all this would be par for the course in politics, but the contrast between Sinema and McSally is “storybook, man” to quote Uncle Joe Biden. McSally was the first American woman ever to fly combat missions. She retired from the Air Force at the rank of Colonel. McSally trailblazed even more when she refused to wear the abaya during her time in Saudi Arabia. She would not comply with regulations that sent a message that women were subservient to men, and successfully won her lawsuit against the Department of Defense. McSally has faced down actual oppression, and Sinema’s contribution to history is pretending to be oppressed.
If we were to speak mildly, this cartoon is in poor taste. Arizona was ground zero for calling out Sarah Palin as responsible for the Gabby Giffords shooting. Palin had used crosshairs to indicate districts to be targeted in the election, a typical graphic used in electioneering. In this political climate where politicians have been intentionally targeted and shot because of political animus, this cartoon is beyond the pale. Republicans are seemingly being attacked daily, and Democratic leadership is doing nothing to quell the mobs. A depiction of actual violence against a public figure is far beyond poor taste, and may be entering incitement territory. McSally’s distinguished career as a fighter pilot is nothing less than heroic, and to show her being shot down, is bad enough individually, but after this country has suffered so many lives lost in exactly that way it isn’t edgy, it’s just vile. In fact there really are no words for how reprehensible this is.
Worse than that, it’s a complete distortion of images. Representing Sinema as a Freedom Fighter, and on the “right” side of reason is far from reality. If Sinema is represented as reason, then how could a rational person ever explain her treasonous actions in defending a terrorist lawyer and turning a blind eye to the Taliban? How incredibly obstinate and insular is that characterization? Clearly the cartoonist is living in his own reality, and that is about 180 degrees from the reality of sane Americans. No one who is not a blubbering Leftist will see this cartoon as insightful, clever, or persuasive. This one is a big fail and will easily turn people away from Sinema, not the likely intended effect. Political cartoons aren’t supposed to be nice, but there should be a nugget of truth for them have any credibility.
The only nugget of truth here is that Sinema is correctly rendered as a terrorist, and someone who would unfairly attack a righteous opponent. Sinema does not represent substance or reason, but clear thinking Arizonans already know that. They will not replace a Flake with this traitor.
Featured image: Steve Benson
GWB says: Getting shot down isn’t a political punchline, it’s a reality our heroes face.
Sorry, but I’m gonna call BS on this response. This is the same “you can’t ever say anything that even remotely sounds like reality” bullcarp the SJWs practice. While I disagree with the cartoon, it’s a perfectly normal bit of editorial discourse, and no different than what I saw growing up.
I don’t care which side of the political fence you sit, I have to say “Oh, FFS, GROW UP!
If we were to speak mildly, this cartoon is in poor taste.
That’s about the worst you can honestly say about it.
In this political climate where politicians have been intentionally targeted and shot because of political animus, this cartoon is beyond the pale.
No, it is NOT.
McSally was the first American woman ever to fly combat missions.
Yes, because she used her political connections to become that. Yes, she’s a very competent person, but she is a politician in the mold of John McCain – she used her political pull to try and accomplish a LOT of “first woman” bullshit, even at the AF Academy. (I was a classmate.)
McSally has faced down actual oppression
Oh, bullcarp. Please, don’t contribute to the hype.
Marta Hernandez says: I’m just amused that the cartoon basically portrayed that twat as an ISIS/Taliban extremist equivalent.
A bit of unwitting troof!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-within-8-miles-of-baghdad-airport-and-armed-with-manpads/
Jenny North says: GWB, I can tell you really don’t like McSally. But you really think this cartoon is a run of the mill political cartoon? I think it’s pretty far out of the mainstream.
I think this cartoon is an accurate representation of the Left’s fantasies about power. They picture themselves as freedom fighters, and that regular Americans are the enemy. Regular Americans need to understand this, so cartoon away, I say.
GWB says: Yes, it’s run-of-the-mill! This sort of stuff has been what political cartoons have been like for … well, 200+ years! I remember cartoons just like this when I was growing up!
Don’t let the social media outrage machine drive you over the edge! This is really not a horrible cartoon at all.
(And, no I don’t like McSally. I compare her to McCain for a reason. But I’d still vote for her over this anti-American communist.)
Jenny North says: No, I’m not anywhere close the edge. I saw some really gross cartoons today showing Trump cleaning up the blood of the murdered Saudi journalist – basically saying he was complicit in the murder. I thought those were even worse than this one, but I still don’t think any of these are clever, if maybe not outrageous as you say.
But the more I think about these, this one especially, I really think it is a backfire. I think there’s a big protectionist/recoil factor working for McSally (as it worked for McCain for many years), and Sinema has been working hard to appear mainstream. Her past is coming up to haunt her. This cartoon unwittingly helps McSally immensely, IMO.
GWB says: With that I will agree.
GWB says: Representing Sinema as a Freedom Fighter, and on the “right” side of reason is far from reality.
Now THAT is a perfectly reasonable critique.
DC says: Hopefully for Arizona the next panel of that cartoon shows McSally ejecting safely over the capital
and the A-10 crashes into the Sinema campaign….figuratively of course.
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