Political Cartoons of the 70's, part 3 - Ford

In 1975, after years of fiscal mismanagement under Mayor Lindsay's City Comptroller Abe Beame, New York City went bankrupt under new Mayor Abe Beame. (Yes, he inherited the mess that he created.) City officials begged the federal government to bail them out. President Gerald Ford initially resisted. The New York Daily News summed it up very succinctly (but not very accurately) in a famous banner headline: "FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD". Eventually, the federal government did extend aid to NYC (with strings attached). But most political observers credit that headline with making Ford lose New York State (and the 1976 election) to Jimmy Carter. This was my take on New Yorkers' view of Ford at the time - as a football-helmeted King Kong terrorizing the metropolis. (Note to "The New Yorker": This is how you do a cartoon lampooning how a politician's enemies depict him. The trick is - it's got to be FUNNY. If there's no humor, then there's no satire and no irony.) - Jerry Breen www.newbreen.com

"John McCain - What's on Your iPod?"

Day in and day out, there's one burning question that reporters pose to every newsmaker - politicians included. That question is - "What's on your iPod?" Surprisingly, most of them, including Obama and even old fogey George W., do have one and they recite a list of their favorite tracks. All except John McCain. Truly a relic from another era, McCain actually grew up in the golden age of radio and admits that he never touches a computer keyboard. So I tried to imagine his answer to the Question of Our Times..... (July 19, 2008) - Jerry Breen www.newbreen.com