SlowpokeBlog

I wanted to do a strip supporting the screenwriters' strike, but found it difficult to improve upon their own humorous videos, of which I've seen many. So I had right-wing think tank workers go on strike instead. Both groups deal in fiction, so why not?

I must say, Rudy Giuliani is fun to draw. He's basically a skull with extra-long teeth. I need to make everything even longer and pointier next time. I sure hope he doesn't become President, but if he does, at least we cartoonists will have a good time.

The third panel is a reference to a highly-entertaining debate that's been going on in the New York Times op-ed pages. Paul Krugman has been writing about the Republicans' "southern strategy" of using racism to win elections; one such example was Ronald Reagan kicking off his presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where three civil rights workers were murdered. David Brooks wrote a fairly ridiculous piece making all kinds of excuses for Reagan, though even he couldn't completely rationalize away Reagan's defense of "states rights" in reference to education, which was a clear appeal to segregationists. Krugman and Bob Herbert then fired back. This is probably a good jumping-in point if you want to read more. Anyway, that's David Brooks in the third panel. Incidentally, I have seen Brooks in real life, and can tell you he is shorter, fatter, and balder than he looks on TV.

The two wingnuts picketing alongside Mr. Perkins came out looking like George Will and Judith Miller. That wasn't my conscious intention; it's weird how that happens sometimes.