Blog Assignment - Political Cartoon Analysis

 

           This editorial cartoon, drawn by David Horsey of the Tribune Content Agency, is a comment on Obama’s recently announced executive action on immigration. The new law itself, which will keep nearly 5 million undocumented residents from being deported, seems to have been entirely pushed aside in the eyes of the media in favor of a focus on the circumstances of its announcement. Since the midterm elections have granted the Republican Party a majority in Congress, the executive and legislative branches’—and the Democratic and Republican Party’s—inability to compromise with one another is becoming more and more painfully obvious, especially in light of the President’s most recent announcement.

            David Horsey’s cartoon represents this situation by first setting itself in the Roman Empire, a land with a political institution similar to our own. There was a Senate, and an Emperor, who was something of a President. This comparison between the two positions points towards the empirical nature of Obama’s recent executive action, especially amidst the pleas from the Senate that Caesar simply work with them. However, the cartoon also points out the main flaw with this argument that both branches simply put aside their differences and work together by having the Senators (clad in red to represent Republicans) hold knives behind their backs. The comment here is that, while it would be preferable for both sides to work together, they cannot, for both are ultimately looking after their own interests, and are therefore uninterested in compromise or agreement.

            The Roman Empire itself eventually fell because it spread itself to thin, and soon fell prey to outside forces such as the barbarians. Perhaps the setting of the cartoon is more than just an allegory for our government today. Horsey could be trying to convey the idea that, if both sides to do not settle their differences, we as a country could fall prey to outside forces.