Caricaturing the Candidates: Clinton and Obama in 2008

In the Democratic presidential primaries of 2008, political cartoonists faced an unusual challenge. For the first time, a woman and an African American squared off as major rivals. How could they portray a woman and a black man without raising charges of sexism or racism?

Hillary Clinton had a history in political cartoons as First Lady and then as senator from New York. Her supporters had already criticized the press for caricatures they felt were as personal as they were political. After viewing the cartoons shown here, do you find her caricatures sexist?

Political cartoonists drawing Barack Obama faced the challenge of avoiding obvious racial stereotypes. In his 2004 Democratic convention keynote address, Obama had already described himself as "a skinny kid with big ears and a funny name," and cartoonists capitalized on that image. Do you think the cartoons here avoid racism in their portrayal of Obama?

In the first cartoon, from February 2008, Hillary Clinton is in the driver's seat of "The Clinton Machine," which is about to crush Barack Obama. Who is powering the steamroller? How does the portrayal of Obama compare with that of Clinton in this cartoon? What does this cartoon imply about Clinton's chances for capturing the Democratic nomination?

The second cartoon shows Clinton melting, in the style of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, while Obama, dressed as Dorothy, smiles. It ran in late February after Obama had won a series of primary contests. What anti-Clinton messages are included in this cartoon? Is Obama depicted as a powerful victor?

In the third cartoon, Clinton appears as "The Incredible Sulk," a monster threatening a nervous Obama as he contemplates choosing a running mate. The cartoon ran in June 2008, in the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Why do you think the artist styled Clinton as a cartoon character who morphs into a monster when provoked? Why do you think the artist portrayed Obama as cowering before his former rival?

The cartoons reproduced here are a tiny sample of the larger world of political commentary. Yet they convey many of the beliefs and attitudes held by the American public as the 2008 primary elections played out. How do the portrayals of Clinton and Obama vary in these three cartoons? For each candidate, would you say there is a progression of change, or do their depictions generally remain static?

Although cartoonists tended to portray Clinton and Obama as bitter enemies throughout the primaries, the two politicians began an effective partnership when president-elect Obama selected Clinton for the position of secretary of state in November 2008.

SOURCE: "The Clinton Machine," Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune, Cagle Cartoons; "I'm Melting," by permission of Steve Benson and Creators Syndicate, Inc.; "The Incredible Sulk," HOLBERT © 2008 Boston Herald. Used by permission of UNIVERSAL UCLICK for UFS. All rights reserved.

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