Visualizing History: “Caricaturing the Candidates: Clinton and Obama in 2008”

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“The Clinton Machine” SOURCE: “The Clinton Machine,” Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune, Cagle Cartoons

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.

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.

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“The Incredible Sulk” SOURCE: “The Incredible Sulk,” HOLBERT © Jerry Holbert. Used by permission of UNIVERSAL UCLICK for UFS. All rights reserved.

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 providing the power for the steamroller? How does the portrayal of Obama compare with that of Clinton in this cartoon? What does this cartoon imply about Bill Clinton’s role in his wife’s campaign and her chances for capturing the Democratic nomination?

In the second 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?

These 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.

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; “The Incredible Sulk,” HOLBERT © Jerry Holbert. Used by permission of UNIVERSAL UCLICK for UFS. All rights reserved.

Questions for Analysis

  1. Do you think these cartoonists were successful in avoiding sexist or racist portrayals of the candidates? Do you see any sexual or racial stereotypes in the cartoons?
  2. What message does the second cartoon send in having Clinton tower over Obama, even though he had just defeated her for the nomination?

Connect to the Big Idea

In what ways was the election of 2008 groundbreaking?