Auld Lang Syne Funnies

I'd rather put this year in my rearview mirror as quickly as possible, but that doesn't mean I'm looking forward to 2024.

Ted Rall, this blogger's favorite toonist, is rounded up for the year by WhoWhatWhy.  Here's my favorite from among those.

There's a great deal of interpretive dance both implied and inferred in that one.

The end of the year brings collations of all types, and the best of 2023's political art from across the nation and around the world are helpfully gathered by The Daily Cartoonist.  Peruse and enjoy (to the extent possible).

Holly Jolly Funnies

Could be jollier.

Following the doctrine that it is easier to beg forgiveness than to obtain permission, Israel is engaged in the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip with a view toward annexing it. It’s not hard to imagine that sooner rather than later beach resorts will replace the 2.3 million Palestinians who have been killed or driven out of their homeland.

The Hell Out of Texas Funnies

What a Drag It Is Getting Old Funnies

If I want to watch reruns I'll tune to MeTV.

Srsly tho. I remember when the Democrats were opposed to war.

Mike Peterson, Daily Cartoonist:

The Israeli government has declined to renew the visa of the top United Nations humanitarian aide for Palestine, saying that the UN, which has accepted Palestinian estimates that 40% of the roughly 15,000 civilian dead in Gaza were children, is biased against Israel.

American officials, including VP Harris, have begun speaking out publicly to urge an end to the attacks on civilians, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warns that “In this kind of a fight, the center of gravity is the civilian population. And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”

His point is a universal truth of asymmetric warfare. The support of Gazans for Hamas may not be overwhelming, just as the support of Iraqis for their guerrilla forces, the support of Afghans for the Taliban or the support of Irish Catholics for the IRA have all been dubious.

But their support for “our boys” is steadfast, and, in this case, seeing entire families killed is not going to make it easy, or perhaps even possible, to make peace in the region.

Ever.

"Life's just much too hard today," I hear every mother say
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose

Today’s @PhillyInquirer: AARP is — appropriately enough — sponsoring the upcoming Rolling Stones tour. Its website crashed this week when a throng of boomer fans tried to score tour tickets. #stonestour pic.twitter.com/EQ1n3MFICS

— John Cole (@ColeToon) December 3, 2023

OTOH, considering the alternative...

Democracy Flailing Funnies

The Biden campaign had what they thought would be a clever solution to their fear that the president would lose the New Hampshire primary. So they had the DNC decertify New Hampshire and made South Carolina first. Then Dean Phillips challenged Biden in NH. Faced with the prospect that Biden would lose the first primary (even if it’s unofficial), Biden has launched a write-in campaign for the race from which he asked to be removed from the ballot.

And if you think that's rich, guess what Florida Democrats just did?

The Florida Democratic Party -- likely full of people who will say with a straight face that democracy is at stake in 2024 -- decided that Joe Biden would be the only Democrat on their presidential primary ballot, excluding Marianne Williamson, Dean Phillips, Cenk Uygur, etc. And because state law there says that no primary vote is conducted with only one candidate, the move effectively awarded all 250 delegates to their party's national convention to Biden.

Why are Democrats having so much difficulty with actual democracy? Because if/when he loses to Trump, they can blame anybody and everybody but themselves.

Please don't misunderstand: I have great concerns about the rising fascism in this nation and around the world; it's just that Joe Biden -- contrary to the coordinated message Democrats are broadcasting -- does not represent 'democracy'. And vote-shaming is a poor way to do voter outreach.

#HenryKissinger pic.twitter.com/BWQjgnuOJl

— bkeithb 🇵🇸 (@bkeithb) December 1, 2023