Perry and the gift of tongues

So the plot thickens for the Republican nominee.  What started as a comfortable lead for Rick Perry may now be a dwindling.  Herman Cain won Florida's GOP Straw Poll last week while Perry trailed a somewhat distant second.  Mind you Cain captured 37% of the votes of the little more than 2600 straw poll voters while Rick Perry captured 15%, but critics are now stirring and pointing to a GOP stage that they say hasn't truly found it's lead man yet.  

Despite his sprint out of the gates, Perry appears to be a little gassed after the recent debates.  He has spoken and what he has said has raised concern among many conservatives.  He was blasted and booed for a Texas policy that allows illegal immigrants to qualify for in-state funding for their college education with better rates than non-Texans studying in the state can obtain.  

Perry also took hits for his stance on social security, which he has called unconstitutional.  While there are many who support nixing the program, Romney is quick to highlight the concerns of older Americans who are fearful he might decimate their future benefits.  Perry for his part seems to be taking a softer stance, wanting to implement the phase out during a new program roll-out for younger Americans.  

Many conservatives have also criticized Governor Perry on foreign policy.  It appears that this segment of his platform needs drastic development measures.  With all of this in mind, Perry must scramble to prepare for the next debate on October 11th.  Will the results of last weekend force the Perry camp to reevaluate their debate strategies?  Could the debates be an increasing liability for the Governor?  Stay tuned....  This horse race could get even more interesting!

Troy Johnson

Rick Perry off fiddlin' with the campaign while Texas burns

Rick Perry "Fiddlin' With The Campaign" Cartoon by Troy Johnson

A bid for the Presidency leaves no room for error.  How to make everyone happy?  It's really a pick your poison proposition.  The conservative right has latched onto Perry since making his entry into the race in August.  During the Summer months Texas has also seen a continuing Texas size helping of wild fires.  Initially Perry came back to Texas from the campaign trail when fires were roaring, particularly the Bastrop Fire which is now 80% contained.  This week brought 114 wild fire reports to the lone star state.  The Texas triple digit heat returned for a stint this week as well, while cooler temps came toward week's end.

With both his Presidential bid and the Texas wildfires heating up, Perry finds himself challenged by his own philosophical positions.  You will remember he chided Obama for not offering enough Federal aid to Texas to help fight the fires.  This doesn't sit well with Tea Party folks who espouse a smaller federal government while advocating states' rights.  Yet fulfilling his duties as governor has required a "do what's best for the state" approach, which means at least temporarily looking to big brother for some help.

After his return to Texas from the campaign trail earlier this month to wear the governor's hat, it appears that the fires rage on. Trying to play the campaign fiddle as well as the governor fiddle may prove cannibalistic.  Too much attention to one may draw critical views from the other.  Time will tell if all this fiddlin' with the campaign may ironically weaken his ability to manage his state, which in turn may weaken his Presidential bid which touts the prosperity of Texas under his watch.

Troy Johnson

Reflecting on 9/11/11

                                  Reflections on 9/11.  Cartoon by Troy Johnson (Copyright 2011)


Like many Americans last Sunday was a time for deep reflection.  I was asked earlier in the week by the editor of the Waxahachie Daily Light if I would put together a cartoon tribute for a special 9/11 edition they had planned for Sunday.  I was honored to do so of course. My feelings for the historic day run deep as I imagine it did for Americans after the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1941.

So what goes into drawing a cartoon such as this?  Where I started with this cartoon was with images.  Images I had seen hundreds of times over the years, and images that have come to symbolize what 9/11 is to all of us.  In a cartoon such as this the cartoonist has a fraction of a second, perhaps more to connect with the reader.  The symbols of this cartoon include the remains of the towers, a mirage of sorts of the N.Y. skyline, and the American flag.  I wanted to have these elements in the background and be almost dreamlike in quality much as we have these images seared in our minds from that day.

The candles are of course representative of the vigils held in honor of those whose lives were taken.  They also mimic the towers as they once stood from the drawn perspective.  Just as the buildings were held up by the foundations and steel, 9/11 is held up by us, those who hold it in our hearts and symbolic hands. Who take action to remember what this day means to all us as Americans.  I pray that we will all reflect on the poignant memories and move forward with a poignant resolve to uphold the values of America, and defend those values that all who wish to live by the liberties of the American way can do so, come what may.

Troy Johnson