"Almost anyone, with a little exaggeration, would make a good comic character. There is no lack of raw material. Not only the woods, but the streets and houses are full of it."

Said Frank King (1883-1969), quoted in "Growing Old in Gasoline Alley: Ninety-four Years And Counting" (Comics Journal).

For a while, King focused exclusively on the car talk of his regular cast (Walt, Doc, Avery, and Bill), and then in 1921, Colonel McCormick’s cousin, partner and head of the Tribune-Daily News syndicate, Captain Joseph Patterson, decided that the cartoon would be even more popular if something in it appealed to women. "Get a baby into the story fast," he commanded the flabbergasted King, who protested that Walt, the main character, was a bachelor. It was then decided to have Walt find a baby in a basket on his doorstep—which he did on Valentine's Day, 1921.

"Mayor Pete blindsides Kamala Harris in California."

Headline at Politico.

The "blindside" isn't anything he said or any startling new policy that brilliantly goes to the left (or to the right) of Kamala.

By the way — complete sidetrack — is it disrespectful to write "Kamala" (without the "Harris")? It seems we're getting awfully close to using just first names for all the candidates — Joe, Bernie, Pete. But do we hold back for the women? And if we do, is that bad for the women? I think we do hold back — though clearly we called Hillary "Hillary" — and that holding back expresses the idea that women are more sensitive and need protection. That perversely reinforces a sense that women are not tough enough to be President. Kamala Harris has the most distinctive first name of the entire group, and she has the most boring, generic last name.

I had to hit the down button 20+ times to get to the end of the Wikipedia list of famous people with the last name Harris. There are a lot of them, but it's actually hard to think of an interesting character with the surname Harris...



There's some risk going with the first name, but the men in the race are on a first-name basis, and haven't we been calling our Presidents by their first names? Oh, maybe not. Trump is Trump (and he used to be "The Donald"). Obama was Obama (and Barack is a very interesting name). I guess we called Carter "Jimmy," but that's not the example to copy.

What about Ike? That's the ultimate presidential nickname, but was that supposed to represent his first name or his last name? I realized I did not know and could not figure it out on the sounds. There's no "k" sound in Dwight or Eisenhower. I had to look it up:

Dwight David Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas, the third of seven sons. His mother originally named him David Dwight but reversed the two names after his birth to avoid the confusion of having two Davids in the family. All of the boys were called "Ike", such as "Big Ike" (Edgar) and "Little Ike" (Dwight); the nickname was intended as an abbreviation of their last name.

Ha. Like the old Dr. Seuss story...

Have I ever told you that Mrs. McCave
Had twenty-three sons and she named them all Dave?...
She often wishes that, when they were born,
She had named one fo them Bodkin Van Horn...
And one of them Sneepy. And one Weepy Weed
And one Paris Garters/And one Harris Tweed...

Harris Tweed. Harris is interesting as a first name. Can you even think of anyone famous with Harris as a first name?



I've reached a deadend to my sidetrack, so I must proceed to the "blindside" and get out of here. The "blindside" is just that Buttigieg — Pete — is getting support in Kamala's home state California:

Democratic strategist Garry South says the growing buzz about Buttigieg’s success in wedging his way into California’s lucrative fundraising base has shocked many longtime politics watchers in the state.

“I think the amazing thing is that nobody is ceding California to Kamala Harris ... no one is abandoning California to the native daughter — which tells you something,’’ he says. “Why would he come out here and spend four days if he thought she had California locked up?“

Fundraising. Rich people in California. They're just fundraising now, not — like Trump — getting out there in rallies and stirring up crowds. If I were a rich Democrat looking to fund a candidate, I'd be watching Trump — look at the Panama City rally he just blew through in his spare time — and wondering who can match that intense, exciting campaigning?

Are the Democrats even doing rallies? I can't find full-scale rally with Kamala Harris on YouTube (not since her announcement rally from back in January). I see her at a fundraising dinner with the NAACP, but only a little clip, interrupted by an announcer saying that Kamala gave a "fiery campaign speech," but nothing actually fiery. I want to see the equivalent of what Trump repeatedly does, throws himself out there before a big crowd and really inspires them. Here's 2 minutes of Harris before a crowd from a few weeks ago. Where's a full-scale and recent campaign event? Why isn't this material out there? Is it being withheld?

Back at the Political "blindside" article:

Buttigieg’s May fundraising schedule includes four events alone Thursday in the L.A. area, including at the home of Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Brad Falchuk. Co-hosts include actor Bradley Whitford and John Gile, who has been in LGBT leadership on the Democratic National Committee and served on the Obama and Clinton presidential campaigns.

“[Buttigieg] does interest me, because he’s so multifaceted,’’ says Melissa Rivers — the former star of the cult favorite show “Fashion Police” and Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” with her mother, the late Joan Rivers.

A Joe Biden supporter, Rivers notes that many of her Hollywood friends who have long expected to back Harris are feeling torn these days over their growing attraction to the newcomer mayor.

“It’s going to be very hard. If you don’t like that he’s gay, you’ll like that he’s a military guy,’’ says Rivers, who says she’s been deluged with fundraising invites. “If you don’t like that he’s a military guy, you’re going to like that he’s a mayor. It backs people into a corner because there’s nothing to attack him on.’’

Well, Politico got Melissa Rivers to chatter, but she's a Joe Biden supporter. What's she up to?



ADDED: Speaking of nicknames:

Looks to me like it’s going to be SleepyCreepy Joe over Crazy Bernie. Everyone else is fading fast!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2019

"What free speech absolutists have failed to acknowledge is that because one has the right to offend a group does not mean that one must."

"Or that that group gives up the right to be outraged. They’re allowed to feel pain. Freedom should always be discussed within the context of responsibility. At some point free expression absolutism becomes childish and unserious. It becomes its own kind of fanaticism.... Writing satire is a privilege I’ve never taken lightly. And I’m still trying to get it right."

Says Garry Trudeau.

"Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau today defended a comic strip based on the now-largely-debunked Rolling Stone story about an alleged gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity."

“We’d hoped it would be obvious that the strip was written before Rolling Stone admitted problems in its reporting,” he emailed. “It’s not the first time I've been overtaken by events, and it won’t be the last—the occupational hazard of a long lead time.”

“Jackie’s story was not the focus, only the setup for commentary on institutional conflict of interest in adjudicating sexual assault, an issue that did not disappear with the credibility of the article,” he emailed. “Not even UVA has claimed otherwise.”

"What's behind all the... hype?" — asks the Washington Post, revealingly.

The WaPo seems to be brimming with optimism about the sunny prospects of our handsome President. Look at him striding forward silhouetted against blue skies.



But look closely, there across the top. Yes, the new poll — Lead widens! — and there's Elizabeth Warren — Gloves are off! — but then the facade slips. See it?

"What's behind all this kale hype?"

Yeah! Hype! I keep seeing it everywhere! Ridiculous promotion! Ridiculous promotion of... a vegetable. You know, that one: Kale!!! Why's everybody talking about kale?!! Kale! It's on everyone's lips! Kale! We're gonna live forever! Kale! I'm gonna learn how to fly! On Air Force One!!!11!!1! I got more in me, and you can set it free, I can catch the moon in my hands. Don't you know who I am? Barack Obama. And Kale! We're gonna live forever. I feel it coming together. People will see me and cry. Kale! I'm gonna make it to heaven! He went to Harvard not Yale! Kale!

And have you heard? WE'RE EATING MORE BEETS!