Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for February 12, 2024

Or current.

Oh. Today is Lincoln’s birthday. I’d forgotten.

I didn’t know something like this was the criterion for a good president. I couldn’t care less how he/she holds an ax or if he/she even does, I just care that the president isn’t going to destroy the country like the present one is.

Not exactly a criterion I consider when casting my vote.

Abe was also capable of coherent speech; I have doubts about the next POTUS.

It’s not the party of Lincoln anymore.

Speaking as a strictly neutral Brit, I have to say there are some candidates I wouldn’t like to give an axe to.

although one will claim he could do that if he wanted to

Although the bad one’s groupies have fake photo art suggesting otherwise of him. Of course he can’t, but you’ll never convince his reality-challenged cult followers of that.

Long as it’s used to cut taxes, go for it.

On a bet, Abe Lincoln wrestled a bigger and “stronger” man and won. Maybe instead of an election, we should just let the three of them wrestle and whoever wins will be President?

Michelle is stronger than you think!

But only one of them can still ride a bicycle.

Jimmy: There you go again. Trolling perfectly and reeling in the fish.

@Macushlalondra- Sorry. I have to disagree with you. I think Joe is doing an excellent job! It may not seem like he is because he’s working with what he has, which doesn’t seem to be much! And Kamal Harris is totally useless!

@Macushlalondra- And let’s not forget that Donald Trump WAS NOT invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markel’s royal wedding!

One Presidential candidate would drop the axe on his foot then trip over it. The other would sell it for a profit.

They should integrate feats of strength into the debate format!!

Mac…you are opening a BIG can or worms here.

better biden than the orange bloated blow hard with bone spurs trumper

Our current and previous President can’t do that.

So Abe could hold an axe for minutes. TFG can hold a grudge for years.

It’s safe to say that no matter who becomes president, they won’t be able to do that.

Lincoln was certainly colorful. On the axe subject, he remarked, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” (From Abraham Lincoln: Notebook 25 of the Best Planning Quotes.)

Better yet is from American Heritage Publishing: Once accused during a debate with Stephen Douglas of being two-faced, Lincoln is said to have replied, “If I had another face, do you think I’d wear this one?”

Just a side note. DJT needs two hands to hold a glass of water.

I am wondering at the point of these last two strips, the creator seems to have deliberately sparked this controversy, if this much venom can be spewed in what I imagined was a neutral space of a feel good comic, I have clearly been in denial that there is such a toxic divide in this country. I feel literally sick after reading so much hate and yes I am fearful for our country, no matter who wins there doesnt seem to be any middle ground to reconcile.

I’ll be happy if our next President can negotiate stairs and finish a coherent sentence…

I don’t think we ever had any president who could duplicate that.

I’d be surprised if any presidents in the last several years could use an axe without injurying themselves.

You all realize all you are really saying is My dictator is better than your dictator. You can’t see beyond that enough to know what to do.

True.

Anybody who supports Trump is an idiot.

Arlo our current President can hardly hold a knife…………..

And? One is an experienced and dignified lawmaker, the other I wouldn’t trust with a sharp object.

No need to wonder, just axe him.

Happy Birthday, President Lincoln.

Here’s how the United States has fared since President Joe Biden took office three years ago:The economy added more than 14 million jobs. The number is now nearly 4.9 million higher than before the pandemic.The unemployment rate dropped back to just above the pre-pandemic low; unfilled job openings again outnumber unemployed job seekers.Inflation spiked to the highest level in over 40 years. Despite recent moderation, consumer prices are up nearly 18% overall during Biden’s time. Gasoline is up 29%.Average weekly earnings haven’t kept pace with prices. After adjusting for inflation, “real” weekly earnings declined 3.4%.Defying expectations, the nation’s economy expanded 2.5% in 2023, marking the third straight year of economic growth.Crime data show a decrease in murders in U.S. cities in 2022 and 2023.The S&P 500 has increased 28.2%.The number of apprehensions of those trying to cross the southern border illegally remains near historical highs. For the 12 months ending in November, apprehensions are up 296%.For the third straight year, gun purchases declined, as measured by background checks for firearm sales.Crude oil production is up 12.7%; imports are up 8.7%.The trade deficit for goods and services is about 20.9% higher.The number of people without health insurance has gone down; enrollment in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans is at its highest point yet.The number of people receiving federal food assistance has declined by more than 700,000.The publicly held debt has increased by about 24.7%.www factcheck org/2024/01/bidens-numbers-january-2024-update/

The next thing MAGAts will say, when the facts clearly show that Biden is doing a good job (assuming that they just don’t call it fake news) is that he can’t be doing it. He’s just a puppet and someone else is actually running the country.

No president does the job without consulting with experts on whatever subject is being considered. It would be impossible for one person to be thoroughly knowledgeable on all domestic and foreign issues, as they change from day to day. When a decision needs to be made, I would hope that the president would consult with experts on the situation, not just one but several, and then make the decision he is required to make.

I realize that Trump often didn’t do this. I am aware that the experts he met with often reported that he didn’t read reports and didn’t pay attention in meetings, and usually did whatever he chose. This is considered by some of his supporters as being a macho, shoot from the hip type of guy, their kind of of guy. That result is an often shooting off a couple of toes, literally. Figuratively, it means choosing to destroy whatever Obama put into place, including the agency that might have prevented Covid from getting out of the Chinese province where it originated.

Remember in your curmudgeon brain this is a comic strip. So in compliance with this amusing strip today I will write, ‘Maybe the winner can hold a cane’

Our last president tried to destroy this Great Nation, and will destroy us if he is elected in November.

Safe bet that Mar-A-Lardo has never touched an axe in his life.

Dang Jimmy, today I miss Arlo’s sexual ploys, Janis’s bath tub scenes, and Ludie’s I own this house!

I just care that the president isn’t going to destroy the country like the present one is.

The current president is trying to do a good job. But the repubs want power, and so they do their best to block anything and everything that Biden tries to accomplish.

To rephrase – the repubs in congress have no interest in serving the citizens of the United States. They’re totallly interested in serving / enriching themselves.

The dems aren’t perfect by a long shot, but they are way, way better than the repubs.

Nah. She probably can’t.

Lincoln needed that axe wielding skill to kill all the vampires.

So, so many true believers.

This brings to mind a line that is engraved in stone over one of the doors to the College of Education at Ohio State: “Prize the doubt. Low kinds exist without.”

Over another door: “The old guard changeth.” (David Bowie’s version: “look out you rock ‘n rollers pretty soon now you’re gonna get older”)

Americans are materially better off than any other country in the world. America recovered from post-Covid inflation better than any other country in the world. Unemployment is approaching an all-time low. Crime is actually down, if you look at the numbers. Respect for Americans by non-Americans is much higher now than it was 4 years ago.

Yet “America is being destroyed”. How? I just don’t get it.

Let’s change the strip a bit. Rather than former President Lincoln holding up an axe, change it to former Senator Al Franken accurately drawing a map of the United States freehand, which he could do. The final panel would be just as accurate and just as funny.

Some days we just forget about how lucky we are to have the freedom and free time to be able to complain (b-word censored) about the daily comic.

I have a broad axe once owned by Lincoln. Over the years, the handle has been replaced four times and the head twice.

$7,000,000 down the drain.

Sorry, I’m not voting for any president who isn’t a wrestler.

It is more important that our next president know which end of the ax to hold. Trump would never pass that test.

Wow, touched a nerve! (I disagree, too.)

He had an eight-blade congress knife in his pocket when he was shot. Gibbs’ rule #9 – never go anywhere without a knife – didn’t help Abe much, unfortunately. Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight!

Not certain either of the candidates would recognize an ax…

These days virtually all pollies are flat out holding up their (hah!!) principles.Mind you most of them are at ground level compared with Lincoln