Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for January 07, 2024

Discouraging people not to vote can be an effective strategy.

And that’s why no one has heard of an honest politician.

And the truth shall set you free…or trap you, I always forget which…Dan aka…

Ironically those PACs are called super

At least he’s honest about it.

Corporations are people. Free spending is free speech. The Subprime Court said so in Citizens United, so it must be true.

And we now finally have a Super PAC Rat.

enter poor leave rich…

I’ve already got my presidential candidate picked for Election Day. We’ll just have to see what happens afterwards.

Rat’s predicament is sad but Soooooo true!

You have to admit, he hit the nail on the head by admitting how “representative democracy” really works.

Living in a Ratocracy.

Let us face it; if voting actually changed anything, it would be illegal.

“Know your role and shut your mouth!”

Blue cups!

Slavery never ended.

True but so very sad…….

He did.

Tis true, tis pity—and pity tis, tis true. (Shakespeare)

Freedom is so annoying. You have to work at it. Stuff like learning what your options are and thinking about what the best decision is.

About 30% of most populations are “authoritarian followers”. Those are the hard-core who always want to be told what to do and what to think. Usually they aren’t going in the same direction, but sometimes they find a leader, and there are always a few wannabe dictators running for that job. When they do get moving the same way, then it gets dangerous because they can put pressure on the “soft” followers who can be sucked or pressured into joining the mob and the entire country can go down the toilet. Many historical examples, so pick your favorite.

And try not to weep for the future of America. Happy new year? Not so much.

An honest politician? When did that last happen?

Running for office is the perfect ambition for someone like Rat.

Rat, you’re off the ticket in Colorado and Maine (so far)

Super Pacs remind me of the rent-to-own industry’s customers. They make periodic payments to politicians to get the use of them, and eventually they own them.

Good one Pastis!

It has not been a democracy for quite some time.

Gotta give him points for honesty.

I never vote for anyone. I vote against the stupider policies. Generally an easy choice.

It only hurts when I vote!

The pols have started early this season – I have already ignored seven “spam risk” calls.

All hail the ruling class.

Free speech is very pricey

Small but important technical difference: we live in a Constitutional Republic – not a democracy.

Lots don’t vote. In 2016, Donald J. Trump won the Electoral College with 304 votes compared to 227 votes for Hillary Clinton. It’s not the fault of the E.C.

I fully expected the guy to stuff Rat into his hat.

The Supreme Court made bribery legal. What could go wrong?

Give people the right not to vote and they’ll take it.

Theoretically, no one rich group is going to be successful putting up a candidate who will secretly work to support some agenda of theirs which doesn’t match a large number of average (poor and not rich) citizens. The super-PACS are generally pretty open about what they are pushing for. Part of the problem was politicians making a career out of it for the love of money and/or power. The big problem we have today is that we don’t have the same basis for deciding what’s good and what’s evil anymore.

Never has a comic strip more accurately reflected the reality of American politics

Sad to say, but I think Rat got it right.

Nailed it!

The USA is a Republic. it was never formed as a Democracy. Free States and the 10th Amendment are not allowed in a Democracy. And no, it is not immaterial, but the exact opposite. Steve should have paid attention is school.

Rat had The Count’s vote at the first panel and sealed the deal with the last. Bonus points for not needing to be led offstage by his wife or caught from wandering off from the airplane by some guy in a uniform.

I cannot see how anyone could see a single remnant of politics in this piece……….Pearls Before Swine Politics Police?:

This certainly reflects my feelings about the current election cycle. All the politicians have great plans to help everyone but me. Of course, my taxes will have to go up to pay for it.

senators don’t represent people, they represent states. the house members represent people, well, supposedly they do.

I don’t want to do my part in… politicians.

Election campaigns no longer represent the populace. We need to tax lobbyists $34 trillion to pay off the national debt.

Just decide to run in a different district than you currently represent <Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beatle…..>

Again: we don’t live in a Democracy; it is a Representative Republic. Greece tried Democracy all those centuries ago, and it failed miserably. Since then no one has tried it. We call it Democracy but that is just for PR.

Democracy is majority rule which the US DOES NOT HAVE. If majority ruled, our entire country would be ruled by the will of L.A. and a few other major Democrat-governed cities. The votes of millions across the “fly-over” country would useless. So we have a representative republic, like xSigoff said above. We gotta stop allowing the media to claim it’s all majority rule. If that were true, Hillary would’ve been president and maybe Al Gore before her. But they weren’t.

It reads as if Rat has encountered the L’il Abner “bald Iggle”, a bird who’s gaze compels people to tell the truth and ended up having the politicians having them killed or deported, I forget. Need to crack open my Frazetta hardcover.

Rat, what you’re doing is the opposite of democracy.

Telling the truth is not appreciated that much now.

Crooked, evil, lies

VOTE THE GARBAGE O. U. T. !

Why truth in advertising laws need to be applied to political campaigns. Also, we need to seriously reconsider campaign donations as speech..

This sums it up perfectly on all politicians.

You talked too much, Rat.

Rat would make a terrible senator. And regardless of who gives who money, everyone still gets to vote. They can elect whoever they want. Mike Bloomberg had by far the most money in 2020 and his campaign went nowhere.

Honesty in politicians?? A sign of the apocalypse

Rats first mistake was being honest. He needs to learn to lie like every other politician

I really hated when Reagan admin allowed lobbying etc. in government. Or that no one is stopping the congressional insider trading that Pelosi is so easily getting away with.

Wearing a flag hat just hides how you really feel

Seeing “politics” laid out so barely makes me almost wish for more in the line of Trump’s blatant narcissism and self-aggrandizement and his complete disregard for anyone other than himself – almost.

Old Joe never met a war or a defense contractor he didn’t like!

maany years ago i did a precinct GetOutTheVote thing, discovering it’s hard

Mr. Good Citizen must be living the life of Riley in our Trickle-Down Economy.

TFG loves power, too. And money.

If only politicians told the truth.

“Some people just don’t want to do their part in a democracy.”

They’re called “Trumpers”!

Hi, I’m a Supreme Court Justice and I need funds to live a lavish lifestyle…..

at least someone got it right !

Is Rat a RAT-publican or a Demo-RAT?!?

Lets address the incorrect statement said “DEMOCRACY”. The United States is a constitutional republic. People who relish power want you to believe its a democracy, which is always failed socialism!! In a “democracy” they don’t care if you vote either way.

A good cartoon strip is based on some kind of surprise. This one hits you over the head with an 8×64.

way too much information, Rat

Truth isn’t funny. Where’s the gag.

In the house of representatives there are only about 30 seats that are not foregone conclusions for one party or the other because of gerrymandering. In the 2022 election my state of NC voted from fairly drawn maps for the first time in decades and it was a 7 7 split reflecting the politics of the state. Republicans with a super majority in the legislature and on the court have once again gerrymandered the maps this year it will likely be 11-3. This is not representation when people pick their voters they absolutely owe them nothing and treat them accordingly.

Makes you wonder if the right has been deliberately making participatory democracy as unattractive as possible so we won’t mind when they destroy it altogether.

Is it any wonder why they don’t?

Strange. What man could resist such blandishments?

Does winning with 55% of the popular vote count as a landslide if only 10% of the voters actually cast ballots?

Geez, they can’t be any worse than the Dumbocrats.

We’re not a democracy.

The problem with our nation’s politics in one cartoon!

I knew the word “democracy” would bring out the constitutional experts. If you substitute it with “republic”, the comic still gets its point across.

And that is the best 21st century civics lesson you’re likely ever to get.

U.S.A. Is not s democracy. We are a Constitutional Republic. There is a huge difference!

Rat’s problem is that he’s trying to be a politician and to tell the truth at the same time. That does not work!

Is going from president to senator something of a demotion?