Team Member Name: Tess Griffeth
Publication: Cagle Cartoons
Date: 03/19/14
Cartoonist: Steve Sack
U.S./International: U.S.
Title of Cartoon: Obama Cares COLOR
Cartoon #: 8
What action is taking place in this cartoon? What is the context?
The cartoon shows a sign reading “Obamacare sign-ups: 5 million.” An elephant in a suit coat, obviously representing Republicans, is shown mocking Obama — who stands behind him — by pointing out that five million is two million fewer than Obama's initial goal of seven million. Obama retaliates by saying “And 5 million more than yours.” The context in this cartoon demonstrates that although Obamacare didn't reach the goal Obama was hoping for, it still obtained a sizable amount of applicants with a little under two weeks left to apply.
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
The cartoon seems to demonstrate Republicans as arrogant and competitive, supplying the reader to believe that the cartoon takes a more liberal stance on the issue. Many conservatives and Republicans have shown negativity toward Obamacare, so the cartoonist depicted the elephant as celebrating the fact that Obama didn't reach the number of applicants he had hoped for.
What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one side or the other?
In the cartoon, Obama is represented as calm and collected with almost a sarcastic tone. These moods and qualities seem to demonstrate Obama's feelings about the way Republicans feel about Obamacare. He gives off an “in your face” attitude but does so by being subtle enough to not seem as arrogant as the Republican is represented in the cartoon.
What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?
Team Member Name: Tess Griffeth
Publication: Cagle Cartoons
Date: 12/5/13
Cartoonist: Bob Englehart
U.S./International: U.S.
Title of Cartoon: Obamacare Prediction
COLOR
Cartoon
#: 9
What action is taking place in this
cartoon? What is the context?
Within the cartoon, six photos are
given. Each of them presenting an elephant in a suit with a year
captioned above. The years given date from 2011-2016. In the 2011 box
it reads, “We're against Obamacare! It's unconstitutional!” The
elephant in these pictures, which represents Republicans, is an
exaggeration, described by the cartoon analysis guide from the
Library of Congress as, “Sometimes cartoonists overdo, or
exaggerate, the physical characteristics of people or things in order
to make a point.” (Cartoon Analysis Guide) The 2012 box reads,
“Stop Obamacare! Vote Republican!” And in in the 2013 box it
states, “Defund Obamacare!” The first three years that are shown
demonstrate the Republican Party's feelings about Obamacare and, by
looking at the exaggerated expressions of the elephant in each of
these, depict the negativity that surrounds Obamacare. When looking
at the next three years shown, a change in the elephant's expressions
are noticeable. The 2014 box states, “Obamacare still has problems
that need to be fixed.” Republicans — at least some — are
wanting to fix Obamacare now, rather than wanting it gone all
together. According to an article from NPR, “some influential
conservatives are now saying the Affordable Care Act is too
entrenched to repeal.” (Whitney, 2014) In the 2015 box, it reads
“We call it the Affordable Care Act now that it's working.” And
in the 2016 box it states, “We invented it!” The Republican Party
is portrayed as to take credit for Obamacare if or when it is
successful. Since the beginning of Obamacare, the Republicans have
not been too fond of the idea and the cartoonist is implying that the
Republicans will try to hide the fact that they were against
Obamacare.
Which side is supported by the framing
of the cartoon?
The cartoon leads toward more of a
liberal view. It portrays Republicans as egotistic due to their
changing perspective on Obamacare after the cartoonist's prediction
of its success, giving the audience the notion that it represents a
liberal stance.
What evidence can you give that shows
the cartoonist supports one side or the other?
The elephant in the cartoon is
characterized by his facial expressions and diction. The cartoonist
sheds a bit of sarcasm within the cartoon, which provides some
evidence that he supports a liberal viewpoint. The physical
characteristics of the elephant is also evidence of the cartoonist's
stance. The elephant is very rough looking, despite the fact that he
is an elephant, with an unrefined look.
What “reality” is
constructed/framed about your issue?
The reality demonstrated in the
cartoon is that as much as Republicans have hated the idea of
Obamacare, it seems to be benefiting many Americans and is becoming
more popular, so Republicans may as well jump on the bandwagon now.
There have been many applicants thus far.
Team
Member Name: Morgan
Pratt
Publication:
CagleCartoons.com
Date:
9/21/2010
Cartoonist:
Monte
Wolverton, U.S.
Title
of cartoon: Replacing
Obamacare
Cartoon#
83465
What
action is taking place in the cartoon? What
is the context?
The
cartoon depicts a clipboard labeled “Unveiled at last: the
Republican plan to replace Obamacare.” The clipboard notes four
different points about Obamacare: “1. Poor people don’t deserve
health care. 2. Rich people deserve all the healthcare they can
afford. 3. If God had meant for everyone to have health care, he
would have created more doctors. 4. No taxes whatsoever for wealthy
people.”
The
GOP has never come out and said the items on this list is what they
want to get out of a nationwide health care reform (Repeal and
Replace the Job-Destroying Health Care Law). However, Wolverton is
trying to demonstrate the conservatives really don’t have solid,
coherent, reasons for repealing the Affordable Care Act other than
their “unspoken agenda.”
Wolverton
uses labelling,
a
technique that helps the viewer understand exactly what something
stands for (Library of Congress, 2012),
to
demonstrate the Republican’s real reasons for getting rid of
Obamacare.
Tone
of the cartoon:
1)
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
The
liberal stance on Obamacare is obviously being depicted in this
cartoon. Through the framing and labeling of this animation, it
shoves Republicans under the bus by alluding to the liberal idea that
conservatives don’t have a strong argument against the Affordable
Care Act. Rather, they have their own selfish beliefs about how
health care should work. (I use the term selfish because the ACA
would raise taxes so the rich could assist the poor with their health
care. However, they don’t like that idea because it means wealthy
people have to pay more taxes.) This cartoon also supports the
liberal concepts about Republicans that they only look out for their
rich friends, also known as big business leaders; that poor people
haven’t worked hard enough to become rich, therefore they are lazy
and don’t deserve health care; that because people are lazy, the
wealthy people shouldn't have to give up some of their money via
taxes to pay for poor/lazy peoples’ health care; that Republicans
are often Christian and they believe God is on their side.
2)
What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one
side or the other?
Wolverton
probably leans to the left because he blatantly exposes Republican
“unspoken agenda” as described above. I don’t know for sure if
he is liberal because he has come out with some cartoon that don’t
support Obamacare such as the “Healthcare reform obsession”
(Allie, 2010).
3)
What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?
The
ideology expressed in the “Republican plan to replace Obamacare”
is not limited to their beliefs about health care. The opinions
expressed on the list apply to the rest of the Republican theories
about government. Therefore, Wolverton is demonstrating that
Republicans are relying on their predetermined ideas to form their
views about Obamacare. The GOP doesn't care if the ACA will work,
they just want an excuse to oppose Obama.
Cartoonist:
Eric
Allie, U.S.
Title of cartoon: The good parts of Obamacare
Cartoon# 88772
Title of cartoon: The good parts of Obamacare
Cartoon# 88772
What
action is taking place in the cartoon? What
is the context?
The
cartoon depicts an elephant and a donkey in the bathroom. The
elephant is about to flush the toilet which has fumes coming out of
it. The donkey, who is dressed to look like Obama, is looking
exasperated that the elephant would just flush what ever was in the
toilet. The donkey says to the elephant, “Wait! What about the good
parts of Obamacare?” The elephant replies, “Um, let’s just use
some fresh peanuts.” (Just as a side note, the donkey has toilet
paper stuck to his foot which is hysterical.)
The
context of the issue is that the Republicans at the time, were
working to repeal the ACA. The House of Representatives, which is
mostly filled with Republicans, voted to “fully repeal the health
care reform” on January 19, 2011 (Zigmond, 2010). They got rid of
the health care bill completely on the pretense that it was reducing
the number of jobs in America (Repeal and Replace the Job-Destroying
Health Care Law).The House continued to repeal the health care law.
According to the New York Times, they had repealed it up at least 37
times (Peters, 2013).
The
author uses labeling,
which
means to clarify the meaning of an object by giving it a label (Library of Congress, 2012)), to clarify that the Republican party is
flushing Obamacare down the toilet.
Tone
of the cartoon:
1)
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
Allie
depicted the liberal side of this issue. Despite exasperation from
the donkey, who is representing Obama, the elephant, who is
representing Republicans, is carelessly flushing away all of
Affordable Care Act. Allie is trying to show that Republicans are not
up for negotiation because they have already dumped it in the toilet
even before hearing what Obama had to say about it. Republicans are
trying to cover up the “Obamacare” smell by using “peanuts”
even though they are not a viable replacement for the ACA. Peanuts
are not going to help the government officials with healthcare
reform.
2)
What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one
side or the other?
From
what I can tell, Allie supports the Affordable Care Act, and in turn
the Democratic party, and is upset that the Republicans wanted to
repeal it. This is demonstrated through everything I listed above.
3)
What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?
This
cartoon is demonstrating an underlying Republican ideology which is
to oppose anything that Obama purposes, even before hearing the
president’s reasoning for supporting something. Allie is trying to
show people that there are good parts to Obamacare and the GOP is
flushing it away, just because they can. Allie portrayed the elephant
-- Republicans -- as stupid as the elephant tries to replace the ACA
with peanuts. Also, the elephant is not portrayed as being
malicious, he is just nonchalantly flushing away Obamacare. Taking
down Obama is just another day in the life of a Republican.
Team
Member Name: Morgan
Pratt
Publication:
CagleCartoons.com
Date: 2/5/2011
Cartoonist: David Fitzsimmons, U.S.
Title of cartoon: Pre-existing condition
Cartoon# 87669
Date: 2/5/2011
Cartoonist: David Fitzsimmons, U.S.
Title of cartoon: Pre-existing condition
Cartoon# 87669
What
action is taking place in the cartoon? What
is the context?
The
picture depicts John Boehner who says in the cartoon, “We must
repeal Obamacare for one reason. We have to deny you coverage because
of a pre-existing condition. Ours.” In the last frame, Boehner is
standing next to a portly and wealthy man who is smoking a cigar. The
man is labeled “Insurance Corporations” and indicates that
Boehner and the insurance corporations are conjoined twins. Boehner
has money in his hands and dollar signs surrounding them. The two men
have a heart between them, much like when two people are in love.
Republican
Speaker of the House John Boehner said in November of 2010 that he
would do everything he could to repeal the health care law on the
pretence that it would eliminate jobs (Liberto, 2010).
The
cartoonist uses labeling
to
get his point across. Labeling means giving a label to something to
clarify what it’s meaning (Library of Congress, 2012).
Tone
of the cartoon:
1)
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
The
Democratic stance on Obamacare is being taken because the cartoon
reveals the real reason Boehner put so much effort into repealing the
Affordable Care Act, because he gets money out of it. The cartoon
shows he is obsessed with money that he most likely got from the
insurance companies. By the cartoonist used labeling with the term
“conjoined twins,” he makes it obvious that the Republican Party
is in cahoots with insurance companies.
2)
What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one
side or the other?
Due
to the way Fitzsimmons framed the issue by making Boehner and
Insurance Corporations conjoined twins makes it obvious that he
supports the ACA. (For more reasons why Boehner supports Obamacare,
please refer the the previous question.)
3)
What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?
Fitssimmons
is trying to demonstrate the reality that a powerful and prominent
Republican is fighting the ACA for the money. Boehner is just looking
out of him and his rich insurance friends who will get even richer if
the repeal would have worked. Also, the cartoonist made a special
effort to emphasize that they insurance companies are rich by making
their caricature a fat man with a black suit and cigar. By making the
man fat, he is demonstrating to us that the last thing he needs is
more money.
Team
Member Name: Morgan
Pratt
Publication:
SLTrib.com
Date: 3/5/2014
Cartoonist: Pat Bagley, U.S.
Title of cartoon: Obamacare Topplers
Cartoon# 75825
Date: 3/5/2014
Cartoonist: Pat Bagley, U.S.
Title of cartoon: Obamacare Topplers
Cartoon# 75825
What
action is taking place in the cartoon? What
is the context?
The
setting of the cartoon is most likely in Goblin Valley in southern
Utah. Pat Bagley, the cartoonist, depicts short men in suits pushing
over a rock labeled “medicaid expansion.” The rock has fallen on
top of a car driving by which is labeled as “Utah’s poor.” All
the while, a park ranger who is labeled “ACA” is watching the
scene unfold with a frown of disapproval on his face. The cartoon
says at the bottom “We were afraid it was going to hurt someone.”
The
Supreme Court ruled on June 28, 2012 that the ACA was constitutional.
However, “the
federal government cannot yank existing Medicaid funds from states
who refuse to comply with an expansion of Medicaid” (Wicker 2012.)
Since that time, Utah has decided to reform Medicaid. Government
officials have long since dumped the Medicaid system set up through
Obamacare. They are now working on three different Medicaid reform
plans that could change Utah’s health care for forever.
Also,
the other important topic going on in Utah that is pertinent to this
cartoon are the “Goblin Topplers.” The Goblin Topplers are two
men who were on a Boys Scout trip to Goblin Valley. They recently
pushed over a pre-historic rock because they believed someone was
going to get hurt by the giant boulder. The man videotaped the event
and put it on Facebook. They were eventually caught and taken to
court. (Miller and Prettyman, 2014). This incident of the rock being pushed over is parodied in this cartoon.
Tone
of the cartoon:
1)
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
The
liberal side of the political cartoon is being portrayed as Bagley
frames the the Medicaid topplers as government officials who are
mostly conservative as indicated by their red ties. Bagely is showing that the government officials are hurting Utah's poor as they reject the $524 million in federal money. The Affordable Care Act park ranger, who we are
going to assume is Barack Obama, is looking disapprovingly as the
scene unfolds.
2)
What evidence can you give that shows the cartoonist supports one
side or the other?
While
this cartoon is hard to identify which way Bagley is leaning, it is
very likely that he supports the Affordable Care Act. (Please see the
question above to more fully understand why Bagley is most likely
liberal.)
3)
What “reality” is constructed/framed about your issue?
Bagley
is trying to show his viewers that the government officials are
taking drastic and dangerous steps to implement a new Medicaid
system in Utah. They carelessly pushed the “Medicaid expansion” over
which is affecting 60 thousand Utahns who fall into the Medicaid gap. The sad thing is, the government officials
thought they are doing a favor to the Utahns without Medicaid by
trying to pick a plan. However, the longer the government takes, the
most people are “squashed” by the Medicaid expansion boulder. At the end of the day, Bagley is portraying the government officials, who toppled over Medicaid, to be just as dumb as the Goblin Topplers.
On February 4, 2014, Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, was quoted saying, “The CBO’s latest report confirms what Republicans have been saying for years now. Under Obamacare, millions of hardworking Americans will lose their jobs and those who keep them will see their hours and wages reduced.” The CBO report does support that because of ObamaCare, there will be “a decline of about 2 million full-time equivalent workers in 2017…and 2.5 million by 2024.” This statistic seems accurate, but the report does not cover people losing their jobs as Cantor concludes. It refers to “employees who decide on their own to leave the workforce because of various Obamacare provisions.” PolitiFact, therefore, decided that Cantor’s assumption was mostly false and that the loss of jobs will be due to people’s own desires due to benefits that ObamaCare will provide them (Politifact, 2014).
This cartoon symbolizes the freedom that ObamaCare will give citizens to leave their current jobs because healthcare will be available to them no matter where they work.
Team member name: Ariel Cunningham
Publication: VCReporter
Date: February 16, 2014
Cartoonist: Steve Greenberg
U.S./International: U.S.
Title of cartoon: Cubicle Breakout
Cartoon #: 10
What action is taking place in this cartoon? What is the context?
This cartoon depicts a work cubicle. In the first picture you can see someone sitting at a computer walled in on all 4 sides. In the second picture a kind of cutting device appears opening one of the corners of the cubicle. Written next to the device is the word “creak.” In the third picture the corner of the cubicle breaks open appearing with the word “crack.” The final picture shows the cubicle falling apart with a man walking away from the rubble. A computer sits on a table and on the computer is written, “Chained to a job just for the healthcare.” The cutting device lays on the ground. It resembles a banner and has the word “ObamaCare” written on it.
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
The Democratic side is supported by the framing of this cartoon.
What evidence can you give that the cartoon supports one side or the other?
It depicts a person being locked into a cubicle (representing work) simply because it provides healthcare he can afford. Suddenly, because of the banner ObamaCare, which cuts open the cubicle, the person is free to work wherever he wants. He is no longer held to a certain job just because he can’t afford healthcare elsewhere.
What reality is constructed/framed by your issue?
The framing of this cartoon constructed the reality that many people were locked into certain jobs because of the healthcare that job provided. People felt that they could not leave a job for the fear that if they left, they would be unable to get good healthcare on their own. ObamaCare, however, opened up the door, allowing people who had previously felt trapped in their job the freedom to leave because now everyone can get affordable healthcare.
Analysis
In the past, healthcare has been hard to come by, especially for people who have pre-existing medical conditions. A person may have felt obligated to remain in a certain job due to the fear of inability to get healthcare if they leave that position. Under the new law, however, “starting in January 2014, insurers cannot deny coverage to anyone regardless of pre-existing conditions. And they cannot charge you more because of your gender or more than they charge a healthy person your age.” This new law allows people the freedom to leave a job and work wherever they desire, because no matter where they work, they will be able to get the healthcare that they need. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney also believes that this vast amount of Americans leaving their jobs is a good thing. He stated that this new law will fix the problem of people feeling “trapped in a job (Roy, 2014).”
On February 4, 2014, Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, was quoted saying, “The CBO’s latest report confirms what Republicans have been saying for years now. Under Obamacare, millions of hardworking Americans will lose their jobs and those who keep them will see their hours and wages reduced.” The CBO report does support that because of ObamaCare, there will be “a decline of about 2 million full-time equivalent workers in 2017…and 2.5 million by 2024.” This statistic seems accurate, but the report does not cover people losing their jobs as Cantor concludes. It refers to “employees who decide on their own to leave the workforce because of various Obamacare provisions.” PolitiFact, therefore, decided that Cantor’s assumption was mostly false and that the loss of jobs will be due to people’s own desires due to benefits that ObamaCare will provide them (Politifact, 2014).
This cartoon symbolizes the freedom that ObamaCare will give citizens to leave their current jobs because healthcare will be available to them no matter where they work.
Team member name: Leann Fox
Publication: Tim Eagan
Date: 3/13/14
Cartoonist: Tim Eagan
U.S./International: U.S.
Title of cartoon: Tim Eagan
Cartoon #: 11
What action is taking place in this cartoon? What is the context?
The picture depicts a nurse at a hospital directing patients to a room. She has the words “The Republican alternative to Obamacare will see you now” written above her head. The picture shows a young mother with two small children. In the back room, there is the figure of the Grim Reaper and the lighting is very dark. The writer is showing how the Republican substitute to Obamacare is not a good choice.
Symbolism was Eagan’s choice of context for his political cartoon. There are several things portrayed that are symbolic. The biggest symbol to be discussed was the figure of the Grim Reaper standing in the patient room. Grim Reapers are usually portrayed to signify death or evil. It shows that the Republican’s ideas for health care will be terrible for Americans. Another symbol was the nurse and the hospital scene. It shows where all of the future of Obamacare will take place.
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
The side supported by the cartoon is the Democratic party. The photo shows how Obamacare can be beneficial to the single parent. The cartoonist portrayed his open very distinctively in this piece of artwork. We know that there are many people in the United States who aren’t able to provide the needed healthcare to themselves and their families. Eagan is quite clearly an Obama and obamacare advocate.
What evidence can you give that the cartoon supports one side or the other?
Evidence that Eagan supports Obamacare is shown in this cartoon. It is shown by the young family, the hospital, the nurse, and the Grim Reaper.
What reality is constructed/framed by your issue?
The reality framed by this issue clearly shows that Eagan (and others) have a very set idea about Obamacare and what it has to offer. The reality of matter is that Eagan wants to persuade others to believe as he does. He shows that the Republican plan for health care won’t benefit the struggling family and those with low income.
Analysis
We see in this cartoon that symbolism is Eagan’s choice of persuasion. He has a very relevant view of how Obamacare can help struggling families, but he neglected to show the other side. Families with larger incomes will end up paying for the families that can’t afford healthcare. He only showed the benefit of one side. There are obvious pros and cons of Obamacare. Eagan very forcefully showed his opinion in this cartoon.
http://www.factcheck.org/2013/09/obamacare-myths/
Team member name: Leann Fox
Publication: AAEC
Date: 3/17/14
Cartoonist: David G. Brown
U.S./International: U.S.
Title of cartoon: Repeal Obamacare!
Cartoon #: 12
What action is taking place in this cartoon? What is the context?
This cartoon exemplifies an Elephant (Republican) sitting outside a jail cell. He appears to be tied up and in trouble. The words “Repeal Obamacare! Repeal Obamacare!” are written above his head. Someone from inside another jail cell says “He has been acting this way since the Affordable Care Act became law.” Brown is showing how the Republican party have such negative views about Obama, and that they are always unhappy regardless of what healthcare plan is currently in force.
The context exemplified in this cartoon is irony. It’s ironic that the elephant would be protesting while sitting outside a jail cell. The elephant will always be unhappy, no matter what the current economic situation is.
Which side is supported by the framing of the cartoon?
This Democratic party is supported by the framing of this cartoon. Brown is portraying the Conservative party to be selfish and unknowledgeable about what the current economic situation is. Brown is clearly a Democrat. He doesn’t support the negative attitudes and constant complaining of the Republican party.
What evidence can you give that the cartoon supports one side or the other?
The cartoon supports the Democratic party, because of the bad depiction of the elephant.
What reality is constructed/framed by your issue?
The reality framed by the issue is that there is lots of complaining from each side of the parties. No matter what the political situation is, people seem to never be satisfied with it. Everyone has their own opinions and views. As Americans, we have the privilege of having our own ideas and we have the right to express them freely.
Analysis
We see in this cartoon that the writer feels like the Republican party complains a lot. We learn that every party has their differences and most people will never be satisfied with the healthcare program.
http://www.factcheck.org/2013/03/gop-budget-revives-obamacare-claims/ 
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