Freelance political cartoonist John Auchter's art and commentary speaks to the issues impacting Michigan thoughtfully and creatively. Here are some of his most popular works from 2023.
Auchter's Art: A harmful theory
"You'd think we'd know enough from history that there's nothing good down the hyper-nativist path. And yet, rallying to the nativist calls is often seen as the most patriotic thing we can do. For a country of immigrants, we sure have a particular disdain for immigrants."
Auchter's Art: Be careful what you wish for
"Well, I suppose that when you elect a Trump protégé to lead your state party, you shouldn't be surprised by the results. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it."
Auchter's Art: Don't overthink it
"We go down rabbit holes trying to align politics, anticipate outcomes, strategize on issues. We are usually better off just keeping it simple. So putting myself in a union worker's shoes, I think I'd go for a presidential candidate who didn't have a well-documented history of stiffing workers (and customers and creditors and...)."
Auchter's Art: The electric vehicle roundabout
"The connection I found is the irony of those who tend to oppose EVs are also those who are seemingly most alarmed by increased immigration — when embracing the former may be a plausible way to mitigate the latter."
Auchter's Art: The Ohio connection
"Somewhere between describing Donald Trump as "America's Hitler" and "cultural heroin" in his first presidential campaign and accepting (after rabidly seeking) the offer to be his running mate in the current campaign, J.D. Vance had a transformation. I've seen it described as a "Road to Damascus" moment for him."
"No, I don't really know how I came around to the Star Wars theme. And to readers who are Star Wars fans, yes, I realize that Trump is really more of a Jabba the Hut character, but I couldn't make that work."
Auchter's Art: We need a resolution
"So are there some legitimate concerns in Michigan about what Democrats have or have not done? Certainly. Am I going to line up next to guys who insist on doubling-down on their stupid, dangerous ... stuff? No way."
Auchter's Art: Stand for something
"It's easy to point to what you're against — it takes effort to thoughtfully consider and then articulate what you're for. That's what worked for Reagan. That's what worked for Obama. We'll see if Michigan Democrats figure it out."
