I'm sometimes asked what my motivations are for drawing editorial cartoons. Am I trying to convince readers to agree with my point of view? Evangelize? Score points? And the answer is, no ... mostly.
I mean, there is always a small slice of ego that longs to be validated, right? The idea that people read my cartoons and say, "You know, before seeing this I held the exact opposite view, but now that my eyes have been opened by this man's scathingly brilliant observations, I have come to complete agreement! Also, my sides have split with laughter."
No, in reality it is something much less ambitious. More often than not, I'm simply expressing a thought and hoping to spark further thought. No winning or losing an argument. No promoting a particular ideology. And certainly no converting.
I'm sharing this with you this particular week because I really don't have anything to add to the cartoon itself. I'm incredulous that anybody would think that an additional audit of the 2020 election here in Michigan would be a good idea (especially by a private firm). And I'm equally incredulous that anybody would think that a 9/11-style commission on the events of January 6 would be a bad idea. I hope that makes you think about that, too.
John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
