One More Reason that Al Gore Shouldn't Have Won that Nobel Prize...

The former vice president's Nobel has inspired perhaps the next great wave of devolution in the world of op-ed cartoons, a genre that is already the aesthetic equivalent of zinjanthropous man.

Here's Investor's Business Daily's Michael Ramirez on the whole sordid affair:

Ramirez is, of course, a Pulitzer Prize winner. It seems that every editorial cartoonist is a Pulitzer Prize winner, doesn't it?

The one possible upside to the new "Alfred Nobel crying" motif (and I don't have the heart to see if Ramirez is simply ripping himself off from when Rigoberta Menchu or Jimmy Carter grabbed the brass ring)? It may finally put to rest the "Statue of Liberty crying" motif so relentlessly parodied in The Onion:

More Onion cartoons here.

Just about the Worst 9/11-inspired cartoon ever (non-Statue of Liberty category).

Thanks to reason's own Dave Weigel.

Comments

Jim Bob | October 15, 2007, 9:08am | #

I still like Jim Borgman's non-editorial cartooning work, although the editorial you linked is in fact pretty lame.

Fred | October 15, 2007, 9:14am | #

I do'nt think the'yre be any of the global warmings. The hole problem what we got is all a make believe plot by the liberals to keep bush from fihgting for our freedoms in iraq. Let the freedoms ring!

Jim Bob | October 15, 2007, 9:20am | #

So who are you trying to parody, Fred? You sure you didn't mean to post that over at LGF?

ed | October 15, 2007, 9:28am | #

Fred's post made me dizzy.

Bagger | October 15, 2007, 9:31am | #

JB, I believe that's one of the resident trolls here, Juanita. It's fine to throw her a bone every now and then, but please don't make it a habit of feeding her. Thanks.

Jim Bob | October 15, 2007, 9:35am | #

I was under the impression that Juanita was actually one of the regulars doing some quality parody-trolling.

P Brooks | October 15, 2007, 9:55am | #

Here's a corollary to the weeping A Nobel; consider what Henry Ford would say if he could see what the Ford Foundation has been doing with his loot.

shecky | October 15, 2007, 10:08am | #

Ugh... Ramirez is such a hack.

SPD | October 15, 2007, 10:24am | #

Parker and Stone's version features Nobel bleeding out of his ass. Outraged Swedes are already planning an ineffective boycott.

Tim | October 15, 2007, 11:00am | #

I've been trying figure out why Gore inspires such poor jokes. Ramirez is a hack anyway, but I'm still haunted by references to one of South Park's worst episodes. Manbearpig? Gimme a fucking break.

joe | October 15, 2007, 11:11am | #

With a name like "Investors Business Daily," one would never know it was a wingnut magazine.

Al Gore must be devastated to know that he's being mocked in the pages of IBD, just above an Iraq editorial by Victor David Hanson and this little gem:

Truth, Justice And The American Way and this little
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, October 12, 2007 4:20 PM PT

The Law: The Supreme Court hears a case that may determine whether the U.S. criminal justice system is subservient to an international court. As U.S. Border Patrol agents sit in prison, will a foreign-born rapist-murderer go free?

J sub D | October 15, 2007, 11:11am | #

I was under the impression that Juanita was actually one of the regulars doing some quality parody-trolling.

I'm not sure if she's a nut case, troll, or satirist. She's certainly not telling.

joe Translated | October 15, 2007, 11:34am | #

With a name like "Investors Business Daily," one would never know it was a wingnut magazine.

Cause we all know how EVIL teh Investors and Business are. Give me the Daily Worker
or the AFSCME Newsletter for sum Fair n Balanced News and Opinion.

Inquiring Minds | October 15, 2007, 11:39am | #

Why didn't Al get the Nobel Prize for inventing the Internet? After all, he took the initiative in creating the thing. They could have given him the Nobel Prize in Literature instead of that hack Doris Lessing. Without Al and Tipper we wouldn't have "Love Story".

R C Dean | October 15, 2007, 11:53am | #

In joe's mind, climate skeptic = wingnut. Just like war supporter = chickenhawk.

And he lectures us about how to conduct debate on public policy issues.

Read This Please | October 15, 2007, 12:42pm | #

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/10/13/an_inconvenient_peace_prize/

joe | October 15, 2007, 12:56pm | #

It's nice of you to translate into Dimwit.

In Dimwit, saying "Investors Business Daily" DOESN'T sound like a wingnut magazine means "Investors and Business are evil."

joe | October 15, 2007, 12:58pm | #

Oh, yeah, the Lomborg editorial where he lies about Gore and the IPCC.

I actually quoted that in an earlier thread.

joe | October 15, 2007, 1:01pm | #

"Today's Editorials" in IBD:

10/15/2007 Editorials
Sharia By The Inch
By INVESTOR' BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 10/12/2007 4:20 PM PT

When Amateurs Make Foreign Policy
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 10/12/2007 4:20 PM PT

Run, Al, Run!
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 10/12/2007 4:20 PM PT

South Wind Of War
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 10/12/2007 4:20 PM PT

Universal Care's Filthy Failure
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 10/12/2007 4:20 PM PT

Truth, Justice And The American Way
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 10/12/2007 4:20 PM PT

On The Left


Newer Reforms Prescribe Doses Of Competition
By DAVID S. BRODER
Posted 10/12/2007 4:30 PM PT

On The Right


Iraq Must Seize This Window Of Opportunity
By VICTOR DAVIS HANSON
Posted 10/12/2007 4:30 PM PT



I like David Broder being "On the Left," and Vicitor David Hanson being given space at all.

Obviously, a reliable bit of centrism that only the truly perverse would view as right-wing.

joe | October 15, 2007, 1:06pm | #

Oh, wait, I'm a liberal, so, obviously, there's nothing wingnutty about the IBD editorial page.

Because, as RC Dean will explain, that's totally how logic works.

SxCx | October 15, 2007, 1:32pm | #

The Onion parodies are wicked incisive, and remind me of another political cartoon send-up, this time on a TV show called "The Day Today" that ran in Britain in the early 90s.

There's some of it embedded in here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6jZFZNeOF0

Eric Atkinson | October 15, 2007, 1:33pm | #

joe...the more you say, well the lower your IQ must go.
Sell when you get to fifty.

Eric Atkinson | October 15, 2007, 1:40pm | #

And joe... you got a lot of nerve to say that Lomborg lied about Al Whore.
Al pays some guy $50,000 per year to call his dog because the dog know Al lies everytime his mouth is open.

john | October 15, 2007, 1:51pm | #

Why didn't Al get the Nobel Prize for inventing the Internet? After all, he took the initiative in creating the thing. They could have given him the Nobel Prize in Literature instead of that hack Doris Lessing. Without Al and Tipper we wouldn't have "Love Story".

The committee was probably playing Six Degrees of World Peace (like the Kevin Bacon game). They had already decided to make a political statement by giving Gore the Nobel Prize and needed a pretext. So they looked for the shortest link and wound up with Al Gore - Inconvenient Truth - climate change - climate refugees - scarce resources - conflict over resources.

Marcvs | October 15, 2007, 2:44pm | #

consider what Henry Ford would say if he could see what the Ford Foundation has been doing with his loot.

He'd probably just rant about how it was the Jews fault.

R C Dean | October 15, 2007, 3:19pm | #

So they looked for the shortest link and wound up with Al Gore - Inconvenient Truth - climate change - climate refugees - scarce resources - conflict over resources.

Too complicated. I think it was more like:

Al Gore --> advocate of state expansion --> darling of lefty elitists --> Nobel Prize.

Although step two may be optional.

prolefeed | October 15, 2007, 4:00pm | #

Too complicated. I think it was more like:

Al Gore --> advocate of state expansion --> darling of lefty elitists --> Nobel Prize.

Although step two may be optional redundant.

Fixed!

meerdahl | October 15, 2007, 4:15pm | #

I'm always happy for an American to win a Nobel prize, but it is unfortunate to see it devalued. Basically, Gore won it for reading a script in a popular documentary, and milked it politically for all it was worth. He did not do anything original, or put his life on the line, like others have (see "Aung San Suu Kyi"). He did not even modify his lifestyle, as he wants others to do.

He could have done so much more on the issue when he was vice-president (such as submitting the Kyoto Protocol for ratification, and pushing his party colleagues to support it), but then he would have paid a political price. Now that the other party is in power and takes a different view, global warming is a useful weapon.