Bachmann Betrays Palin?

Bachmann-Palin Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann officially entered the GOP presidential field this week. Yet does this represent a LeBron-style betrayal of her mentor Sarah Palin, who also may harbor presidential ambitions? Read more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

The Ballad of Sarah and Che

Palin motorcycle toon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Sarah Palin kicked off this week with a visit to a motorcycle rally in DC. Does this make her the political heir to Motorcycle Diarist Ernesto "Che" Guevara? Read more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Palin Meets The Buddha

Palin-Buddha Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

One has earned fame as the leader of a world religious movement ... the other has earned infamy as a voice of the Tea Party Movement. Siddhartha and Sarah cross paths during the latter's trip to India in the latest edition of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Some Jasmine in Your Teacup

Palin Tunisia Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

There have been several instances of grass-roots tensions lately. One, of course, is the Jasmine Revolution that ousted Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali earlier this month. Another is Sarah Palin's slam of President Obama's State of the Union address this week. Satan sees some similarities in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Obama, Palin, Brown Ring In 2011

New Year 2011, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Satan and Frank Faust party with President Obama, Scott Brown and Sarah Palin in a New Year's Eve edition of "The Devil Made Me Blog It!"

Happy New Year, everyone!

Can Aung San Suu Kyi Succeed? You Betcha!

Palin-Aung San Suu Kyi Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

The government of Myanmar has released Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and all signs are that she will retake the helm of the Burmese democracy movement. Yet could she work more effectively behind the scenes? Sarah Palin, who knows a thing or two about grass-roots movements, puts on her American tourist attire to chat up Suu Kyi in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Palin's Unbearable Reviewers

Palin TV Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Sometimes a cartoon just draws itself -- as was the case with this one, a reaction to the New Yorker review of Sarah Palin's upcoming reality TV show, in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Harvest Moon, GOP Star

Moon Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Maybe you had a chance to see the beautiful harvest moon in the evening sky this week. Satan and Sarah Palin talk a little astronomy -- and a little political science -- under the moonlight in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Will Palin Mess With Medical Malpractice?

Palin Malpractice Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

This fall, one of Republicans' top priorities will be to deep-six Obamacare ... and one way to do it might be to point out that the Dems weren't willing to compromise with them on medical malpractice reform. Join beach bums Satan and Sarah Palin for a day of scheming and sunshine in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It!"

Clinton, Palin: The Members of the Wedding

Clinton-Palin Wedding Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Two of our most prominent politicians, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will be real-life “Members of the Wedding.” (Apologies to Carson McCullers.) Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, will marry longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky in Rhinebeck, N.Y., Saturday … while Palin’s daughter, Bristol, has announced her engagement to on-again, off-again boyfriend Levi Johnston. Yet do Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have more on their agenda than upcoming nuptials? Read more in the latest episode of “The Devil Made Me Blog It” … and congratulations to the happy couples!

Palin Gets Cheers, Jeers in Boston

Palin in Boston, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

(sung to the tune of a Beantown anthem)

Palin made her way to Boston Wednesday and gave it everything she got;
Like the tea she brewed, her speech and the mood sure were piping-hot;
It made some folks want to get away...
But Palin just had to go
Where everybody knows her name...
Though they're not all glad she came...
The city of ducks and Scott Brown's truck will never be the same,
Not since Palin showed up and proved she's got game!

Sarah Palin, Queen Esther & Strong Women

Palin Purim Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

During her political career, Sarah Palin has considered the role of women in the public sphere, saying of current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Compared to the guys she squared off against, a lot of her supporters think she proved what Margaret Thatcher proclaimed: 'If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.'

Perhaps Palin should also look beyond 20th and 21st-century leaders like Thatcher and Clinton for proof of this statement -- and consider, say, the story of Queen Esther, heroine of the Jewish holiday Purim, which I celebrated this past Saturday. Read more in this week's cartoon.

Will Palin Visit Winter Olympics?

Palin Olympics Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing ... and a crass airplane passenger has already taken a swing at former (and future?) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on the flight from there. Yet Satan thinks another possible GOP challenger, Sarah Palin, might have better luck if she follows up her stop at the Daytona 500 with a visit to Vancouver. Read more in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Sarah Palin and Chanukah

Palin Chanukah Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

We've already heard one Republican's take on Chanukah -- Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. What words of wisdom might Sarah Palin have to offer? Find out in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!

Sarah Palin: Hotspur of the Moment

Discussing her autobiography "Going Rogue" with Oprah Winfrey on Monday, Sarah Palin came off as someone who fell prey to her emotions. The closest parallel was of another "Hotspur," from a play over 400 years old -- Harry Percy, anti-hero of the Shakespearean drama "1 Henry IV."
Both Palin and Percy suffer because of their emotions. On "Oprah," the former Republican vice-presidential candidate addressed her biggest failure during the 2008 campaign: The disastrous interview with Katie Couric. Palin provided some context: She was soaring in confidence following popular acclaim, which made Couric's questions -- such as what newspapers she read -- seem like an affront. Yet in blaming Couric for the candidate's poor performance, Palin came off as tempestuous as Shakespeare's Hotspur when he told King Henry IV that he did not give His Highness his prisoners of war because ... a royal official offended him.

I then, all smarting with my wounds being cold -- To be so pestered with a popinjay! -- Out of my grief and my impatience/Answered neglectingly, I know not what...

Hotheadedness is a bad quality in a leader. It dooms Hotspur's rebellion; he alienates allies and fights a fatal battle with the King. And while Palin's publicity is rising with her "Oprah" appearance and book tour, her tempestuousness may quash any hopes she might have for national political success. A nation embroiled in two wars and an economic crisis cannot have a commander-in-chief who governs by snap decisions.
Palin should use last fall's defeat as a chance to reflect. Her running mate, Sen. John McCain, apparently learned from his primary loss to George W. Bush in 2000, and used this knowledge to win the presidential nomination last year. If she wants to emulate McCain's success, Palin should start thinking about a more levelheaded approach.
So let's hope Palin has fun on her book tour ... and that when it's all over, she takes a good look at her shameless eggers-on like Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck and thinks to herself a modern-day version of what the true hero of "1 Henry IV," Prince Hal, speaks in a soliloquy:

I know you all, and will a while uphold/The unyoked humour of your idleness. Yet herein will I imitate the sun,/Who doth permit the base contagious clouds/To smother up his beauty from the world, That when he please again to be himself, Being wanted he may be more wondered at...

Sarah Palin Comic Book Party!

Come one, come all to the release party for my new comic book, “The Devil and Sarah Palin.” It's at Hub Comics at 19 Bow Street in Union Square, Somerville, on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 4-6 p.m. – two days before Palin's autobiography hits the shelves!

There will be refreshments at Sunday's party, which has already drawn advance notice from the Weekly Dig!

Did Palin strike a Faustian bargain when she accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination last year? “The Devil and Sarah Palin” chronicles Palin's political career. Along the way, she receives advice from a political consultant more devious than Karl Rove … namely the Devil himself!

“The Devil and Sarah Palin” was a smash hit at the Boston Comic Con last month, selling out on the first day of the two-day event. Fans were still asking about it on the second day.

McCain and Frankenstein Republicans

Halloween may be over, but one of its enduring legends – the tale of Frankenstein – is still with us for the 2009 election season.
Last year, Sen. John McCain played the role of Dr. Frankenstein when he ran for president. He entered the election as a maverick, famous for defying George W. Bush in 2000 and for embracing compromise with the “Gang of 14” in 2005. But like Dr. Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's story, McCain tried an audacious experiment. He attempted to create new life in a party that found RINOs like himself unappealing by choosing hard-core Republican Sarah Palin as his running mate.

McCain apparently forgot that the Frankenstein monster ends up turning against his hapless creator. Palin aptly titled her upcoming autobiography “Going Rogue,” for she drew criticism for not staying in lockstep with McCain during the campaign. And while the McCain-Palin ticket lost the election, the right-wing specter McCain created is more powerful than ever.

Consider what happened, appropriately enough, on Halloween. New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, the choice of her state party establishment to run for Congress, pulled out of the race. Conservative critics charged that the pro-abortion Scozzafava was not right-wing enough. Their support of an alternative candidate, Doug Hoffman of the Conservative Party, prompted Scozzafava's withdrawal.

Scozzafava is the latest sign of the power of the Frankenstein Republicans against their establishment creators. One of McCain's fellow RINOs, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, defected to the Democrats earlier this year after facing stiff intra-party opposition from right-wing candidate Pat Toomey.

We shall see whether the Republican establishment can control its creations better than Dr. Frankenstein ever could.

New book, Boston Comic Con and NPR appearance!

"The Devil and Sarah Palin" excerpt, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Busy couple of days, faithful readers. I've got a new book out, "The Devil and Sarah Palin," an illustrated look at the political career thus far of the 2008 GOP vice-presidential nominee. It contains selections from my "Devil Made Me Blog It" strips plus previously unpublished material, chronicling Palin's path from John McCain's running mate to her resignation as governor of Alaska to her "Going Rogue" on death panels.
"The Devil and Sarah Palin" is on sale at three locations in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts:

• -Hub Comics in Union Square, Somerville;
• -The Million Year Picnic in Harvard Square, Cambridge;
• -New England Comics, Harvard Square, Cambridge.

I'll also be selling copies at the Boston Comic Con in the Back Bay this weekend.
And yes, that was me you heard talking about Boston's influences on budding writers on the NPR program "Radio Boston" today!

Palin's Next Stop: Harvard Square?

Palin Hong Kong Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Sarah Palin impressed an audience of investors with her speech in Hong Kong last month. Now Mephistopheles suggests Palin take her oratorical gifts to the Hong Kong Restaurant in Harvard Square, in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It"!
Merci to my muse on this one...

Satan to Sarah Palin: Bring Back the Bull Moose!

Bull Moose Cartoon, originally uploaded by rbtenorio.

Sarah Palin has left the governorship of Alaska. So what's the next step? Leave the Republican Party, of course! And bring back a third party associated with another famed conservative, ex-President Theodore Roosevelt.
That, in a nutshell, is Satan's advice to Palin in the latest episode of "The Devil Made Me Blog It."