Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year, 1995

Rating:
Summary: There was just so much to make fun of in the year 1994
Review: In 1994 the nation's editorial cartoonists had two prime targets for their efforts in the Clinton Health Care Reform Bill and the O.J. Simpson murder trial. There were lots of other choice topics as well, but those two are the dominant themes in the 1995 edition of "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year." Of course, with the Clinton Administration the Health Care plan on which First Lady Hillary Clinton took the point was just the cherry on top of the entire sundae of scandals, foibles and follies. Even when such things were becoming commonplace in presidential administrations, the Clinton circus seemed to be making an effort to set new standards.

When Clinton first went into office there was rather universal agreement that something needed to be done to reform the nation's Health Care system (it was a potent high school debate topic around that time). But while everyone agreed that something needed to be done the unanimity after the 245-page Clinton Health Care Plan was sent to Congress was against the proposal, which was opposed by the medical profession, the legal profession, drug companies, insurance companies, big business, small business, the businesses in between, and both house of Congress. So even while everybody wanted something done, they all wanted it to be something else other than the Clinton proposal, with the result that, of course, nothing was passed. Cartoonists declared a general plague upon all of their houses and castigated both sides with glee.

The Clinton Administration was also tormented by the 1994 Election with saw the Republicans gain control of both houses of Congress, putting Senator Bob Dole and Representative Newt Gingrich is positions of power, as well as an omnipresent wave of more personal scandals. Whitewater was on the front burner at this point, but there was also movement on the Paula Jones lawsuit that would end up with the Clinton impeachment trial. You can also toss into the mix attacks on the Clinton Administration's dealings in Foreign Affairs (e.g., the invasion of Haiti) in general and the Middle East in particular, as well as on the traditional issues of Crime, the Economy, Education, and Immigration.

Former President Jimmy Carter was back in the news and the editorial cartoons because of the help he provided the Administration in both the dispute between the two Koreas and Haiti. Meanwhile, in England, Prince Charles was in the public doghouse for admitting to an affair while married to the world's most beloved woman. For lesser controversies we had the uproar over the advertising symbol of Joe Camel, the opinions of Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, and the threat of a strike by Major League baseball players. For the bizarre there was the marriage of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley along with Tonya Harding ice skating at the Olympics, the case of Lorenna Bobbitt, and scalding hot coffee at McDonalds. Then there was the Simpson trail, which would not even start until January of 1995 but already had cartoonists poised with their pens.

There was some good news in 1994 as you will finally recall when you flip through these pages for your walk down memory lane. We remembered the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy and apartheid finally ended in South Africa. Then again, now that I think about it, those good things represent another time and another place. No wonder these editorial cartoons make us laugh so much; the only real alternative was to cry our eyes out over the sorry state of affairs.

Rating:
Summary: There was just so much to make fun of in the year 1994
Review: In 1994 the nation's editorial cartoonists had two prime targets for their efforts in the Clinton Health Care Reform Bill and the O.J. Simpson murder trial. There were lots of other choice topics as well, but those two are the dominant themes in the 1995 edition of "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year." Of course, with the Clinton Administration the Health Care plan on which First Lady Hillary Clinton took the point was just the cherry on top of the entire sundae of scandals, foibles and follies. Even when such things were becoming commonplace in presidential administrations, the Clinton circus seemed to be making an effort to set new standards.

When Clinton first went into office there was rather universal agreement that something needed to be done to reform the nation's Health Care system (it was a potent high school debate topic around that time). But while everyone agreed that something needed to be done the unanimity after the 245-page Clinton Health Care Plan was sent to Congress was against the proposal, which was opposed by the medical profession, the legal profession, drug companies, insurance companies, big business, small business, the businesses in between, and both house of Congress. So even while everybody wanted something done, they all wanted it to be something else other than the Clinton proposal, with the result that, of course, nothing was passed. Cartoonists declared a general plague upon all of their houses and castigated both sides with glee.

The Clinton Administration was also tormented by the 1994 Election with saw the Republicans gain control of both houses of Congress, putting Senator Bob Dole and Representative Newt Gingrich is positions of power, as well as an omnipresent wave of more personal scandals. Whitewater was on the front burner at this point, but there was also movement on the Paula Jones lawsuit that would end up with the Clinton impeachment trial. You can also toss into the mix attacks on the Clinton Administration's dealings in Foreign Affairs (e.g., the invasion of Haiti) in general and the Middle East in particular, as well as on the traditional issues of Crime, the Economy, Education, and Immigration.

Former President Jimmy Carter was back in the news and the editorial cartoons because of the help he provided the Administration in both the dispute between the two Koreas and Haiti. Meanwhile, in England, Prince Charles was in the public doghouse for admitting to an affair while married to the world's most beloved woman. For lesser controversies we had the uproar over the advertising symbol of Joe Camel, the opinions of Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, and the threat of a strike by Major League baseball players. For the bizarre there was the marriage of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley along with Tonya Harding ice skating at the Olympics, the case of Lorenna Bobbitt, and scalding hot coffee at McDonalds. Then there was the Simpson trail, which would not even start until January of 1995 but already had cartoonists poised with their pens.

There was some good news in 1994 as you will finally recall when you flip through these pages for your walk down memory lane. We remembered the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy and apartheid finally ended in South Africa. Then again, now that I think about it, those good things represent another time and another place. No wonder these editorial cartoons make us laugh so much; the only real alternative was to cry our eyes out over the sorry state of affairs.