Life, 1920-10-28 · page 17 of 46
Life — October 28, 1920 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes a politician's hollow campaign promises. "Senator Sounder" claims he won't govern alone but will seek advice from fellow senators—then reveals his strategy is to defer to senators who are demonstrably incompetent or mediocre. The joke: he'll consult Senator Doolittle on taxation (who has "never been found guilty of uttering an original thought"), Senator Plipp on Mexican policy (who knows nothing about the subject), and Senator Bowker on foreign policy (whose sole qualification is mindlessly repeating patriotic clichés 6,972 times yearly). This ridicules politicians who hide behind appeals to "the wisdom of the Senate" while actually surrounding themselves with yes-men and nonentities. The satire suggests that deferring to such advisors guarantees nothing will change—exactly what Sounder promises: a "remarkable administration" of notable mediocrity masquerading as collaborative governance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE. Senator Sounder Outlines His Plan If elected, T do not propose to be a one-man gov- ernment. On the contrary, I shall seek the counsel and advice of those champions of our constitutional rights, the members of the Senate (who are of my — e rs of taxation, I shall defer to the opin- nator Doolittle, who in his eighteen years in the Senate has never been found guilty of utter- n original thought party). Questions of Mexican policy, T shall submit to Senator Plipp, who, knowing nothing whatever about be guided by the views of that brilliant thinker, the subject (or, indeed, about any), is admirably a ‘itt, who for twelve years has Stood, a qualified to cons an unprejudiced mind, bulwark, in the path of all progressive legislation. In matters relating to our internal affairs, I shall Ney T shall determine our foreign policies only after T shall thus sceure the aid and advice of men who consulting Senator Bowker. perhaps the ablest of , s declared that they are the wisest them all. In one speech alone he was able to use and ablest minds in the coun Truly, it will be a the phrases, “ Stars and Stripes” and “one hundred remarkable administration ! per cent. Americanism,” 6,972 times. and his record for the year goes over the million mark. comicbooks.com