Life — August 2, 1928 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Satire Analysis: Will Rogers' "This Campaign is Getting Hot" This 1928 Life magazine page satirizes the presidential campaign through Will Rogers' commentary. The article attacks anti-Prohibition Republicans planning to eliminate party planks on temperance while secretly supporting alcohol—particularly targeting wealthy interests ("wine for the rich, beer for the poor"). Rogers mocks the hypocrisy of candidates who publicly deny the Prohibition issue while privately accommodating both prohibitionists and drinkers. References to "Hoover or Smith" suggest this covers the 1928 election between Herbert Hoover and Alfred E. Smith, with Smith being the wet candidate opposing Prohibition. The cartoon below illustrates a farmer being pitched conflicting campaign promises—the satire being that politicians offer empty rhetoric while ignoring genuine farmer relief concerns. Rogers promises to challenge candidates openly on their actual positions.