Life, 1928-08-30 · page 9 of 36
Life — August 30, 1928 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes a political campaign where three candidates compete for votes by making increasingly absurd promises. The first candidate promises a "bunkless campaign" (no lies). The second pledges to "kiss all babies for public relations"—mocking standard political theater. The third performs an acrobatic stunt, literally tumbling over a mother holding her baby, to demonstrate he's the most honest and appealing candidate. The satire targets political campaigning's inherent absurdity: candidates making exaggerated, performative gestures to win votes while claiming authenticity. The escalating ridiculousness—culminating in physical comedy—suggests that all campaign promises are equally hollow theater, regardless of sincerity claims. The electorate rewards the most entertaining performer, not the most truthful candidate.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
wR *: SFREIR RE at : srEI a- orsS Fr ay a a Bos EsSF iss a 8 FRRRPESHERE Years “Oh, I love this. I feel just like a little sea nymph.” sxandalized by George White and petrified by the Shuberts and was born right here down by de winegar woiks. Some of those movie guys can thank their lucky stars. I meant to tell you that Rheba Craw- ford, the former Salvation Army gal who was so popular around here until she quit it to wed a war vet, is back on the plat- form again. She is in Frisco and is a pro- fessional evangelist, with a manager, press agent and everything. After working so long and so well to make Broadway get religion, she herself has got Broadway. Eugene O'Neill has been rapping a cer- tain dramatic critic again. “He is so con- ceited,” growled O'Neill, “he thinks the Book of Genesis is his biography!” Let us O'Neill and pray. Walter Winchell. She Hoped It Wasn’t True “My dear, did you hear that wild story about Grace? Gosh, I hope it isn’t true!” “No, my dear—I haven't heard a thing. What story?” “Well, I don’t believe a word of it, personally, but everybody's talking about the simply awful way she carried on when she was visiting at Southampton. Gosh, my dear, I've just been hoping it wasn’t true because I adore her and it doesn’t sound a bit like her, do you know what I mean?” “Well, I hadn't heard a thing about it, my dear, only I’m not terribly surprised because I think she is kind of inclined to be indiscreet sometimes.” “T know, my dear, but I’ve just been ping it wasn’t true about the terrible way they say she behaved at Southamp- ton.” “Well, nobody adores her more than I LIFE do, my dear, and I always stick up for her but if she will do wild things you've got to ope people to talk.” “ T know, my dear, but she’s so sweet, really. I mean I don't think she really means to do anything out of the way, do you?” “OF course not. She's the last person in the world who would, but she just doesn’t think about the consequences and of course people who don’t really know her misinterpret her motives or some- thing and she gets the credit for being awfully wild.” “I s'pose that’s it, isn’t it, my dear? But, gosh, I simply hate to think of her doing anything so simply awful as what they say she did at Southampton, my dear, because I mean it’s simply terrible if she really did what they say she did, which is why I've been hoping it wasn’t true because I mean it just makes me sick to think of her doing anything so frightful, do you know what I mean?” “T certainly do, my dear—and by the way, what was it they say she did at Southampton?” Lloyd Mayer. Only I Do I alone think these thoughts? Ah, no! Socrates and Con Fu Tzu, they, too, were wise men. Socrates, and Con Fu Tzu, and I together— how we could knock the world cockeyed! But (ah me!) Socrates is dead, and so is Con Fu Tzu... Only I am left C. Lee Quong. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Juvce: Is there anything you would like to say before the Court passes sen- tence? Prospective Convict: I think it is only fitting that I should say at this time that if it were not for Your Honor and the ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the articles I intend to write for the American Mercury would be impossible. Bunkless—Plus! Tue ture candidates had vowed they would conduct a bunkless campaign. “T will have no boloney pictures,” said one, when the photographers wished to snap him in the act of laying a brick. Many voters exclaimed, “This is a bunkless man. We will vote for him.” al Deon r Be 53 Coins a PY @) De, 4 Oi NIOIOIEN AAS ek Ma Sir =} Then the second candidate balked when a mother held up her baby for him to kiss. “I will kiss no babies for publica- tion,” he announced. Many voters cried, “This man is honest and sincere. We will vote for him.” But the third candidate performed an act so honest, so forthright, so fearless, and so appealing to all normal men that the like of it had never been seen. He laid a on a mother who held up her baby for him to kiss. The entire electorate turned to him for the greatest landslide in history. Elmer C. Adams. comicbooks.com