Pub napkins to Pulitzers: Cartoonist Michael Ramirez speaks on his process

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Pub napkins to Pulitzers: Cartoonist Michael Ramirez speaks on his process

cartoonIn reference to political cartoonist Michael Ramirez’s book, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Obamacare,” conservative author Ann Coulter said, “Michael Ramirez is the greatest cartoonist in world history.” His political cartoons have made him a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, in 1994 and 2008. His work has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, The New York Post, Time Magazine, National Review, and U.S. News & World Report. He is the former editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times and former senior editor and editorial cartoonist for Investor’s Business Daily. Ramirez will speak Thursday at 8 p.m. in Lane 125.

How did you get into political cartooning?

My high school was a closed campus. There were only two ways you could get off campus during the day. The first one was an office pass. The other way was with a press pass issued by the student editor of the school newspaper, so I got involved with the paper. It was an excuse to go down to the coast, write stories at the beach, and ride the waves when they were four feet high. I never set out to be a political cartoonist. All my brothers and sisters are doctors, and I’m the black sheep of the family. I actually wanted to be a cardiovascular surgeon. Some people asked me the other day if I have ever received death threats because of my cartoons. And I have, but the first one I ever got was when I graduated from college, and I told my parents I was going to take a year off from medical school to pursue political cartooning. They threatened to kill me.

What is your process for sketching out a cartoon?

The biggest part of my job, like any editorialist, is to absorb as much information as possible. I do a lot of research and reading on current events, so when I get an idea, I usually start on a bar napkin. So I sketch them out on these little bar napkins, and the ones that seem to have great potential, I’ll take those, narrow them down to four or five, and sketch them out on copy paper. I have a group of guys, I pass the ideas around to see what they think. I ask them to pick out their favorites, and when they’re done, I just ignore them and pick out my favorites. What I sketch out on the cocktail napkin is almost exactly what will go on the page. I see these images in my mind’s eye, and basically it goes right from my head to the paper.

Do you see a lot of similarities between journalism and editorial cartooning?

Like any type of journalism, I think the most important part of editorial cartooning is having a substantive message you’re trying to translate. I really view it as a journalistic endeavor. The main difference is that you have to do it in one concise window as opposed to a whole column. You want the point to be immediate, memorable. Ironically enough, I don’t like to draw that much. But, people have a short attention span, and the visual medium is something that the audience has always been drawn to, no pun intended. Cartoons are something that people will pay attention to.

What is one of the major issues with political cartoons today?

Political cartooning is an art of criticism. And I think we’re losing some of that. It seems like there are more guys who want to be funny and entertaining than being substantive and poignant. Political cartoons are rooted in journalism, and they need to be substantive. You try to find iconic images and things that people are familiar with because you’re trying to draw them into the process. One thing you want to do with political cartoons is that you want to be the catalyst for thought. A major problem with the democratic republic is that you rely on people to be informed, and I’m not so sure that America is as informed as it ought to be. Just look at our presidential candidates. Out of 320 million people is this really the best we could do?

How has the Obama presidency affected your cartoons and editorials?

It’s made life pretty easy. These days I think of myself as more of a glorified stenographer than a political cartoonist. You always want what’s best for the country, and this administration has not been that. The comics in my book are a critique of the Obama administration and the failure of these progressive policies. You could just as easily call this book a visual indictment of the Obama Administration or an illustrated guide to impeachment.

Do you see a Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton presidency bringing the same result?

Either one of them will be writing my material for me. The choices in this election are very difficult. It comes down to what Donald Trump you believe in, the one of the progressive past or the one he is trying to sell today. Obviously, Hillary Clinton is a horrible choice for president, with numerous failed foreign policy measures behind her.