Analysis of Editorial Cartoons
...The public is seeing her for the first time as Monica Lewinsky, not as the White House wants to see her. Is she a stalker today? No. Is she a predator? No. I think they (the public) are seeing something they may not have expected(AJC).” Dressed in a black jacket and a single strand of pearls, she appeared confident and poised in her answers to questions about whether the president encouraged her to file a false statement in the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit. Lewinsky told House prosecutors in her videotaped deposition that she was to blame for the false affidavit denying her relationship with the president. “In one matter, she supported the president’s contention that he never told her to file a false affidavit in the Paula Jones case. Describing a middle-of-the-night telephone conversation with the president, Lewinsky said that she thought to herself that she would deny the relationship because she and Clinton had always planned to use ‘cover stories’ to conceal their affair(TNW).” Lewinsky continued to explain her feelings to House prosecutors, “From what I learned… through those cover stories… from what I learned in that conversation, I thought to myself I knew I would deny the relationship(TNW).” Never did she say that Clinton encouraged her, rather she came up with her decision on her own. This changed many of the views that the Senators had about the case. With the perjury charge looking shaky, senators looked beyond the impeachment trail to a censure resolution that could unify Republicans and Democrats. Senator Robert Benett, R-Utah, said it was still “very much in the air(AP).” Several senators said the article alleging grand jury perjury could fail to muster even a majority(AP). Many of the attitudes seem to be that the trial should be over. Senator Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said, “The trail has been over for several days, this is water torture (AJC).” The public has a very similar view. They feel that this trail has gone on long enough. Betty and Denis Killen, of Geyserville, CA, had there own opinion on the trial. Stating, “My husband and I feel that although President Clinton is guilty of lying about an extramarital affair, he should not have been impeached and the current ‘trial’ should not be occurring as his offenses do not rise to the ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ level. We should stay out of people’s sex lives.” Now the Senate must face two concerns. One of having to make the decision they feel is right, along with the pressure of the public. The public who put them in office and the same public who can take them out. Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum faces his next impeachment vote understanding his Senate seat is not safe(TN). The ramifications of the vote can extend far beyond the vote. A New York Times/CBS poll released suggests, “The Republican Party is bearing the brunt of the nation’s frustrations with the impeachment process. The 2000 election is 22 months away. But potential for a 1974- Watergate- like backlash seems possible(TN).” The people presented in the cartoon are Senators, and the door with an exit sign on it. Also shown is how the knob of the door came off and is giving the Senators difficulty in leaving. The caricature is used to show symbolic dimension, in that the Senators are leaving before the verdict is given, and they can’t escape what they started. Other symbolic meanings on the caricature are that things are falling apart for the Senators. The cartoon has no captions, unless you consider the two words that distinguish the senators for the door. The door gives meaning to a way to get away from the problem they are currently facing. The use of the exit sign was used to specify where the door was leading and used for redundancy to clarify what the senators planned on doing. The cartoonist relies on the emotions that the public is currently having about our government, the miss-belief that the government is always running away from national problems. He brings up the point that the public is not going to let them start something and not finish it. The public also feels the need for closure, and they are not willing to let this continue any longer. This is shown more clearly at a National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington where President Clinton urges peace in the Middle East. Tony Campolo, one of the three ...