Book review: Everyone Has a Right to My Opinion

posted at 12:00 pm on October 7, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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One of the greatest talents in editorial cartooning has a new collection out, and it’s a winner.  Michael Ramirez has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his talented take on issues and events, one with the Los Angeles Times and most recently with Investors Business Daily.  His new book, Everyone Has the Right to My Opinion, covers the entire breadth of Ramirez’ career, and it gives a fascinating look at political history.

Many editorial cartoonists eschew art for commentary, creating simplistic images that neither compel nor impress.  Ramirez puts tremendous effort into his detailed cartoons.  After the first read, I went back a second time to linger over the imagery and catch all of the nuance and meaning in the entire image.  In the foreword, Bill Bennett singles out the comparison between Winston Churchill and Harry Reid in one particular cartoon, where Ramirez has reproduced one of Churchill’s famous photographs in great detail — and using that as subtext for his comparison to Reid’s knee-jerk surrender.

In this cartoon, Ramirez pokes fun at the Captain Louis Renault-like realization by Democrats in the primaries that Bill Clinton fights dirty:

And another look at the courage and tenacity of Harry Reid, where Ramirez’ detailed artwork comes back into play as a contrast to Reid’s buffonery:

This cartoon also shows the use of detail in underscoring the message, this time to highlight the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the financial collapse (from last week, and not in the book):

This book is an absolute must-buy for anyone at all interested in poitical commentary.

Michael Ramirez will be my first guest on The Ed Morrissey Show today at 3 pm ET. Don’t miss this interview!

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