Earlier this week, I had the idea for this cartoon percolating in my head. I felt the "history lesson" would fit well with the No Kings events this weekend. And then Politico broke the story of the Young Republicans leaders and their hateful, disgusting "I love Hitler" private messaging, with Vice President JD Vance subsequently coming to their defense. So now it's so topical I kind of want to throw up.
If you are not already familiar with Father Charles Coughlin, you can check out the Wikipedia article. But in short:
"Dubbed 'The Radio Priest ' and considered a leading demagogue, he was one of the first political leaders to use radio to reach a mass audience. During the 1930s, when the U.S. population was about 120 million, an estimated 30 million listeners tuned in to his weekly broadcasts."
Coughlin was sort of the populist podcaster of his day. I learned about him from Mr. Winchester in my American History class junior year at Flint Powers High School. What's more, I remember the actual takeaway from the lesson: We Americans had our own demagogues, authoritarians, and fascists in the 1930s. But we ultimately had the good sense not to put them in charge of things.
Today, I'm afraid and ashamed to say we've lost that good sense.
Editor's note: John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Public, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
