John Auchter
Contributor, Auchter's ArtJohn has created Michigan-based editorial cartoons for the Grand Rapids Business Journal, the Grand Rapids Press, and MLive Newspapers. His cartoons are currently featured at MichiganPublic.org and are syndicated to newspapers through the Michigan Press Association. John is an active member of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) and is the current Vice President. You can view an archive of his editorial work and other cartoons at Auchtoon.com.
-
I am particularly proud of the simple, clear message behind this week's cartoon: If you're implementing policies that consistently tank the market, then maybe don't implement those policies. No need to overthink it. -
The behavior of our elected representatives is often more uncomfortably reflective of our own behavior than we would necessarily like it to be. -
Is it not clear at this point that the fate of our economic system should not be subject to the whims of a single person? This has been like watching great-grandpa, who never drove a car, trying to parallel park a Winnebego on a city street. Yeah, he's got the biggest vehicle and may eventually get it into a space. But there is gonna be so much damage. And so many enemies. -
A common criticism for an editorial cartoon: "It's not funny." The common response from an editorial cartoonist: "You're right." That's because the main goal of an editorial or political cartoon (a good one anyway) should be to stir a thought or even start a conversation. Humor can help, but it isn't necessary. -
Abraham Lincoln famously described our particular form of government as "of the people, by the people, for the people." So it seems to me that if we slash and cut and terminate all of the "people" parts, there will be no constitutional republic left. And a real danger of it perishing from the earth. -
I think there is a deeper issue, and it disturbs me more that the capricious behavior of Secretary Linda McMahon and the Trump Administration actively dismantling the department: They seem to care more about their ideological victories than they do about the actual students. Much more. If, in fact, they are thinking about students at all. -
The situation with the Line 5 oil pipeline that runs through Michigan isn't the most topical issue I could have picked this week. It's more of an ongoing issue that (I hope) most Michiganders are familiar with. The point I'm attempting to make, however, is extremely topical. And that topic is: propaganda works. -
-
Even as an embittered political cartoonist, I can still find a place in my brain that believes in bipartisanship — at least the concept of it. Will it be successful? I think the question comes down to this: Can Whitmer maintain principles and standards while seeking common ground, or will she crater at key moments and become the next Susan Collins? -
The current slashing of federal agencies and programs by Elon Musk and his DOGE gang may have started out as cutting fat but instantly crossed over into the ideological. Under the dubious guise of fighting corruption and rooting out fraud, it's become less about improving efficiencies and more about burning down the Reichstag.
