Barack Obama

"We are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea- the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. That's why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here...The future is ours to win. But to get there, we cannot stand still."
-President Barack Obama

In a speech given in May of 2011, President Obama stated that improving the country's immigration system would end "a massive underground economy that exploits a cheap source of labor while depressing wages for everybody else."  According to an article from the Council on Foreign Affairs, the president has almost doubled the number of border patrol agents. Under his administration, 400,000 annual deportations have been made, making illegal aliens who who are a danger to national security the top priority.  But it looks as if Obama aren't strictly pro-deportation.  Obama is attempting to pass The DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which would create a path of citizenship for any young person here illegally; when this act stalled in congress, Obama issued an executive order deferring the deportation of young undocumented workers.  This act has been criticized because of Obama's use of his presidential power by acting outside Congress.  The following cartoons address this issue of Obama's use of the executive privilege and other issues.





Team Member Name: Stefani Lewis
Publication: Tribune Media Services
Date: 2012
Cartoonist: Dana Summers (U.S.)
Title of the cartoon: N/A
Cartoon #: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
It depicts President Obama, labeled King Obama in a royal crown and robe over a podium reading a document called "immigration policy." It shows "King" Obama's hand behind him putting a mouth over a man in a suit with a badge labeled "congress', who is unable to speak.

Tone of the cartoon:
1) Positive framing of undocumented immigrants
2) Negative framing of immigration policies
What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?
The reality depicted in this cartoon shows the struggle between President Obama and Congress to reach terms of agreement for the immigration reform. This cartoon takes an angle portraying Obama as unwilling to listen to Congress and simply moves forward with his own idea of immigration reform.  It essentially portrays Obama as "high and mighty".

  http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/f0c7a9a3-1cc0-47f1-be0b-babe0dad26c2.html

Team Member Name: Seth Merrill
Publication: The Arizona Star
Date: September 6th, 2012
Cartoonist: David Fitzsimmons (U.S.)
Title of the cartoon: Gracias Arizona
Cartoon #: 118258
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context? Obama is shown arm in arm with a burly Latino man who has a tattoo of the American flag on his arm and "Latino Vote" on his shirt.  Barack Obama is seen giving a thumbs up to several key players in the issue over immigration in Arizona, including Governor Jan Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  The group representing Arizona is shown with a lasso and picket signs containing ungrammatically correct, racially insensitive slurs, including the blatant misspelling of the word Mexican as "Mezkin".


Tone of the cartoon:
1) Positive framing of undocumented immigrant
2) Negative framing of immigration policies
What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?  
This cartoons shows that Arizona's supposed patriotism in attempting to get rid of undocumented workers has only vilified a Latino population and draws them to Obama.  Obama is framed as being smugly grateful for Arizona's actions to anger Latinos, because it makes his legislation on their behalf seem that much more sympathetic.  The cartoon depicts the big proponents as illiterate and racist, and perhaps even less patriotic and American than the Latino man who has the American flag on his arm.



http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/a6f99981-5498-45ad-880d-0f879e96110f.html

Team Member Name: Seth Merrill
Publication: The Columbus Dispatch      
Date: June 27th, 2012
Cartoonist: Nate Beeler (U.S.)
Title of the cartoon: Arizona and Obama
Cartoon #: 114181
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?

This cartoon shows the Supreme Court judge telling the Arizona officer that it is the federal government's responsibility to handle immigration policies. In the next slide, it shows President Obama burning a paper reading "deportation rules" while Obama says "or not" to the federal governments power. This is referring to the Supreme Court overruling the Arizona immigration laws, when Obama issued an executive order of amnesty, deferring deportment for many undocumented workers.
Tone of the cartoon:
1) Positive framing of undocumented immigrant
2) positive or negative framing of immigration policies
What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?

The Supreme Court is framed as being overstepped by Obama, while the Supreme Court believes it has the federal responsibility to handle immigration and it's policies. Arizona depicted by a police officer, framing them an unforgiving anti-immigration chomping at the bit to get "illegal immigrants" out of their state.

 
http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/665012de-fe7e-45b0-a897-4d150f7d8bde.html

Team Member Name: Seth Merrill
Publication: The Columbus Dispatch
Date: June 19th, 2012
Cartoonist: Nate Beeler (U.S.)
Title of the cartoon: Obama Immigration Order
Cartoon #: 113719
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
This cartoon depicts Obama using a drone to destroy a pinata that at which Mitt Romney is blindly swinging a baseball bat.  Romney is depicted as essentially swinging in the dark, not knowing what to do to win.  Obama's attempt to pass a piece of legislation known as the DREAM Act stalled, so he uses his executive privilege to bypass congress and grant deportment deferrals to young illegal immigrants who qualify.  This overt attempt to pass legislation, and (according to the cartoonist) look good in the eyes of Latino votes, is shown by Obama's comment, "Rules are for losers."

Tone of the cartoon:
1) Negative framing of undocumented immigrants
2) Negative framing of immigration policies
What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?
This cartoon is a statement on the candidates attempts to win the Latino vote.  It negatively frames undocumented workers and Latino immigrants because it essentially just makes them a number - a vote - as if they were a prize or piece of candy found in a pinata.  Obama is framed as abusing his power to undermine attempts by Romney to win the Latino vote, and essentially defines his use of the executive order to defer deportation as a power play to win votes.  Romney is shown blindly swinging in the dark, apparently naively unaware of how to reach Latino voters.