I never planned on sharing my opinions on political and social issues. It is something that evolved slowly in the last 20 years. For example, as an independent voter in the 1990s, I found Bill Clinton’s behavior in The White House with Monica Lewinsky deeply troubling and did not object to his impeachment. But I didn’t go shouting my views from the rooftop, either.
CLAY JONES podcast excerpt: "I considered myself much more a conservative when I started in 1990. But when George H.W. Bush was for a flag-burning amendment, I was against that. I was always for gay marriage. And I was against abortion, but I came around on that. I voted for McCain first (in 2000), then George W. I've never been a member of a party; I don't want to be in a party ... I no longer consider myself a conservative, which was a problem at my newspaper. I (finally) realized I was a secret liberal my whole life."I found George W. Bush to be a likeable enough fellow who simply wasn’t smart enough to be President of the United States. In the days following 9-11, he was too easily manipulated by Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfield, digging an international and financial hole for the United States. When Barack Obama came around in 2008, I registered as a Democrat for the first time because I wanted to support this remarkable man. I even worked for his campaign both times, something I had never done before. In 2016, I held my nose and voted for Hillary Clinton, who I did not like but felt Donald Trump would be so, so, so much worse. Trump’s consistent, anti-American behavior—then and now—has made me more vocal than ever, in social media and in person. I tell you all that in the interest of full disclosure, because I don’t want there to be any doubt about where I am coming from in talking with today’s guest, syndicated editorial cartoonist Clay Jones. Jones expresses his political thoughts and emotion in art every day. He has a somewhat silly style—reminiscent of the late Wayne Stayskal—that for the last two decades belies a most serious message. You can find Jones’ funny, biting work where I first discovered it – on Instagram – or self-syndicated daily to newspapers nationwide. His work can also be found on GoComics.com.
Clay Jones Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • GoComics • YouTube • LinkedIn • Cagle.com
