Obama as political cartoon

PC says Tuesday’s election was historic and it proves that skinny people can become the president of the U.S. so he’s not difficult to draw. (What kind of feedback are you getting Europe about your depictions of Obama?) Excellent feedback at first, a lot of emotion for Obama being elected. Raw emotions are not good for cartoonists. (Why not?) political cartoons are not about good feelings, we’re only about pointing the finger at things that don’t work and contradictions. But it’s getting easier now because we’re asking how is he going to deal with these expectations and the need to save the world and manage the other issues. (You had some sweet cartoons this past week, but other cartoons have been more pointed. Did you intentionally avoid these stereotypes?) I think yesterday was not the day to draw these things, because race is not something you can understand outside the U.S., but in the U.S. it’s not always best to tackle it head on, it’s taboo. (Some Europeans seem to be frozen in a colonial depiction of Africans, and that style is showing up in Obama cartoons. Is that insulting to the Africans living in Europe?) Graphically, yes. Is it the case in my cartoons? No. it’s a complex question and you have to find the right middle. There was a depiction of Africans that is dated and racist. But in the U.S. it’s evolved the other way with the political correctness of the 90s. but I’d say Obama has a pretty big mouth, no? but it’s a beautiful mouth, it’d be ridiculous to draw him with a small mouth. He also has big ears, but it’s tricky.