The cartoon by Pat Bagley published August 28, 2017, depicts three Texas figures in cowboy hats voicing classic anti-government slogans in the top panel. Below, a FEMA worker in a raft approaches as the same figures, now perched on a Texas sign, exclaim that God heard their prayers and praise the Lord. The work responds to Hurricane Harvey's landfall and flooding in Houston and the Gulf Coast, where federal disaster response clashed with longstanding small-government rhetoric from Texas officials and some evangelical voices. It underscores the tension between ideological opposition to federal programs and practical reliance on them during a major natural disaster.
The cartoon contrasts Mitt Romney's call during the 2012 primaries to eliminate FEMA with his revised position after Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeast on October 29. The left side depicts the candidate in sunny conditions holding the elimination sign at a primaries podium. The right side places him in driving rain and floodwater at a Sandy-labeled podium clutching a never mind sign. A climate change label spans the top. The piece highlights the timing of the storm just days before the election and the candidate's rapid adjustment on federal disaster response.
The cartoon shows a woman stranded on a flooded house roof during Hurricane Sandy phoning a Republican disaster relief hotline. The recorded message asks callers to state their emergency and explain how they will offset the cost of rescue. A floating FEMA sign and a cat on the chimney add to the flooded scene. Published October 31 2012 the image comments on Republican positions regarding federal disaster aid. It reflects debates over government spending and budget priorities in the wake of the storm that struck the East Coast.
The two-panel cartoon contrasts Mitt Romney's 2011 call to abolish FEMA with his 2012 reversal after Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast. In the first panel, a smiling Romney rooster perches atop a stable weather vane under sunny skies. The second panel shows chaos with debris flying and the vane spinning wildly as Romney points downward while declaring his new position. The image captures the rapid policy reversal during the final weeks of the 2012 presidential campaign. Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012, prompting federal disaster response questions. The cartoon uses the weather vane as a visual device to illustrate inconsistency on emergency management funding.
A political cartoon published September 11, 2005, depicts the White House integrated into a brick levee structure that is cracking under pressure. Water pours through a breach labeled 'LEVEE OF LAME EXCUSES' while a large wave labeled 'STORM SURGE OF CRITICISM' looms overhead. The word 'ADMINISTRATION' appears beneath the building. The image responds to widespread criticism of the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in late August 2005 and caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans after levee failures. The cartoon uses the physical levee as a visual stand-in for the administration's defensive posture and perceived reliance on excuses rather than effective action.
