Presidential Tanning

Four Tan Men:

(Happy Presidents Day)

I gather from a few minutes of online research that today’s school holiday originated as George Washington’s Birthday (February 22nd), later included Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12th)...and was finally codified into a federal holiday by Richard Nixon’s executive order, passing all of the provisions of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971. 

In other words, an opportunity to draw our current executive in chief with some of his holiday-related predecessors.

I notice the color photos of Richard Nixon available online seem to suggest that he was often a well tanned man. (The days of Kodachrome film perhaps?)

One can only guess that in the days before electric lights, Presidents Washington and Lincoln got enough outdoor time to maintain their healthy complexions. 

Presidents Day 2019

Presidents’ Day

I asked my younger son what he thought I should draw for Presidents Day and he said, “A pug. Everyone likes pugs.” Ok. Here is the Mount Rushmore crew riding a pug...on a beach. Because if you are going to ride a giant pug, why not on a beach?

After my son looked at it, he told me that I should have drawn a pug with George Washington’s face instead.

Maybe next year?

Happy Presidents' Day?

Presidential Pyramid Scheme:

Both kids were home today so I was busy with feeding, cleaning and transporting activities, so this napkin suffered from lack of attention.

While I was drawing, I tried to sit down with my younger son and talk him through the various characters of the living former presidents and my memories and impressions of them, but we only made it to Bill Clinton before he completely lost patience with me. 

Frustrated, I said something about how he always thwarted my attempts to teach him something and feel proud of myself for being educational. I was trying to be funny, but was simultaneously rather pathetic.

He said helpfully, "Oh, don't worry Mom, I am proud of you anyway."

Happy Presidents Day.

Presidential Bros Smash

 Belatedly for Presidents Day:
(It's still "Presidents Week," right?)

I asked the kids to name as many Presidents as they could to generate the cast of characters above.  (They also mentioned John Quincy Adams, but I did not manage to work him in.)

The composition is of course based on the Super Smash Bros Wii U case image.  I say "of course" for those who spend a lot of time looking at Nintendo game cases strewn on the floor in front of the TV.

My kids wanted me to draw the Presidents all playing in a Super Smash game. I told them it was unlikely that I was capable of pulling that off. I can barely watch a Super Smash Game without wanting to have a seizure, let alone play, or draw it.

Some of the choices here were obvious: Lincoln is in Link's spot, Taft is in for Kirby, Teddy Roosevelt for Donkey Kong, JFK for Princess Peach...

Or perhaps not. Maybe it makes no sense at all.

Clinton/ Organa 2016

Who would not enjoy seeing Han Solo as first spouse?
(of the Galactic Republic, of course)

Here I find myself risking antagonizing those whom I have not already annoyed with the Obama/Yoda or Trump/Binks napkins. Perhaps I should first issue the disclaimer that this napkin does not necessarily constitute an endorsement for Hillary Clinton for the presidential seat.

Nevertheless, whatever one thinks about Ms. Clinton, I feel confident that most people would join me in supporting the idea that my sons ought to know who she is. With some prodding, our 8 year old allowed that he was aware that "there is a girl who wants to be president." I hope we can do a little better than that.

And I think we might all agree that if we are looking at the Star Wars universe for Hillary analogues, she does have some things in common with General Organa (played by Carrie Fisher- formerly known as "Princess Leia" for those of you blissfully ignorant of the latest Star Wars movie)...

Leia and Hillary share a few attributes including gender, age, a charismatic, if morally problematic spouse, a position of power within a contentious struggle, and a large group of people within her universe who would really, really prefer that she not gain any more power.

There are so many incendiary possibilities here in the "Star Wars Meets American Politicians" topic":
Chris Christie and ?.... Bernie Sanders and ?..... With very little effort, I could probably manage to piss almost everyone off...including my sons.

My younger son requested a drawing of an animal that is a combination of an owl, pig and unicorn for the next napkin.

Sounds safer.

Obama and Yoda on the Late Night Jedi Temple Talk Show

Yobama:

After inciting some hostility with our "Trump/Binks 2016" napkin, where could we go from there?
I seriously considered pairing Bernie Sanders with Yoda, but my kids are not very familiar with Mr. Sanders, so I went for something more obvious.

But perhaps this is a way to get my kids more informed about various politicians. I just have to figure out which Star Wars character should be paired with each. One of the less pleased Facebook commentors on the Trump napkin suggested that the appropriate follow up would be Obama and Satan.

I think I might stick with Star Wars characters.

And before I inspire further fury, undeserved or not: I am not trying to suggest that President Obama is a candidate for 2016....nor that my kids would vote for him if he were running....and they could vote. At the moment, I am just campaigning for a bit more conversance with contemporary politics at our house.

President Obama has worked hard to appear in many televised contexts including hiking in "Running Wild" and submitting to a satirical interview on "Between Two Ferns."  So why not visit the Jedi Temple for a Late Night style chat with Yoda?

My kids were happy to watch Obama hike with Bear Grylls. I am sure they would watch almost any politician talk to Yoda.

What do Jar Jar Binks and Donald Trump Have in Common?

 

Could idiocy mask an evil master plan?

Our kids are sadly not particularly politically informed. (I will admit my guilt here, although I am still working on conveying some basic concepts like their excruciatingly over privileged status as well fed and educated, white male Americans)

But despite their lack of interest in politics, they have somehow acquired a violent dislike of Donald Trump. While my feelings about the man who I still think of as "The Donald" are definitely not positive, we have done our best to ignore his recent ridiculous antics, so my sons' loathing of the man did not come from anything I or their father have said. Their hatred of Trump is total and visceral, yet does not seem tied to any political positions he holds, anything specific that he has done, or statements that he has made.

The only other individual who might be equally reviled by my sons is, of course, Jar Jar Binks.

We watched "Revenge of the Sith" last night. And while it was more tiresome than I remembered, the movie reminded me of the fanboy theory that Lucas had originally intended for Jar Jar to be revealed at the end as the top Sith Lord- the ultimate bad guy. Some hypothesized that Jar Jar's dimwitted behavior in the first two prequels was supposed to be a diversion from his evil machinations, but that the fans' violent hatred of the character prompted Lucas to lose his nerve and change the ending.

It is appealing to think that there was a reason for the Jar Jar character to be so very annoying, but I fear the theory does not seem very likely to me.

It is not so appealing to consider that Mr. Trump is intentionally deflecting our attention from serious issues with his annoying and idiotic statements...and it seems extremely likely that is an accurate description of the situation.

My younger son was frantically concerned that I not post this image because someone might mistake it for support of Mr. Trump's campaign. He made me pledge that I would add: "Jar Jar and Donald Trump: Separated at Birth?" just in case anyone might be confused.

Or perhaps "Trump/Binks 2016" ?

Abe and George on Rockets for Presidents Day

Abraham Lincoln's "rocket chair" was  definitely one of the many high points of the LEGO Movie according to our kids.

I thought perhaps in honor of the holiday, another cliche art-historical representation of a president could benefit from a rocket powered addition.

(For the original Daniel Chester French Lincoln Memorial, the precursor  of the LEGO chair, click this link.  For  Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware" click this link.)

The kids are out of school thanks to Presidents Day, so we are enjoying our extra day at home, bickering about the doing and the not doing of homework. This napkin is for the stack of "back-up" napkins that sit on top of the microwave, ready to be rejected again some morning when the most recent napkin proves to be too disappointing to be taken to school.