1994.09.14 “Death Penalty” By Tom Meyer (1956 -) 8 x 10 in, ink over graphite, on paper Coppola Collection
Political cartoonist Tom Meyer started skewering politicians to vent his frustrations while working for a corrupt California Congressman named Charles Wilson. Soon, his drawings were appearing in The Washington Post; in 1981 he landed at the SF Chronicle’s political cartoonist desk where he reigned until accepting the paper’s buyout offer in 2009. These days his cartoons still appear in the Sunday Chronicle, but he syndicates them to other papers.
In January 1992, Presidential candidate and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton refused to issue an order of executive clemency to halt the execution of Rickey Ray Rector. Rector died by lethal injection on January 15. This decision was seen as a calculated move to appeal to voters who favored a strong stance on crime and to distinguish himself from his perceived more moderate political opponents. Clinton was harshly criticized as being soft on crime in 1980, when he was defeated by Frank White, his Republican opponent, in his first re-election bid.
As President, Bill Clinton supported the death penalty. During his time in office, he signed into law the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which included provisions related to the death penalty. Senator Joe Biden, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, playing a major role in drafting the law. The Act was signed into law on September 13, 1994.
I love the classic, old school style of this art. The message is cleverly delivered.
