What they hell are you doing posting an editorial cartoon on a Sunday again and where is that obnoxious banner begging for votes? Well I made it to week 9 among the top 10 but didn’t make it to the top 5 in the final week. Thank you all so much for the support, votes, sharing and essentially putting up with me. I’ll share my thoughts later in the post but first…
Today’s cartoon was inspired by Mitt Romney choosing his running mate as Congressman Paul Ryan (oh and former Miami University alum – anyone know any other famous MU alums?? ahem ahem). There was some quiet chatter that another presidential candidate, Ron Paul should be considered for the VP spot and a little more outspoken chatter about his son Rand Paul getting the nod. So for those out there who think Romney got the wrong Paul, this cartoon is for you.
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A few comments on the editorial cartoon contest…
What I liked
- It forced me to create and post an editorial cartoon 2x a week for the past 9 weeks. Sure I typically post on Sundays and Wednesdays but sometimes I might share a different type of cartoon work.
- It allowed me to utilize social media and the power of my readers to have a great showing every week. Until the last week I was consistently in the top 3 in votes and the last week I was number 4. Again voting didn’t account for the entire process of who got picked for the next round.
What I didnt like…
- No link love back to the creators. Sure you could link to my twitter or facebook account from their page but why not open it up.
- No direct voting links. You had to go to the voting page and then find my picture to vote for it. Several people accidentally voted for the first image that popped up and it wasn’t mine.
- No archive of participants who didn’t make it. There were several cartoonists who I loved that didn’t make it to further rounds but there is no way for me to find them because all their posts and info has been hidden. Maybe it will pop back up after the competition.
If you keep voting, I am putting my support behind Al Goodwin. I think he is the best of the rest. Consistently on the mark, timely and a fantastic cartoonist. All in all it was fun…though I doubt I will be participating again as I am looking at what I want the next chapter of my cartooning to be…. I’ll keep you posted.
You are One TALENTED BEAR ……..:)
and you didn’t go to SPAMMY SPAM
YAY BEARMAN YAY
XO
CAT
Woohoo. Glad I didn’t go to the spam filter this time. Wonder why it still goes to mine..haha
Congrats on how far you did get. Will you enter the competition again?
Depends. Might take my cartooning on a different path.
Different Path, eh? How different?
Congratulations on your contest and the votes.
Oh, and yes, I’ll bite the political bait.
I think Romney picked up the wrong running mate because Ryan is a polarizing figure, not likely to appeal to the moderates and undecided that may decide the election. I think that Ryan attracts a constituency that although lukewarm towards Romney, was going to vote for him anyway, to try to get Obama out of the White House.
I may be wrong, but I doubt it…
My point too. I think Jon Huntsman would have done wonders to help Romney appeal to Moderates. Romney could speak to the right and Huntsman to the middle.
I for one am thoroughly disgusted. I think two of the ones in the top three are crap, and I have since the very beginning. One in particular. You did a great job. Onward and upward.
*More than idly wonders if Bearman ever considered putting a book together*
Red.
Thanks for your support. I thought of the top 10 I would have a chance for the top 5 but that’s my opinion. Don’t know what criteria the judges went with but there is another guy gone that I would have put in the top 5 as well.
You did well and it was fun. I will still look forward to seeing new toons from you.
MJ
Thanks Michael. Appreciate all the support you gave during the contest.
You did very well, but I did hope you would win. You are that good. Just saying.
Have a terrific day.
My mother and wife think so too Sandee. Though neither seems technically savvy enough to vote for me.
I seem to be in the category with your mother and wife. I never could figure out how to vote either but you always have my support. Well, most of the time anyway.
I’ll take most of the time Bo!
Congrats on getting as far as you did. Well done!!!
Love the LOVE Revolution T-shirt.
I just remade it from Ron Paul’s design. Thanks for the support.
Hey, you got far! I was booted out of their contest last year, so it happens.
But that is you…not me. haha
That was me? Oh….sorry. Well, I think you probably got the next one. Actually, I saw they’re having one soon again. I got an email.
Enjoy yourself….I’ll vote!! haha
You’re still a winner with me, Bearman!
Thanks Tim…you and my mom.
Your mom seems to have some pretty talented company.
That she does.
Think of all the Pauls he could have ended that statement with! Giamatti, Anka, Newman, -a Abdul (okay, that’s stretching things).
I would have voted for Bunyon
Well paint me blue and call me Babe.
You big ox!!
Yep I used to be strong as one and about half as smart.
Now you are half as strong as twice as smart
Man, I was hoping you’d clinch the title. I think you have what it takes for the big leagues. Don’t let it get you down, although I know it will affect you (it would me). Just keep doing the things that make you great.
Thanks. At the end of the day, I got the best group of people who support me no matter what crap I put out there.
Nice reply- you’re a humble man. A talented, sweet humble man.
I can be a jerk too..haha
He’s such a tease.
He has his ways
If you are choosing a different route, I have a suggestion. How about a ballerina in love with a cellist and with a gay friend?
No? Perhaps a succubus faerie fighting the forces of evil?
Waddaya mean they’ve been done?
BTW, the pun title for today was excellent.
If you enter again, I can guarantee you a Bearman vote, since neither mom nor wife were able to vote last time around. (Yours, not mine.)
Were you saddled with BEER-man during college as were all of my sons?
I am NOT going to do a webcomic. I hate drawing the same people all the time. No probably going to supplement with another idea.
Yes…even on my blog with people that don’t know me I get Beerman. Plus my friends in college were all cheap and assumed I would buy the rounds. So it fits.
Oh you did such a great job Bearman
and i liked your cartoons the most …
Me too. Thanks for the support Soma!
You’ve done an incredible job–and I definitely look forward to more of such cartoons for next year’s contest–as well as many more until then!
Thanks Scott. Appreciate the support.
Well that surely sucks Bearman, I was hoping to get a cut of the prize money….. you know ,for voting millions of times and all. Anywho, I agree, having to search for you was ridiculous. I did get quite a few Facebookers commenting though, so that’s good.
Thanks for your help Loon. With the prize money you may have had enough money to buy at cup of coffee. But only at McDonalds, not starbucks.
Well that would have been your prize.
Starbucks sucks too- definitely not worth the price for burnt tasting coffee. Now hilltribe coffee is where it’s at.
It had to be said.
I don’t like coffee so all of it tastes burnt to me.
Since I’m not voting for either, I say go for it.
He should have 10 running mates..haha
I’ll bet the winner of that contest don’t have nearly as many groupies and commenters as you do.
Nope…which is sad for them.
The 9th round is nothing to sneeze at – congratulations, B!
Still, I’m done voting. *grumble grumble* Nothing personal, I just feel like my bear is prematurely out of the race, er, something like that. Anyway, I hope you consider entering again, Bearman… you did a truly fantastic job! I’m sure all the other folks saw that, too… so hopefully you were able to pick up a few readers.
P.S. I have this odd feeling it’s not out of the question around late October J.B. will ‘decide’ he needs a nap and Hillary moves up to No. 2 on that ticket… is that just me?
As long as Obama doesn’t send him to swim with the fishes.
Thanks. I know it was enough to have to listen to me for 9 weeks begging for votes..haha
Thats too bad that the contest wasn’t run really well. it would annoy me not to be able to find the competitions site or info. It would have been a great networking capability. I did notice how difficult the voting was and I almost did the same as other.
Yeah…esp on mobile it was difficult as you couldn’t click from one image to the next even. So it gave an unfair advantage to whomever’s pic popped up first.
What do you MEAN you didnt win?!? …wheres my bat? e-mail me some names! [wink]
All available on their site…just make sure nothing tracks back to me haha
Your cartoon are the best hand down, Bearman!
Thanks DEb.
You’ll always be my favorite editorial cartoonist, Bearman!
Am I the only one you know?
I tried to interact with one of our local political cartoonist on Facebook, Twitter, and on his web-site. I found out he has in-grown eyeballitus…He only focuses on himself and promotiong himself so I quit tryin’ to connect with him. Ain’t missed it either.
What I was gettin’ at is that I’ve known others but there is only one Bearman.
haha In-grown eyeballitus. You have the best terminology. Thanks b
in-grown eyeballitus! OMG. Bo. that’s hilarious! I’m going to use that everywhere I can. (and give you credit)
Will that help my credit rating?
I like the tear with the frown. He’s really upset….and confused.
Took me about 10 tries to get the facial expression I was going for…glad it works.
Well that’s unfortunate that you didn’t make it to the final week. You did go quite far, though, so at least that’s something to be proud of.
I think the point you made are quite valid. I don’t like the way you can’t have a direct link to your own cartoon, and the cartoonist apparently can have a link to their own sites.
I am most proud of how my online friends supported me.
And don’t forget about the rest of us, too!
I agree, Bearman. The linkback should have been included, I’m actually surprised it wasn’t. And I agree that lack of a direct voting link was confusing. I almost voted for the first image more than once.
Still, you did a great job. As for not making the final five, I totally blame the above.
Well as I mentioned voting didn’t mean everything. There was a guy who consistently got more votes than I did who didn’t make the top 5 either..and I thought he was pretty good. Thanks for voting though.
It’s like Romney is still running in the primaries. Seems that Romney always tries to bend over backwards to appease the far right even at the risk of alienating moderates. I’ve read that Paul Ryan is the furthest right VP choice that anyone has chosen since 1900. I think Romney’s staff wanted him to choose Tim Pawlenty, but Bill Krystol and others really pushed him to choose Paul Ryan. As for Ron (or Rand) Paul, I think it’s all about building up Rand Paul to be a prospect in 2016 or later.
Probably…though some may argue he may not have had as much personality, I would have picked Huntsman. How could Obama possibly go after someone he chose to be an ambassador.
congrats on hanging in as long as you did. Good to hear, it was a great experience for you. It seemed to run a little too long for me.
Based on just a tiny bit of reading, I would say that Ron Paul would have turned Mitt down if he had offered.
It seemed to run a bit long for me too….hahah
Oh I am sure. But then again Ron knows this is probably his last go around to try to run for President so why not put himself in a position of some authority at the end of his career.
Well congrats on your achievements Bearman, and as for Mitt’s pick, I think he picked a good running mate, I think it is funny that Paul Ryan’s budget proposal is getting such heat after I read that earlier Obama and some other Dems liked his ideas and how he can reach across the aisle and work with Dems. Oh well, I guess soon they’ll be saying he caused an illness in somebody by just walking by them.
Roland!!!! Good to see you back in the mix.
When you can do something for me, I can praise you. When you are trying to usurp me I will do all I can to denigrate you.
Just another stepping stone on your path to success. I thought you did great! Count me in the groupie group with your Mom and Wife and a few other bloggers. :+)
Thanks Starla…You were there a bunch and I appreciate it.
Well, Blast it. I missed the finale! I could use a little more spaminding from you on twitter so I’d know about updates, but I’m not holding you responsible for my horrible memory.
You did really well with the contest. And you seem to be taking it all with equanimity. And you had fun and entertained us in your inimitable way. So, thanks!
Rescued from the spam filter…see that is what too much spamming can do.
I was really trying to strike a balance between reminding and annoying. My feeling was hey I would have been drawing stuff anyway…this just gave me another outlet.
Thanks for the continued support.
Paul Ryan!????? Bwahahaha! Oh f&#k! He’s serious! I cannot imagine a worse choice. Back in the primaries I was hoping Romney would lose to Newt the Scoot because I actually thought he (Romney) was somewhat sane, and Newt would screw up (AGAIN) and lose in a very embarrassing way. But I think him choosing Ryan is more insane than McCain choosing “she who must not be named.” I hope it knocks a little fear and sense into some fence sitters. BTW I can’t find the next & prev links on your site & Congrats on making it thru all the rounds you did, you did it without being spammy.
There are no “next” and Previous links. Had things set up as a blog not a comic site. Planning a big redo of my layout so I will look into that.
Still think he should have picked Huntsman.
I would not put too much stock in not making it further in this contest. These contest are flawed in many ways and as you pointed out it was not that user friendly and was missing a lot of other basic functions. That said, I’m really glad they had it and hope they have more and improve the functions of the site for future contest. The overall site is a great idea. It just needs a little work. But hats off them them for setting it up. And congrats to you for producing a lot of great work in a short amount of time.
Thanks Frank. I am sure it isn’t an easy thing to do to code and run a contest like that. I don’t fault them, I just see areas for improvement and hope they take it as that.
Thanks for the support. B
Congratulations Babeman, er.. B’man, I truly feel like you should’ve moved onto the last round. It was fun though and I feel fortunate to know some very talented folks the likes of Loon, S-i-G and many others that cling together in this funky artistic circle. You all are like the avant garde artistic types who hung out at the wild glitter-laden dance floor of Studio 54- in the ’70s. I’m fortunate to be privy to all your creative shenanigans… Peace and Love to all
We are exactly like Studio 54…except
– Some of us have better taste in clothes (Loon being the exception I think)..
– Not all of us are on drugs