"Remember -- don't vote for anyone who would interfere with the
way we've been handling things"
In a televised address on October 15, 1974, President Gerald Ford
appealed to Americans to mobilize in the fight against inflation,
suggesting a list of voluntary individual measures. His "Whip Inflation
Now" campaign was called WIN but turned out to be a loser. Federal
Reserve Chairman Arthur Burns had announced that the nation was
in a recession, despite Ford's insistence to the contrary. Ford
campaigned for Republican congressmen and senators, urging support
for candidates who supported his fight against inflation.
"Remember--don't
vote for anyone who would interfere with the way we've been handling
things," October 30,
1974
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (81)
LC-USZ62-126922
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"... One nation ... indivisible ..."
On February 22, 1977, newly-elected President Jimmy Carter submitted
his budget to Congress. It included an additional $350 million in
school aid for poor children; extra millions in grants and work-study
programs for college students; and sought a reduction in congressional
funds for school districts with large numbers of federal employees.
Herb Block's cartoon is a reminder of the divisions in one nation.
"... One nation
... indivisible ...," February 22, 1977 Ink, graphite,
and opaque white, with tonal film overlay and porous point pen over
graphite underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (83)
LC-USZ62-126888
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"Read me what it says, Dad"
In Herblock on All Fronts, the cartoonist wrote: "Depreciation
in dollars, in products, and in entertainment has also extended
to education. Here it is not a case of the fast buck but of the
fast bucking-the-kid-along-to-the-next-grade. It produces graduates
who can hardly make their way through a phone book or figure the
cost of four twenty-five-cent items in a grocery store."
"Read me what
it says, Dad," June 8, 1977
Ink, crayon, and opaque white over blue pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (84)
LC-USZ62-126885
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"This here country ain't big enough for both of us"
In 1977, a severe fuel shortage caused by an OPEC decrease in production,
along with increased pollution and growing fears of global warming,
caused Americans to rethink energy use. Yet the government was slow
to carry out the 1970 Clean Air Act, and the automobile industry
pressured Congress to extend the deadline further. In 1977, the
Act was amended to give both states and automakers still more time
to reduce emissions. Gas-guzzling SUVs and light trucks were not
held to the standards of ordinary cars and were later given till
2004 and beyond to reduce their polluting.
"This here
country ain't big enough for both of us,"
July 27, 1977
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (85)
LC-USZ62-126936
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"Except for those of us who are above it"
In 1977, the U.S. District Court tried a former CIA head for failing
to report accurately the extent to which the spy organization was
active in Chile. The House Judiciary subcommittee on civil and constitutional
rights probed the FBI. The chairman questioned whether it was "appropriate
to keep thousands of Americans under surveillance, [involving] everything
they do, interviewing their employers, just because two or three
people say they're going to stage a demonstration." Herb Block comments,
"Unwarranted secret operations and snooping in the interest of
‘security' have contributed to making Americans feel less secure."
"Except for
those of us who are above it,"
November 2, 1977
Ink, graphite, porous point pen, and opaque white over graphite
underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (86)
LC-USZ62-126884
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"We rub these sticks together till we strike a spark ... we
keep rubbing these sticks together ... we take these sticks ..."
As U.S. dependence on foreign oil grew, President Jimmy Carter
focused on energy conservation. He called his energy campaign the
"moral equivalent of war," which critics shortened to "MEOW." In
his 1978 State of the Union message, Carter reiterated the need
for an energy bill, but could not rally support. The Reagan Administration
scuttled the policy, even removing the solar panels Carter had installed
in the White House. A generation later, the U.S. imports half of
its oil from abroad, and has requested OPEC members to lower prices
by increasing exports.
"We rub these
sticks together till we strike a spark ... we keep rubbing these
sticks together ... we take these sticks ...," February
1, 1978
Ink, graphite, crayon, porous point pen,
opaque white, and overlays over graphite
underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (87)
LC-USZ62-126886
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"Ah, Independence Day -- The glorious Fourth! Do see that the
natives get a nice fireworks display"
As a resident of Washington, DC since 1946, Herb Block has actively
supported the political interests of the half million or so residents
of the District of Columbia. Herb Block comments: "The residents
of the District of Columbia pay the Federal income tax and a D.C.
income tax that is higher than that of almost any state. And they
are required to fulfill the same calls to duty including military
service as other Americans. But they have no voting representation
on the floor of either house of Congress."
"Ah, Independence
Day--The glorious Fourth!
Do see that the natives get a nice
fireworks display," June 30, 1978
Ink, graphite, crayon, porous point pen,
opaque white, and overlays over blue pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (89)
LC-USZ62-126934
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Moscow Olympics 1980
On July 14, 1978, the Soviet government imprisoned Anatoly Shcharansky,
a dissident accused of supplying secret material to a reporter for
the Los Angeles Times. The trial began on July 10,
just two days before the start of U.S.-Soviet strategic arms limitation
talks in Geneva. The trial captured public attention because Shcharansky
had been promoting the cause of Jewish emigration from the Soviet
Union. In addition, Shcharansky's countryman Alexander Ginzburg,
manager of a fund for political prisoners, received a sentence of
hard labor on July 13. President Jimmy Carter spoke out against
the trials but said that American athletes would not boycott the
Moscow Olympics. He reversed this decision in 1980 after the Soviet
Union invaded Afghanistan.
Moscow Olympics
1980, July 19, 1978
Ink, graphite, crayon, porous point pen, and
opaque white, over graphite and blue pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (90)
LC-USZ62-126929
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Spiritual leader
The Shah of Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi, left his country on January
16, 1979 paving the way for a new government led by the Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini. On April 1, 1979, Khomeini established an Islamic
republic in Iran, calling it "the first day of the government of
God." Revolutionary fervor ran high as armed vigilante bands and
kangaroo courts made bloody work of the Shah's last partisans and
what remained of the secular left. Under Khomeini's fanatic rule,
firing squads summarily carried out death sentences. His followers
seized the American embassy and numerous hostages on November 4,
1979.
Spiritual leader,
April 8, 1979
Ink, crayon, porous point pen, opaque white, and overlays over blue
pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (91)
LC-USZ62-126933
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"Rosalynn, it's him again"
Herb Block's commentary on the 1980 contest for the Democratic
presidential nomination recalls a popular contemporary Gillette
television commercial of a two-sided bathroom cabinet. On September
11, 1979, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts announced his intention
to run for president against the Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter
unless there was "improvement in the economy or at least a perception
of improvement by the American people." Democratic House Speaker
Tip O'Neill encouraged Kennedy to run, which he did unsuccessfully.
"Rosalynn, it's
him again," September 12, 1979
Ink, graphite, crayon, porous point pen, and
opaque white, over blue pencil
underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (92)
LC-USZ62-126932
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