Outrage After Political Cartoon About Governor Elect Bevin

Governor-elect Matt Bevin has received his share of criticism from the press, Thursday he drew a line in the sand with the Lexington Herald-Leader’s cartoon mentioning his adopted children. “Indeed, today, the Lexington Herald-Leader chose to articulate with great clarity the deplorably racist ideology of “cartoonist” Joel Pett”, it said.

But Syria aside, the cartoon itself is tasteless and racist, depicting Bevin trembling in fear under his desk while an aide holds up photos of Bevin’s adopted children and states, “Sir, they’re not terrorists…they’re your own adopted kids!” He didn’t offer an apology, but an explanation.

Bevin has 9 children including four who were adopted from Ethiopia.

Pett says the cartoon has nothing to do with racism and is simply pointing out Bevin’s stance on the refugees. And added the tone has no place in Kentucky and won’t be tolerated by his administration.

Bevin and his wife, Glenna, have nine children.

“Did I push the envelope by chiding Gov-elect Matt Bevin for jumping on the anti-Syrian refugee bandwagon?” “I don’t want to guess (how many calls), but it was an onslaught, from all different points of view”, she said.

Neither I nor the Herald-Leader publisher, as black Americans, see it as racist. “I did use the fact that he has children from another country in a piece created to express outrage over a legitimate hot-button political issue”.

Gallman said she expected the cartoon to elicit responses, but nothing to the degree after the issue was discussed on talk radio and went viral on the internet. “I knew it would be provocative and would generate debate”. In contrast, outgoing Gov. Steve Beshear said Kentucky should do “the Christian thing” and welcome refugees who have cleared an extensive vetting process.