I’m Ted Raskol, and welcome to my site.  As it’s likely apparent by now, I draw a daily political cartoon.

Cartooning

My cartooning style is directly descended from Thomas Nast and Herbert Block.   Though I don’t compare favorably to either of them, they are my main source of inspiration.  Although I enjoy the work of contemporary editorial cartoonists and alt-weekly creators, I’ve become concerned that the medium is being quickly lost to a similar fate as that of the mainstream news media: hyper-polarization.  All too often political cartoons bludgeon their readers with sarcasm, partisanship, or recycled talking points.  I would like to see political cartoons at least attempt to transcend the “horse race” and to focus on the moral and pragmatic issues which underpin political debate, even in these polarized times.

Politics

As the tagline in my banner suggests, I define myself as a centrist.  More specifically, a free-market individualist who acknowledges some collective responsibilities.