Greg Abbott, Straw Man

Nicole Jeffords (2021)

When I came across a red-faced, embarrassed-looking photo of Greg Abbott, the regressive governor of Texas, I immediately wanted to use it for a drawing. This guy prides himself on being a strong man, which is interesting since his face, with its small, weepy eyes and whiney mouth, presents as incredibly weak. Meaning he always looks as if he’s about to burst into tears. Perhaps it’s the accident that put him in a wheel chair. Perhaps he just plain feels sorry for himself. In any case, he counters that with unbending cruelty — no abortion for women after six weeks; $10,000 fine for anyone, even people out of state, who help pregnant women find abortions (a simple procedure which is, after all, the law of the land). Combine that with other craziness, such as, come September, anyone in Texas can openly carry a gun. Or the political machinations around the grid system that failed so miserably during the snowpocalypse in February 2021. Beware: This is a straw man, a snivelly empty suit who wants to run for President but, like the failed leader he emulates, doesn’t have the substance for the job.