2007-06-09

Main comic: A single panel shows a balding man in a brown jacket, viewed from behind (labeled Johnson), sitting across from a dark, horned, silhouetted figure against a red background. The horned figure, the Devil, says, 'THESE POLL NUMBERS ARE TERRIBLE, JOHNSON. WHAT'S GOING ON?!' Johnson replies, 'WELL, YOUR TAX PROPOSAL IS GETTING A LOT OF BAD PRESS, AND YOU'RE CONSTANTLY TORTURING EVERYONE.' A caption below reads: 'Hell just wasn't ready for Democracy.' The joke is that the Devil is running Hell like a struggling political candidate worried about poll numbers. Votey (aftercomic): A loosely sketched grinning horned devil face responds, 'Tell them it helps in the war on terror' — a glib political spin to excuse the torture.