REGISTRATION — Political Cartoonist Steve Brodner Joins Bette’s Speakeasy Zoom Salon

Bette members please register for Sunday’s Speakeasy with Steve Brodner, 2/18, 4 pm PT and learn about how he learned to embrace the ‘hatred’ of those who oppose his biting artistry and wit <3

***Registration for paid members is below the paywall. Please take out a membership to join our community events, access all archives and support independent investigative journalism.***

I am still processing all that I learned from the brilliant mind of investigative reporter Michael Weiss, who joined RadPod for Ep84.

I will have a print recap as soon as I can find just the right words to express my gratitude. And that sentiment goes for our Happy Hour with Anne Nelson yesterday. As I noted, her subtle brilliance is a gift to everyone she comes in contact with, particularly those of us who care about democracy and good journalism. Please do listen to my recent podcast with her. Bonus: Those who attended the Happy Hour also learned a great Garth Brooks anecdote.

New subscribers: There is still time to join Bette Dangerous at a great rate so you can attend our upcoming Speakeasy with satiric artist Steve Brodner. He also blows my mind.

I had a chat with him earlier today, reminding him that we met over his cartoon of Trump’s combover revealing a swastika tattooed on his head. That was seven years ago, before it was safe to speak truth to power about Trump. On the Saturday after the 2016 election, I marched holding a sign that read: “We do not accept a fascist America.” I, too, called it what it was, and Brodner in his eviscerating art, bore witness.

We have an incredible opportunity to meet another great talent, and hear his story. He will walk us through some of his favorite illustrations, and also share with us how he determines the stories to cover in his substack, which often features commentary on events that go unnoticed by corporate media but are so important.

Brodner’s work pulls no punches, and he is often attacked for it.

He told me a great story about that tonight.

“I welcome their hatred,” he said. “Made ‘em look.”

Then he shared with me a great FDR speech, where FDR uttered the same words:

“Government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mobs,” he said. “Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate… they are unanimous in their hate for me, and I welcome their hatred.

“I should like to have it said that with my first administration the forces of selfishness and of lust for power, met their match. I should like to have it said of my second administration that in it, these forces met their master.”

How lucky are we to get to mine so many great minds.

Here are the details for Sunday:

• Sunday, Feburary 18, 4 pm PT — Artist and activist Steve Brodner joins our Speakeasy!

  • Steve Brodner has been a leading satiric artist for the last 40 years. His goal during this time was to find a home for various forms of political and social commentary in the world of independent, freelance art. His work has appeared in most major publications in the US. He has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Nation, The NY Times, The Washington Post, Harper’s, The Atlantic, GQ, etc. His work currently appears regularly in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and The Nation.

    
    He has covered over 50 stories as a journalist, including 16 national political conventions, the US farm crisis, a profile of life along the Mexican border, guns in Philadelphia, climbing Mt. Fuji. The Naked Campaign, his 32 short films for NewYorker.com, documented the 2008 presidential year. In 2008 he was the subject of a major career retrospective, Raw Nerve, the first for a living artist, at the Norman Rockwell Museum. He has won many major awards in the graphic arts, including medals at the Society of Illustrators, Art Directors Club, Communication Arts, SPD, the Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism from Hunter College and the St. Gaudens Medal from Cooper Union and the Masters Series Award from the School of Visual Arts. His work currently appears daily at stevebrodner.substack.com and weekly in thenation.com. His career retrospective: Freedom Fries (2004) and the story of the Covid years in the US: Living and Dying in America (2022) were both published by Fantagraphics Books. He is an adjunct professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

    • Mostly, I like to think of Brodner as my friend. He was among the first people in the political resistance of 2016/2017 whose work gave witness to everything I felt. I am so grateful he is joining us to discuss his journey and his process, and his keen eye for picking up on stories that other outlets miss. Please support his work at stevebrodner.substack.com.

This event is open to all levels of paid membership, and as noted, you will find the registration link below the paywall at the bottom of this post.

I am so grateful for your support.

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Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members. Thank you as well to all those who support my work with your generous coffee tips and who buy my ebooks. Some of you prefer making subsidizing donations via venmo, and it’s always greatly appreciated.

Also, a private link to an annual membership discount for older adults, those on fixed incomes or drawing disability, as well as activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous/gmail. 🥹

More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter/producer, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.

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Begin each day with a grateful heart.

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PLEASE REGISTER HERE…