Drawing Liberalism is the first book-length critical examination of the political and social impact of the political cartoonist Herbert Block—popularly known as Herblock. Working for the Washington Post, Herblock played a central role in shaping, propagandizing, and defending the ideals of postwar liberalism, a normative set of values and assumptions that dominated American politics and culture after World War II.
Best remembered for his unrelenting opposition to and skewering cartoons of Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon, Herblock introduced the term "McCarthyism" into the American political lexicon. With its unstinting and unapologetic support for the liberal agenda, across a career spanning over fifty years at the Post, Herblock's work affords a unique lens through which to interpret and understand the shifts and contours of twentieth-century American political culture, from the postwar period through the civil rights era into the Nixon presidency.
"A defining study of arguably twentieth century America's most important political cartoonist. Well-researched and convincingly argued, this is a must-read book for understanding the political and cultural life of modern America."
—Blake Scott Ball, Huntingdon College, author of Charlie Brown's America
"This book gets high marks for originality, and is very likely to appeal to those interested in political history of the postwar period, political communication, and cartooning in general. An important work."
—Matthew J. Costello, Saint Xavier University, Author of Secret Identity Crisis: Comic Books and the Unmasking of Cold War America
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