Editorial cartoon in Red Wing paper depicts state senator in Nazi uniform

Cartoonist Craig Livingstone depicted state Sen. Steve Murphy, D-Red Wing, in the uniform of a Nazi “brownshirt” saying, “Ve vill round up all Republican bridge engineers who vorked at MnDOT since… 1967.” The cartoon, which ran in the print edition of the Red Wing Republican Eagle on Jan. 19, elicited a disapproving letter to the editor, which was then picked up by the blog Bluestem Prairie.

Murphy has long been a vocal critic of troubled Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau, but he strongly objected to the cartoonist’s depiction in a letter to the editor published in the Republican Eagle today. “Your recent cartoon depicting me in a Nazi uniform crossed the line of basic decency,” he wrote. “Even to a politician, this is unacceptable.”

He continued:

As a Marine, I saw no humor in it. As the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, I can only say you are doing your readers a terrible disservice by continuously towing the Republican line and viciously attacking anyone with a different opinion.

To set the record straight, I have never explicitly or indirectly blamed the governor, Lt. Gov./Commissioner Carol Molnau or any MnDOT employee for the I-35W bridge collapse. Have I called for Molnau’s resignation? Yes, I have been for over a year. But I have done so for a host of reasons, none of which is blame for the bridge tragedy.

She needs to go, because under her leadership MnDOT continuously falls short of federal minority hiring status guidelines and faces a loss of federal transportation dollars.

I make no apologies for asking the tough questions and demanding answers to what caused the bridge to collapse. Doing any less would be abdicating my responsibility. Even if people disagree with me, they should have the decency to respect my goal of ensuring that our roads and bridges are safe for Minnesota drivers and that such a disaster never happens again.

Another letter to the editor also ran today in support of Livingstone, saying, “We really need to be aware that our government is slowly eroding our American rights every day.”

On his website, Livingstone states that he is “not a fan or a member of any political party.”

My editorial opinion tends to be “fair and balanced.” I try to take on society’s bullies and speak for the people who do not have a voice.

This is not the first time Livingstone has taken on Murphy with his pen. The blog Norwegianity posted a previous Livingstone cartoon depicting Murphy holding a rope tied into a noose with Molnau’s name attached to it. Livingstone’s first cartoon after the Aug. 1 bridge collapse, which claimed 13 lives, challenged the notion that there was an “infrastructure crisis” and that it could be solved through increased taxes.

At the time of publication neither Livingstone nor Republican Eagle publisher Steve Messick responded to inquiries from the Minnesota Monitor.