Via Mark Fiore:

Maybe it was just a clever marketing ploy by Nickelodeon, but there was a recent episode of SpongeBob SquarePants that got conservative news types all atwitter. Turns out, SpongeBob was to get fired, be tempted by the wonders of unemployment and the social safety net, but in the end, realize that good old fashioned hard work was his salvation.

The Ayn Rand no-moochers crowd loved the message and could barely contain their excitement about SpongeBob's upcoming free market proselytizing. It was all particularly silly because not that long ago, Mr. SquarePants was in hot water for tempting America's youth into a life of homosexuality, all the while espousing the dangers of man-made global warming.

Then it dawned on me. Right-Wing Ralphie was born in 2005 in response to dustups over liberal cartoons, including one where PBS got in trouble for sending a cute bunny to visit lesbians in Maine. (I'm not making this up.) This looks like a job for a good ol' fashioned right-winger cartoon character!

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