They get inside your brain.

I have to say, the best things in The Onion these days are the UTTERLY HORRIFIC political cartoons. They're the most ham-handed, hyperbolic right-wing jingoism you can possibly imagine. Typically, they feature the Statue of Liberty weeping, either in joy at the awesomeness of Bush/Republicans/America, or in sorrow at the awfulness of Democrats/terrorists/anything vaguely progressive. I really can't nail it down, but there's something about the art that just brings it all home. You KNOW it's a satire, but you can't help muttering "but...but...NO...that's insane...you can't...I...ARGH."

These days, it ain't easy to parody right-wing rhetoric. These cartoons deserve some serious credit.