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In the political arena there's the Republican Party elephant, the Democrats' donkey — and Bethany Ward's chickens.

This eighth-grader at Maryville Middle School began drawing political cartoons a few months ago, and the inspiration for her best work yet was the family's seven chickens in the backyard barn. The 13-year-old said she was out there one day, listening to their non-stop clucking and thought she heard some party politics in the mix.

"It sounded just like they were saying 'Barack, Barack,'" Bethany said. By the time she had stepped into the house, a cartoon was born.

It features a whole hen yard, all squawking out "Barack" with the caption: "The reason for Obama's sudden rise in the rural polls."

According to the artist, it should appeal to Obama fans and even John McCain supporters. Or those who just like chickens.

Mom Sherry said she can trace Bethany's dive into the art world back to a family trip about two years ago. There was the family car, Bethany in the backseat with notebook and pencil. And hundreds of miles to go. Day after day.

Those first scribbling pads were kept by Bethany, and she has continued to develop characters for possible comics. She first started out drawing people in real life situations but decided her talent could be found giving animals the limelight. She has plenty to study as the family owns seven chickens, two dogs, three cats, two pygmy goats and a horse.

"She is the only person I know who would rather go out and pick up a chicken and carry it around rather than a cuddly little cat," Sherry said.

Stressed-out cat

Besides the Barack chickens, another of Bethany's favorites is a cross-eyed, stressed-out, maniacal cat with the caption, "This is your brain on catnip."

She gets lots of her ideas from watching television and being observant in whatever situation she finds herself. Math class, she has discovered, is the perfect place to put it all on paper, even if it is on the backside of a homework assignment.

She has even started writing a book. Bethany's inspiration on this project came from the family's dog and wondering what kind of life he would have had were he not with them. The book will be for a young audience.

The ideas, it seems, keep flowing. Can Mom or Dad take credit for Bethany's gift of making us laugh? Bethany said it's a toss up. But her mom did come up with the name Marsala for one of the family's chickens. Give her an extra point.

T-shirt on eBay

Bethany has worn her chickens T-shirt to school and received praise from teachers and friends. She has also put it on eBay so we can have one, too. You can also visit casualfridays@comcast.net.

Her favorite subject is science, but she excels most in language arts. She would love to make comic strips her livelihood down the road and has it mostly figured out.

"I want it to eventually be a job because you don't really have to go anywhere," Bethany explained. "You can stay home and draw comics all day, which is what I do anyway."

Sherry and Dan Ward have come to expect sketches from anywhere at any time from their daughter. She has been known to wake up in the middle of the night and write an idea on her hands.

"We can be sitting there and all of a sudden she will take off to her room and come back with a comic," Sherry said.

Casual Fridays

Bethany's idea for a comic strip she can submit to newspapers for publication is called Casual Fridays, and she has already done some work for it. She admits she has no idea where the name came from. It doesn't really fit the idea for the strip, but it stuck anyway.

Garfield and Get Fuzzy are two of Bethany's favorite comics.

The middle schooler's intent with her "Barack" chickens was not to anger either side. She said it just resulted from her keen sense of hearing and her twisted sense of humor that she admits, "not everybody gets."

That's the joy of being a cartoonist.

Maybe Obama will be seen wearing one of Bethany's T-shirts on his next campaign stop. Maybe folks right here in Blount County will place their orders in support of a talented teenager who has set her sights on greatness.

Whatever happens, Bethany will be ready with pad and pencil to capture the humor of it all.