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Political Pranksters
*UPDATE* They hit Detroit this morning! *UPDATE* #2 They Hit New Hampshire!
“Quarantine Peters” Street Art Lands in Detroit
Activists in Michigan say Gary Peters has a toxic relationship with Obamacare. They voiced their opinion with guerrilla art on Detroit streets early today near Wayne State University, where Obama is expected to speak tonight.
Highlighting the “Obama Zombie” theme, the art first appeared in the city of Lansing earlier this week, but has now spread to the Eastern side of the state, appearing on electrical boxes and busy bus stops.
No group has taken credit for the prank, but an anonymous source said, ”It was a very small band of conservatives outside of the GOP who decided to take action”. Peters has struggled to overcome his association with Obamacare, and the source said that the plucky activists want to remind voters of that uncomfortable fact.
This type of street art was first seen in Los Angeles, but the phenomenon appears to be spreading as individual conservatives become bolder.
Mysterious L.A.-style art activism popped up in Lansing, Mich. yesterday, raising suspicions that not only do mild-mannered conservatives “get” the culture, but they’re suddenly a little more daring in their activism. I understand that the individuals involved spent less than $50 and a only a few hours of time to achieve this protest against Democrat Gary Peters.
What do Rico-pals think about this? Is it time for Conservatives to get hip with protest art, or should we tone it down? Full disclosure; I was tipped off to the prank, and took photos yesterday. I watched as some nearly apoplectic democrat ripped some of these down.
LOVE IT! We need more of this.
Indeed we do! I was given a little information on how to do this so if anyone wants to PM here, I will be happy to share what I know.
Perfect! More please.
I agree we need more of this.
Reminds me of the Saatchi & Saatchi-created “New Labor New Danger” ads that the UK’s Conservative Party ran in the 1997 general election.
Yes, I *know* that Tony Blair swept to victory then, but the Tories’ ads were by no means the cause of their defeat — the ads were quite prescient, inventive, and *memorable*.
Great. The best work in opposing the Democrats is NOT being done by the GOP by by individuals and small groups fighting the good fight.
I have been speaking for many years about individuals who wield huge power with methods like this. One or two bold people can react instantly to events and make a big impact because larger groups cannot escape the constipation of bureaucracy.
I like it! Who says conservatives can’t have fun too . . .
The left wins by creating caricatures of Republicans, which they accept as speaking truth to power and we accept as free speech, but when Democratic politicians are lampooned, it’s seen as sinister, dark forces intruding on the noble process of politics. Democrats make people believe their intentions are good, and thus we should be gentle in criticizing them. We need to get people used to the idea that Democratic politicians are no more sacred than any other kind of politician.
This is one reason why the agents of this particular stunt are anonymous. It could have been one individual or 20-but who does the Left target?
This just in!
This reminds me of something I mentioned in a post long ago.
I cut out the caricature that Roman Genn did of Obama eating a dog (in National Review), and posted it on my wall at work. It stayed there for several weeks. Then one morning, I came in to work and found it gone. I guess some new person in the nighttime cleaning crew found it “offensive” and tore it down . . .
Dang it, I just about pooped in my pants when I saw this poster!
Democrat national convention: Lots of hand-crafted, individualized signs.
Republican national convention: All mass-produced machine-made signs.
I saw something similar when bicycling in southwest Wisconsin a few weeks ago. Mary Burke is a machine politician, but her yard signs looked hand-crafted. Scott Walker’s did not.
It’s best that this change.
Isn’t “quarantine peters” the whole idea behind distributing free condoms?
We are in a fists-boots-and-all street fight with the Left. We need to begin using tactics like these. If for no other reason that it really stings and gets inside their thought processes.
These are not just homemade signs, but professional graphic art. Although this is overtly political it is also cultural. We keep saying that we need to do more in the culture, well this is it.
Yes, this is professional art, but the distributors are just regular people, doing their thing to help the country. I imagine one of them drove the car(s) and others hung the posters. I was tipped off by someone else the next day to take pictures, because I’ve been documenting conservative activity since 2009. What I’d like to see is more of it taking place in city after city. We own the intellectual arguments, but we also have to own the images that are shorthand for the culture.
These are all genius bits of work.
I want to see one that has a bunch of Dems all in a row above the words:
Vote to keep us in power!
From the people that brought you Unemployment,
The Housing Crisis, Massive Regulation and,
Nearly A Decade of 1.3%
Economic Growth.
I’ll declare my cultural ignorance and ask…what is the significance of t.o.s. on her lapel?
Also, did MW actually say “N’s better have my money.” ? If not, what is the significance of that text as the background?
From LA street artist Sabo, this greeted Wendy Davis at an LA fundraiser last spring. You may also remember his Ted Cruz poster, which he sold for awhile and maybe still does, though generally his work just appears on the street.
Absolutely! When dealing with low attention voters, caricature and humor is more powerful than well crafted talking points.
There seems to be an aversion in politics to “Sink to the Other Guys Level”. A fine moral stance, yet unproductive these in this climate.
Simply put, some on the Left do not much like having their noses rubbed in their own tactics.
Great approach, just give back. Never met a Liberal (Progressive) that could not lose their mind over the prospect.
Ted Cruz’s response was perfect: he liked everything about the picture except that he doesn’t smoke.
And not only LIVs, I suspect.
OK, I just got word that they hit the area around Wayne State in Detroit near where Obama will be speaking today. I’ll update with a post when I receive the photos!
Tease. Can you at least show us the posters they’ll be putting up?
It’s the same poster they used for Lansing.
I think these are a great idea.
I question the level of “edginess” in the Maxine Waters poster. Especially the background script. But maybe there’s a story there that Angelinos would “get” that I don’t.
Can you also post pics of the apoplectic Democrats? That would make my day.
Especially if there was wailing and gnashing of teeth.