Something about all those signs at the teabagger protests

[garybeck]

Something doesn't seem right about all those offensive and absurd signs at the teabagger protests.

For one thing, the ignorance of the people holding them often doesn't seem to match the creativity and skill required to make the sign, or come up with the slogan on it. These are not made with magic markers on cardboard...

In other words, the more I look at these signs, the more I think someone besides the person holding them is making them. And when I look at the broader scope and see a bunch of signs that are too well made and too "creative" (I hate to use that word in this case) for the crowd, the more it makes me skeptical.

It makes me think that the organizers made a huge stack of signs, and when the people showed up they were instructed to just pick one they like.

Anyone else think that's what's happening?

[brettdale]

1. who knows

I remember the 2004 election and a whole lot of young people had signs that said "Cheney rocks" at the VP debates, came out later they were students that were paid to go to the debate and hold the banners.

[givemebackmycountry]

2. Well maybe SOME of them were no doubt...

BUT. the clown holding the sign that said "Thanks FOX NEWS for keeping us INFROMED" has to be an original.

No one else could be THAT stupid.

[hfojvt]

3. I went to a war protest in February of 2003

I didn't take a sign, because I hate things like that. I am not a sign maker and would just get all frustrated trying to make a sign (later I got one that was discarded from a play and took it to Manhattan, Kansas to protest a Bush visit. It is a simple sign with an easy to understand message. It says "BOO!" It works on another level too since I personally look so much like that person in "The Princess Bride" and plus the AP was saying that Bush went to the midwest to see if he would be booed there.)

Anyway, about halfway through our march this guy comes up to me and asks me if I will hold a sign. I am not sure if another person was getting tired or if this was kind of a Seinfeld thing (when Kramer marched without wearing a ribbon and everybody freaked out "You have to wear a ribbon" becomes "You have to carry a sign."). I asked what the sign said, since I wasn't gonna carry a sign that I didn't agree with, and it said "What would Jesus bomb?" That's how I ended up with that sign on that cold February day in Lawrence, Kansas. It might have been made by the organizers of the protest. It's quite possible that people who like making signs, are good at it, etc., either make extra signs, or are recruited by organizers to make extra signs.

[ironjohn929]

4. You Sound Hypocritical

Let's just say that the signs were "professionally" made by a person or an organization. How does that differ from what ACORN or Code Pink does at any liberal or democrat function?

Now lets turn the table around for a minute. You speak of all the absurd and offensive signs and their ignorance. Don't you think that conservatives are saying the exact same thing about liberals when they see them marching in the street.

The great thing about America is that we have the freedom of our own opinion, and freedom of speech. Conservatives look at liberals in total disbelief and liberals look at conservatives in total disbelief. Each thinks the other is evil and wicked and destructive to America. Where does it end? We are at the most partisan point in our history and it doesn't look like it's getting any better.

[MrScorpio]

6. Here do you stand on liberal causes?

Strong liberals like myself can stand and fight for them with or with signs.

And I have

[HubertHeaver]

9. But conservatives ARE evil.

[Winterblues]

13. "Mission Accomplished"

Please give an example of anything ACORN did at a Democratic function...

[surrealAmerican]

14. You're probably a republican, but ...

... I agree that professionally printed signs, in and of themselves, do not mean the people who carry them are any less sincere.

[gatorboy]

15. Ooooh! I guess you told us!

Republicans are garbage, by the way. Hopefully today is a pick-up day.

[ironjohn929]

16. Yeah, I'm a Republican.....

Look, I have a strong chin and can take any name-calling anyone wants to throw at me....it really doesn't bother me. But what I don't understand is why you or anyone else does it. How productive is it? What purpose is it? Yeah, I'm a Republican. Go ahead and call names. But you might want to understand that while there are people like you who will tow the party line at all cost, there are people like me who wish to see both sides of the argument before developing an opinion about something. That's why I'm here. My party has it's way of thinking and develop policy from it, and condemn liberals by it. It doesn't mean they're right all the time. Your party is no different. It means that for me to make an informed decision, I have to educate myself, and see all the different points of view before doing so. So call names if you wish, but maybe you should think about seeing things from a different point of view before opening your mouth.

[slampoet]

5. Young Republicans pre-made signs for decades.

Standard procedure.

[MrScorpio]

7. There's a very good reason to be suspicious of premade RW signs...

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MrScorpio/63

[eppur_se_muova]

8. Corporate sponsorship?

Donated signs would make a tempting tax exemption, after all. :evil:

[NecklyTyler]

10. Slack jawed yokels with too much time on their hands. n/t

[Berry Cool]

11. The fact that the signs are premade tells you all you need to know about the "spontaneity"

of the protest.

Then again, I don't suspect events simply because some of the signs are made en masse and handed out at the event. That's pretty much SOP. I've seen it done at Obama rallies...volunteer workers handing out to the crowd handpainted signs the volunteers had painted beforehand. They then collected them at the end. Part of the reason they did this was because the attendees weren't allowed to bring their own signs. Why don't they just hand out the printed signs? Because, I imagine, the handpainted ones look more "authentic." But that's just as fake in its own way as teabaggers handing out signs at their rallies.

Mind you, I assume all candidates do this--that Hillary did, McCain did, etc. In short, it's just what they do.

[Cairycat]

12. There were a lot of correctly spelled signs

that would seem to indicate the wingnuts weren't making the signs themselves.

[ironjohn929]

17. Yeah....I'm a Republican

Look, I have a strong chin and can take any name-calling anyone wants to throw at me....it really doesn't bother me. But what I don't understand is why you or anyone else does it. How productive is it? What purpose is it? Yeah, I'm a Republican. Go ahead and call names. But you might want to understand that while there are people like you who will tow the party line at all cost, there are people like me who wish to see both sides of the argument before developing an opinion about something. That's why I'm here. My party has it's way of thinking and develop policy from it, and condemn liberals by it. It doesn't mean they're right all the time. Your party is no different. It means that for me to make an informed decision, I have to educate myself, and see all the different points of view before doing so. So call names if you wish, but maybe you should think about seeing things from a different point of view before opening your mouth.

[RagAss]

18. Thank You for stopping in Mr. Hannity.