apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

From what I've seen/heard, Obama supporters have been the meanest, nastiest, racist, most destructive people, especially when it comes to defacing campaign signs. I read that in PG County, Maryland (which is mostly African American), the entire community erupted in protest after a local hotel put up a McCain-Palin sign. Is it any wonder that Obama's lead has been shrinking slowly over the past few days?

I won't say anything about McCain or Obama, but I've seen Ron Paul signs set up in some of the funniest places, including one in the woods on the side of an entrance ramp to the freeway -- given the particular location, it must've been a long walk!

give me a break.

I second the first comment - in my town, people with McCain stickers and signs or conservative leanings are consistently mocked and treated very rudely - what a shame! People should be able to express their own opinions freely without fear of retribution, it's America for goodness' sake. (btw - I'm not a conservative - just an observer).

hejiranyc: and by the way, as of today, obama was conservatively leading mccain in the electoral vote 352.2 to 158.8. (source: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/)

shrink that.

consider the source before sipping on the drudge kool aid.
(source: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/bad-spin-watch-drudge-touts-weeks-old.html)

I live in one of the only Democratic strongholds in Florida. Or so I always thought.

In 2000, I was sporting a Gore/ Lieberman sticker and through the farce of that year's disputed election results, I never took the sticker off my car. My plan was to leave it in place for as long as it lasted as a way to register my disgust over how that election had been bungled. Fast forward to September, 2001.

I was walking across the grocery store parking lot and heading back to my car. A group of flag-waving thought police had gathered around my car and one of them was attempting to remove my Gore/ Lieberman sticker. No lie, there were five of them standing there. Chests puffed out, arms akimbo.

I yelled for them to stop, they threatened to beat me for my un-American leanings. I called the police to report an assault and threat happening in broad daylight. The mob of five were unmoved by my hollering and police-calling. They succeeded in removing my "un-American" election sticker and I survived unscathed. The police arrived after the crime had been committed and the cop took a statement. He then drove past the vigilantes on his way out of the parking lot and I half expected him to wave hello to them.

So went my introduction to George Bush's America. The "Uniter" had succeeded in whipping people into a nationalist frenzy and uniting them against people like me.

So, you guys asked for an experience with the topic and there's mine.

What does this have to do with saving the world, one room at a time?

I was so enjoying some nice politics-free P&Q time at AT:SF.

scmtngirl: agreed.

i'm as beltway as you get, but i'd rather see sofas and paint swatches on apartment therapy. leave the politics to redstate and dailykos.

god bless america.
no seriously.
please bless america.
we need it.

agreed scmtngirl. there is no way these comments will end up being very pretty - not everyone can be open minded enough to hear out other people's experiences and opinions. Plus this just isn't the place.

when we put up our obama sign on the lawn, our neighbor pretty much said "it's on" and countered with a mccain one. since we live in a red state and a very conservative neighborhood, we've noticed that we're having a lot fewer neighborly conversations since the sign went up.

and god, please bless hejiranyc

scmtngirl: You picked the wrong post to open...sorry. :)

To hejiranyc: There are many people who have experienced just the opposite of what you're describing. Here's one example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us&feature=related

Now, let's all put our differences aside and go back to talking about room decor...in the words of everyone's favorite poster, "Keep calm and carry on"!

I won't get into politics here, but from a pure design perspective, I find the Obama poster a lot more visually appealing than McCain's. The choice of colors and type treatment is a lot more sophisticated.

Can I take back my anecdote?

The sound minds here are right, this is neither the time nor the place for this kind of stuff. I am positive that everybody on every conceivable side of any issue you want to name has a tale of woe concerning the rudeness of the opposition. Thanks for the reality check madsarah, scmtngirl, twenty-twentyone, goofybuddha and anybody I left out.

saintpetepaul: i take back my politicking too. this election is my emotional achilles' heel.

no more politics on AT.

madsarah, thanks for putting up that video! more people need to see that. at least, i got a thoroughly disgusted kick out of it when i first saw it a few days ago.

like most of you, i feel this post serves no purpose. it's just going to cause (and has already caused) feather ruffling more than anything else.

Obama/Biden 08!

heh heh.

I shrink from any controversy with anyone, so prefer to keep my political opinions to myself in my neighborhood. I also dislike the clutter of roadside signs, particularly since the signs have metal pieces that once caused a hazard to my pony back in my riding days, or hazards to mowers or pedestrians. I think we all agree that civility is always the best policy and ugly behavior reflects badly on the candidates

PLEASE NO MORE POLITICAL POSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all know why you're doing it. JUST STOP IT.

Back to design.

I too like to escape from politics when I can but, with such a big election less than three weeks away, it's kinda unavoidable. Politics effects everything we do.

If you loose you home because of your medical bills due to lack of insurance, what would you do with that fabulous Arco lamp you just bought? It's kinda heavy to be lugging around!

I just wish race would stop coming into it. Saying "these" people are mean and they are "this color" is just Unnecessary.

jeez people... there are a**holes on both sides...and those people suck.

I have a Nader/Gonzalez sign in my window, on Hayes Street here in San Francisco. The only other Nader signs I've seen in the Bay Area have been here on Hayes Street, where I think Matt Gonzalez lives.

Just presenting a third (and overlooked) side of the issue, which (I think) was originally about what signs are in what neighborhoods.

I actually really like the Nader/Gonzalez posters from a design perspective; they're simple and old school.

Good on those of you who came back to smoothe your earlier comments ... that kind of thing is rare, classy!

That said, I'll chance some politicking, but not for any candidate or party, but for animals: If you're a Californian I'm asking for a Yes on Prop 2, to give factory farmed animals just a little more space and a lot more comfort while they are here on Earth.

Seems controversial and you know, it makes people say upsetting things, that make other people react to it, because it's WAY off-topic and UNPLEASANT and OFFENSIVE, that they get warned privately for reacting to.

What has this to do with apartment therapy? Do you have any sense at all? If this is of some interest to a particular blogger, there are thousands of other places on the internet to participate in this kind of thought exercise, shallow as it is. This is like, "politics is hard! aren't those signs kind of, like, clashing with the landscaping? Ewww!" but it brings up the bile, and gosh, would you like to seem smart enough to foresee nothing good can come of instigating another political uproar? Wouldn't you?

I have to agree with some of the others that AT should leave politics to the other 4 billion blogs. It is an oasis for anyone burned out by the longest campaign in history.

That said, I live in the heart of Bush country (literally--he will moving here after the election) and there are at least as many Obama signs up as McCain signs, maybe more. I haven't heard of any horrible stories of retribution or defacement. I've had an Obama sticker on my car for months, and no one has tried to rear-end me or follow me home. I don't think nasty people have a particular political party--they spread the joy around. Fortunately, most people are decent, agree-to-disagree types who believe that everyone has a right to their own opinion. I think that is how 300 million people manage to coexist without anarchy.

After having to live life in South Africa during apartheid, I'm very proud of my Obama yard sign!

Democracy is never controversial, unpleasant or offensive! And I'm proud to exercise my democracy, and express my pride in supporting a great leader such as Obama.

Viva! Apartment therapy, for being such an effective tool in bringing people together and informing us about creating beautiful homes!

jeeze the critiquing of the signs for the most important election is all we got here. yes I agree no politics on AT.

I seriously hope that people are taking this more seriously.

Ok now back to the sofa discussion.

I have an OBAMA sign on my lawn and have had no problems at all, thankfully. I've seen some McCain signs as well in places i drive through everyday and the signs are STILL up and not destroyed. I think some people are just exaggerating and in turn that spreads MORE HATE...so please just get over it. I'm sure there are people on both sides that are rude and disrespectful.

Post what you want AT...its your blog.

Jen Ramos
'100% Recycled DESIGNER Cards & More'
www.madebygirl.com
madebygirl.blogspot.com

I still have a Hillary sign I put in my window from time to time. I ordered an Obama one, too, still waiting on that. Regardless, I love campaign season and seeing signs all over the place. What pisses me off if where people decide to put bumper stickers, may it be on the backside of traffic signs, light poles, etc.

You can get FREE 'VOTE' posters designed by Nikki McClure from
http://buyolympia/com/vote

They are kinda cool and don't endorse any candidates, but leave a place for you to write something on the side.

I'm going to have one framed and matted and put it in the living room as a reminder of this historical time

My friends know which way I lean but my neighbors don't and I rather keep it that way. Do I think differently if someone puts up a sign of the "other guy"? Yeah, unfortunately I do. I have perfectly normal, yet heated, political conversations with co-workers and when we are done we laugh about it and are still friends. But not everyone else is the same way. I would rather have peace in the neighborhood then have worry about it. Besides, I really don't care how people vote.

Does anyone have any pink flamingoes in their yard? (instead of political signs, that is...)

Skye, that is the most RACIEST comment I have seen on AT, implying you are supporting Obama based on the color of his skin and not his policies, diplomatic relationships, future plans, etc. And comparing with apartheid? Shame on you. Colin Powell is a great leader and I would vote for him if he ran for president, but not because he is black, but because he has good judgement and a polite wife, something Obama is severely lacking. Condoleeza Rice would be an awesome president. But not Obama. Viva pink flamingoes in the yard instead of signs.

Thank God America isn't quite "there" yet. Obama is a socialist.

Plain Jane: Bahahaha. You're cracking me up here, and not in a "laughing with you" kind of way.

AT: Please stop with the politics!

What the hell do political beliefs have to with interior design? If you guys are going to try to start a shitstorm, youtube would be a better (and more relevant) place to do it.

It's kind of funny that so many see the post, click on it, and then leave a comment just to say that they don't want to talk about it. There are ads on this page that don't interest me so, I don't click on them.

I know the Constitution seems to be getting challenged constantly but, when did we lose the right to simply scroll to the next post?

Maybe AT knows us a little better than we know ourselves.

Um, j i, hate to burst your bubble but:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Poll-2008-National.html

It's tightening. Time to go to detox from the Kool Aid.

Personally I like seeing the occasional element of political reality, on any blog. What's the harm in it? There's something a little ostrich-in-the-sand about unadulterated decor in times like these. There needs to be the occasional moment where we look up from the screen at what's around us, or things get a little airless and weird. PS hejiranyc needs to start getting his/her news from somewhere other than Drudge. One thing I'll say about campaign signs is that I'm encouraged by how seldom signs are actually vandalized. Civic life has been so degraded that I expect every sign to be defaced, but luckily things just haven't fallen that far.