General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI realize yard signs don't win elections.
But I noticed something interesting today. I live in the wealthiest county in a very red state. Today I drove through the wealthiest neighborhood in this wealthy county and was stunned by the number of Obama signs. Also signs for local Democrats running for office. Normally there are mainly Republican signs and very few Democratic signs in this particular neighborhood. But not this year. The Romney and Obama signs were about 50/50. But the local races were represented by a vast majority of Democratic signs. I'd say that was closer to 90/10.
In a Republican dominated county in a red state, this is huge.
But like I said, I realize yard signs don't win elections.
OKNancy
(41,832 posts)are Democrats.
Here in my very middle-middle class neighborhood there is one sign. It's for Obama-Biden.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)I've lived here nearly all my life and it's not unusual to not see ANY Democratic signs in that particular neighborhood.
CreekDog
(46,192 posts)and letting it go down the tubes is a not a good way to treat one's investment.
obviously the poor should have a stake in this nation, but too often they are denied the opportunity (at least monetarily).
financially i've been pretty comfortable for quite a while now but i always vote for higher taxes, higher minimum wages, longer school years, etc.
what good does it do to have some extra money to spend when the place where you live is falling apart around you. not to be glib, but that's a downer.
besides, other countries, many of them at least, have figured the poverty thing out better than us and you get a happier country as a result or at least a country that operates better.
let's hope for us.
MiniMe
(21,717 posts)And I have been surprised at the number of Romney yard signs. Maryland is trying to redistrict Bartlett out, Chris Van Holland used to be my rep and they moved him to a different district. I hope the redistrict works as I don't want a tea party guy as my rep
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Or other parts of Lower Fairfield County.
mzmolly
(50,996 posts)in the burb I live in.
My dh, who travels locally for work said he has yet to see a single Rmoney sign, also.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)And you can't win elections without a ground game.
Tennessee Gal
(6,160 posts)Not nearly as many as McCain/Palin four years ago, though.
Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)I see far more Obama bumper stickers and "on person" buttons than Robme. But even as I drive through traditionally conservative neighborhoods I see only a few Robme/Lyin-Ryan yard signs. This is very different from 2008.
This suggests two things
(1) People in general are less enthusiastic about the candidates
(2) People are more energized about Obama than RMoney
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Plus I just don't see Romney working it very hard. Here, there are a few GOP candidates working but the majority aren't working half as hard as the Democrats. I think they may be a bit over confident.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)I see very few signs for either candidate here. Georgia is just not being contested.
-Laelth
Papagoose
(428 posts)I live in NW Georgia, I have not seen a single Obama sign in my entire county, but there are Rmoney signs EVERYWHERE.
im1013
(633 posts)But, it's northwest Mississippi, what do you expect.
God, I truly dislike the people here!
spanone
(135,846 posts)abumbyanyothername
(2,711 posts)But, really, in West LA, the big battles are between the corporatist Dems and the Tom Hayden branch of the party.
I am supporting Odysseus Bostick to oust incumbent Bill Rosendahl for the local city council seat, for example. http://www.bostick4la.com/
calimary
(81,323 posts)West L.A. too. More Obama signs than wrongney in general. As it should be.
CoffeeCat
(24,411 posts)...has really fired up the Democrats and sane Independents. Seriously. Everyone knows he would be worse than Bush.
Also, I live in a red suburb. I haven't seen ONE Romney signs, but I see some Obama signs. In our little subdivision alone, there are four within a few seconds of our house.
I know yard signs don't win elections, but it sure nice to take the doggies for a walk and to see several Obama signs along the way!
Thanks for the post P2B!
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Here's an article in my local paper today:
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/06/3850455/obama-supporters-in-overdrive.html
meadowlark5
(2,795 posts)I live in a very conservative county and only last week have I begun to see Mittwitt yard signs. There are a few ranchers that have those huge. obnoxious billboard signs planted on their property for the Mitt-twit. Before that I was seeing Obama bumper stickers and just a few yard signs. A very wealthy neighborhood I drive through to take my son to school has a bunch of Romney yard signs, which doesn't surprise me at all.
But is sure isn't like 2008 when I saw so many bumper stickers, yard signs and plenty of rancher billboards all over for McCain/Palin. I sure hope this is an indication of very little enthusiasm for that sorry ass repub ticket.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Very different. I think people are just burnt out. The divisiveness has worn them down.
Not Sure
(735 posts)and I live in working class Tarrant County, Texas, which is reliably red. I've never seen more yard signs for a Democratic candidate and fewer for a Republican candidate than now. Obviously, Texas will go to Romney handily, but it is encouraging to see some change.
geckosfeet
(9,644 posts)Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)In a district where there's never a Dem challenger for our doo-bee GOP congressdolt, Devin Nunes. You really have to LOOK to see an Obama sign around here (besides mine). What you DO see are very large Romney/Ryan signs up - cattle-gate sized signs on many farms around here. Many business fronts in town with 2 and 3 signs out front as well as many vehicles with Rethug stickers all over.
Panasonic
(2,921 posts)Hope so.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Greetings from Brownbackistan.
logosoco
(3,208 posts)and back today. I flipped off every akin sign I saw (childish perhaps at the age of 47, but it really felt good!).
I know this is an extremely red part of the state, but I saw quite a lot of Dem. candidate signs as well.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)I'm in KC.
7wo7rees
(5,128 posts)a month after I saw my first one. In Texas.
Ilsa
(61,695 posts)area, either. A few more will pop up because of the debate, but there should be alot more here.
Mothdust
(133 posts)They may have been wealthy gays living in prominent neighborhoods, as they sometimes do. Or to be really evil, they may be only provoking neighbours to make sure they get out and vote, lest they have to live with the consequences : )
Mothdust
(133 posts)It could be that Romney supporters are deliberately creating an illusion of Obama being ahead in order to create an illusion that we need not worry and thereby let our guard down and not vote. Then they will Turn out en mass and stab us in the back for our complacency.
dobleremolque
(492 posts)at a certain level.
Yard signs are the number one way to establish name identification in local races. At the national level, not so much because those races get covered ad nauseum. But if you are going to run for school board, or county supervisor or your state legislature, yard signs are an absolutely necessary part of your campaign budget because they DO build name recognition. And they are orders of magnitude cheaper than television, radio and direct mail.
Name recognition works when a voter takes a ballot into the booth and sees a name on the ballot that they saw over and over again on yard signs. All other things being equal, odds are they'll choose that person.
proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Low info voters vote on name recognition alone.
Welcome to DU
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)but, that is in a nutshell what I was thinking.
JackN415
(924 posts)where many repubs run unopposed years after years. A most outrageous repub gerrymandering.
Last week I spotted a campaign worker for a Dem. local candidate. When we were both in line for a coffee at a Starbucks, I struck a conversation with him, thinking that his work must be lonely and frustrated, after telling him that I'm a straight-ticket democrat voter in spite of the futility.
Turn out that he was a local Dem party operative, and he told me the contrary, that the demographic trend at my district is shifting and he could see 5-10 yrs down the road a possible Dem turnover. He flipped open his laptop to show me the trend. Well to do professional immigrants, younger professionals moving into my district are more democratic-oriented. Even if some can be fiscally conservative, they are largely socially liberal. Well, if my district goes democrat, hell will freeze over and I think the GOP is also over unless it re-invents itself into something more palatable to the new American demography.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)It's been this way since Clinton. The GOP has gone so far to the right, many affluent educated people do not buy into the right wing b.s.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)But there are tons of signs for local wing nuts, especially Rick Berg.
DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)proud2BlibKansan
(96,793 posts)Tons of Obama bumper stickers.
JoeyT
(6,785 posts)and I drive a lot for work and most of that driving is in rural Alabama.
Yesterday I paid careful attention to the bumper stickers on cars I went by for the first time in a while. Lots of Obama/Biden. I saw as many McCain/Palin stickers as Romney/Ryan. That tells me how enthusiastic they are to vote for their candidate.