Ok, we are back to the "yard signs don't vote" discussions. This discussion has a lot of similarities to the 55 MPH speed limit issues - it depends on where you live.
Would I put a yard sign up for a D candidate in Massachussetts - hell no. The sign is just another piece of campaign droppings littering the side of the road.
Would I put one up in Georgia, Colorado or Utah - hell yes.
This debate is also a little like real estate - location, location, location.
Argument below the fold:
I will incorporate a comment from another diary
Anna is running in an R +26 state house district (don't get a hell of a lot redder than that). In many cases the first question on a door knock is "Is she a Republican or a Democrat" - If D, then door is closed.
I can't tell you the number of times the response has been "I've seen her signs, I wondered who she was". A conversation was started by humble yards signs, a vote was turned because the conversation could start.
FYI - put out 1,000 signs in 2006, lost 57-43 in the +26 district with a turnout of 55% R, 25% D, 20% I (vs. 50/21/29 registration). I say they help.
Signs help in very red districts where campaigns run under $20K, the state party contributes $0, the county party contributes $0 and the unions contribute about $500. It is the only public media you get.
But even further - signs in red states say:
I am not afraid to be known as a Democrat.
In El Paso County, I have talked to Republicans who refuse to put up a yard sign for Anna because they fear loss of revenue at their firm. You heard me - afraid that exercising free speech will have negative economic impact. In that environment, yard signs are not just advertising - they are refusal to be silenced.
Anna has made a point - a yard sign goes on an individual residence or a business. None of these "campaign droppings" on the side of the road. In Colorado Springs a yard sign is a statement of boldness, of willingness to support even when your neighbors reject that position.
Believe me, in red states, the decision to put up a yard sign is not an action of a dilettante. On some streets it is an act of defiance.
The humble yard sign may be the only weapon a Democrat may have to be loud and proud in these communities. Do not belittle the reason people in these very red states want yard signs - they want to yell their support in a very hostile forum. That deserves respect.
Update
Read the comments below - they come from red state voters who feel isolated and for whom these signs are a greeting from like minded people in areas where it is all to easy tp believe no one else supports you. A yard sign is not for turning the Rs, it is for empowering the Ds.