We got up yesterday morning to find every Obama sign on our street and in our neighborihood - gone! Udall signs were intact, others all OK, no vandalism at all: just the Obamas were gone, dozens of them.
Read on...
It has been beautiful in our neighborhood with a virtual forest of Obama signs, 'Obama Biden,' 'Obamanos' and 'Obama08.' Most are made of plastic, two sided and slip over a metal wire frame that comes with the signs when you buy them. Yes 'buy.' Nothing is free.
So...what to do>? I went by the Obama office, "We haven't had signs for ten days," I was told. I explained what happend in my South Capitol neighborhood. "Oh they are doing that all over town," a lady volunteer said, "They steal the signs overnight and sell them at the Farmer's Market! The Farmers Market!!!! One of the best and most reputable organizations in town, lately moved to fine new quarters in the Railyard District. "I wish the paper would print this, it's a scandal," the Obama volunteer said.
What the hell?!
I phoned the paper; everything was on recording. Two hours later a reporter called me back, they want to do an item in the Sunday paper. I gave them my story and quoted what the Obama office said. This morning, in the Sunday New Mexican, there was an item telling the story pretty much as I had told it, but adding that the paper had called the local press representative for the Obama Campaign, and he said, "I've heard nothing about it." I fear that is very typical of Santa Fe. I don't know why this area is considered blue -- maybe it's all the artists, writers and musicians, or old retired businessmen from the east like me. The way of thinking here is ultra-traditional, tell-you-what-you-want-to-hear and deny reality --- sound familiar? ("We create our own reality.")
Anyway, the cat is out of the bag. We'll see what the Railyard mgmt. has to say about it, if and when the newspaper contacts them. I just drove all around town -- very few Obama signs left; I saw maybe five at most -- where there had been hundreds. Gee whiz, folks, those signs are private property, bought and paid for. Keep your hands off them! Railyard Market manager: Ask your vendors where they got the signs!
The good news is that at Obama's Albuquerque rally yesterday, on the campus of the University of NM, he drew a crowd of 45,000 - as a percentage of population about 10%, even larger than St. Louis and Denver.
Obama is going to win New Mexico, but it wont be because of the signs!