Here in Watertown, Massachusetts, which is just outside of Boston, it will probably surprise no one that Barack Obama is leading John McCain significantly. I haven't counted how many Obama yard signs I've seen here and in the surrounding towns on the west side of Boston that I've driven through, but where yard signs are concerned, Obama is the clear leader, and was the clear leader during the primaries, too. I'm trying to remember if I saw any McCain signs anywhere. It seems like I saw one last month, but I honestly don't remember.
Obama leads in bumper stickers, as well. I've seen a few McCain bumper stickers lately, but Obama leads by far, and even led Hillary Clinton during the primaries, which seems strange, since Hillary squarely won the Massachusetts primary. I've got an Obama sticker on my car. No yard sign, though. We just moved in and share a house with another couple, and I'm nervous about talking politics with them at this point. The house across the street has an Obama sign, at least.
This Obama enthusiasm has been raging here for months. I was a little surprised when in early July I visited my native Mercer County, Pennsylvania (not far from Youngstown, Ohio,) where I saw no political yard signs and only one political bumper sticker for the 2008 elections—for Hillary Clinton. There were loads of yard signs, but they were all promoting motorcycle safety. And while I have nothing against motorcycle safety... come on, there's an election happening! I don't know if it's changed lately. I've asked my sister who still lives in the area, but she's not prone to notice these things. (She's a Republican whom I didn't need to convince to vote for Obama. I did convince her to vote for Kathy Dahlkemper for Congress, though. Score!)
The McCain and Obama bumper stickers I see tend to be on cars with Massachusetts and New Hampshire plates—which are logically the most common plates around here. And while McCain's stickers have been growing in number lately, there's still a way to go for them. I haven't seen any third-party bumper stickers for the general, unless you count Ron Paul, which I don't, since he's not seeking the presidency.
Is it strange that I haven't seen anyone wearing anyone's campaign tee shirts or buttons around here yet?
What are the yard sign/bumper sticker/tee shirt reports from where you are?
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