Posters, Signs and Bumper Stickers


Posters (My Shock and Awe Campaign)
To raise curiosity, I posted a Burma Shave type series of homemade campaign type Posters a few weeks before the November 2005 elections. They were first along 148th NE from Main to BelleRed Road and then moved to Main Street between 148th and 156th, with several on 156th and NE 8th and 164th and NE 8th. I was surprised when I doorbelled to recruit members for our Lake Hills Liberals to find that many of the people I met had seen the posters, wondered what they were about, and who put them up.

I made the 11 x 8 ˝ posters using computer and printer, fastened them to corrugated cardboard with handiwrap taped over them to protect them from the rain. They were stapled to laths sharpened at one end for putting in the ground. They were too small. Nevertheless, many people saw them.

There were 11 pairs of signs, the first of each pair topped by PROUD LIBERAL and the second topped by PROUD CONSERVATIVE. The pairs of messages were as follows:

PROUD LIBERAL: Time for a Change
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Going in the Right

PROUD LIBERAL: Regain Global Respect
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: U.S., the Global Police Force

PROUD LIBERAL: Restore Budgetary Sanity
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Reward Campaign Contributors

PROUD LIBERAL: Stop Envirocide
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Anything Goes Deregulation

PROUD LIBERAL: Build America Together
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Tom Delay for President

PROUD LIBERAL: Pay as We Go
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Borrow and Spend M PROUD LIBERAL: Compete Economically
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Compete Militarily

PROUD LIBERAL: Leave No Person Behind
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Cut Taxes, Starve Government

PROUD LIBERAL: Medicare for All
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Privatize Social Security

PROUD LIBERAL: Privacy for People
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Privacy for Government

PROUD LIBERAL: Be Prepared
PROUD CONSERVATIVE: Don’t Worry

One to three pairs were then places in sequence facing in each direction on the street.

Yard Signs
Our ‘PROUD LIBERAL, TIME FOR A CHANGE’ yard signs were purchased from a sign company, Morup Signs, Inc. located at 128 NE 14th Place, Bellevue, WA 98005 with phone 425-883-6337. The cost of 50 - 24 x 18 signs, each of which I cut into 4 identical 12 x 9 signs was $250 plus tax of $22.

The signs are corrugated plastic which is weather proof. The stakes are laths, which were purchased from Dunn lumber for 32 cents each. Thus the total cost for each of the 200 signs with their stakes is about $1.71. The signs are stapled onto the stakes, using long staples with the ends that reach through pounded over, so they won’t come out.

To avoid using more than one color which would be more expensive, the top section of the sign with ‘Proud Liberal’ is blue on white background The bottom section with ‘Time for a Change’ is white on blue background.

The sudden appearance of 44 PROUD LIBERAL yard signs throughout Lake Hills, known as a neighborhood of conservatives, is a miracle. Unexpected, viewers became curious how it happened and who did it. Democratic Party PCOs have been particularly curious to see such a display in the precincts for which they bear the responsibility of identifying liberal voters.

Bumper Stickers
It is also possible to make bumper stickers on a computer and printer, perhaps making two 10 x 4 pieces, one with the first part of the message and the other with the rest of the message. These can be taped on the inside of the rear window.

Our PROUD LIBERAL bumper stickers were also purchased from Morup Signs, taking care to obtain ones that can easily be removed when they become scarred. The cost was $163.20 including tax for 100 bumper stickers, but I believe we received 160 signs.

Several of our members have commented on their joy at seeing other cars with these bumper stickers.

Posters
Using our yard signs, it is easy to make posters for vigils, picketing, gathering petition signatures, marches, etc. I carried a poster at our Martin Luther King Rally and March, which was made as follows: Using computer and printer, I made 11 x 8 ˝ poster displaying LAKE HILLS over LIBERALS. This paper poster was taped to a cardboard backing with a handiwrap covering on the front. This was then taped to the back of one of our yard signs. The result showed our PROUD LIBERAL, TIME FOR A CHANGE message on one side and our LAKE HILLS LIBERALS message on the other.

At the rally, over 1000 people saw our poster, as I held it up, turning it 180 degrees every minute. If they encounter us again, they will already have an image that we have been active in liberal events. Five people were talked with about our Lake Hills Liberals and two joined us as outreach members.

For other events that we create or participate in, we can quickly prepare these posters and others with message appropriate to the event.