My Repuke friend trusts me to run his business........

[Historic NY]

he is going away for a week and asked me to keep his business running. He busts my chops as I do his over politics...his store is loaded with political pictures of Repukes including the current * . I told him to expect some Democrat pictures on his return or at the very least expect Reagan & the *'s with pictures with mustaches etc.
He does sometimes agree with me....and that in itself is a miracle. I keep telling him he needs to widen his view from Faux News & Newsmax. I send him links with different views daily. I've noticed lately if a link doesn't work he complains and asks me to resend it. Perhaps he has become disenchanted. I'd like to think I am wearing him down.

Should I mess up his pictures? For some reason he thinks every customer supports the current occupant of the WH. I think I need some Commie Pinko stuff to plant to send him over the edge. I was thinking of planting some "Bartcop" worst president posters in a few places. I am bad.........

I want suggestions..........I've got a whole week.

[fujiyama]

1. What kind of business is it?

I can't imagine having political propaganda over the walls of a workplace can help increase revenue unless you stay in an extreme RW part of NY.

I say get rid of the pics. If he trusts you to run it, then tell him that you did what you felt you needed to do to attract more types of people who may not necessarily agree with his warped ideaology.

[Wonk]

2. Depends how much you value the job and the friend, I suppose.

[cynatnite]

3. I don't think any business should have political paraphernalia around

I'd keep on him. I think he is starting to wake up from the sounds of it.

[sandnsea]

4. My sister is totally disgusted

She was never a huge Bush fan anyway, but voted for him and they get most of their "news" from Fox. I was talking to her today and we got on the topic of gas I think, and she said she just decided the whole system was corrupt from top to bottom. Greed and corruption. So yeah, I think they're getting a bit disenchanted. What are they going to do when the whole of the Plame indictments come out, oh my oh my.

[petronius]

5. I probably wouldn't do it...

It's one thing to joke around with a friend, but there are always certain areas that are off limits. It seems to me that a business would be one of those areas, especially if he derives his livelihood from it. He's trusting you to care for it, which he probably considers to be a pretty big trust, and I'd guess he expects you to take it seriously. Pranks would be inappropriate, IMO.

But that's just me - I don't know you or your friend...

[Systematic Chaos]

6. He's a friend, and that business is his means of support

The MOST I would do would maybe be to make some of the repub decor a little less conspicuous, if that is possible, without actually removing things from walls or whatever, and only until the day before he's due back. Teasing him could only harm your friendship.

I know from my own workplace that there ARE a small handful of conservatives out there who are very good people at heart. One older guy I work with is just devastated over the whole Katrina thing, and that was how major seeds of doubt were planted in his mind about this cabal. In fact, he is now willing to lend credence to everything I've been trying to tell him for the past 4 years. I took any chance I could to explain facts to him about different things the administration has done, that he would never find in his daily read of the newspaper (USA Today :puke:). Now it's all starting to make sense to him, and he doesn't think I'm "nuts" anymore. Not one bit.

Give your friend time. Run his place the way he would and hope that in time he comes around.

[LittleClarkie]

7. Cover the pictures of Bush with Clinton

After all, everybody loves a president, apparently. Surely they love President Clinton just as much... right?

Hmm, or how about finding alternate photographs, unflattering ones, of the Republicans he has up on the walls. Replace a nice picture of Bush with one of him smirking, a nice picture of Cheney with one of him scowling and so on.

But then again, if you are making headway with him, perhaps you should be cool and not "send him over the edge" and undo what you've done.

[IkeWarnedUs]

8. Where is he going?

In 2003 a friend of mine went to his native Hungary for a month and left me in charge of his two bars and a restaurant. For years he and I battled about politics, but there was no political stuff around his businesses.

I picked him up at the airport and we stopped for lunch so I could catch him up on how things went. First thing as we sat down he tells me Bush & Co. let 9/11 happen on purpose. Luckily I was in a booth or I would have falllen out of my chair. He said everywhere he went people were talking about it, especially when people found out he lived in the US.

This doesn't help with your question, but, depending on where he is going, your friend may well come back enlightened.

As to your question, I would take the pictures down. Don't replace them with Democrats, but put him in the position of having to put the Repubs back up - if he still feels he wants them there. You might want to make notes of any customer comments. If the space looks too empty replace them with something cute or inspirational.

[RepublicanElephant]

9. no, don't mess-up his stuff...

...just wear a "don't blame me, i voted for kerry" button on your shirt.

[fleabert]

10. stickers, non-permanent, ironic stickers.

moustaches, quotes, sayings, etc... nothing permanent. and keep it light. be prepared that most of his customers DO agree with him, because if I walked into a store/shop/restaurant with crap like that on the walls, I would take my $ elsewhere, and never go back.

nice of you to help him out, and good job trying to educate him.

[LynnTheDem]

11. If you can afford the $, pick up a few fake mustachios and tape them

onto his pics. Then you're not destroying his property & imo it would be funny as hell. :D

[zbdent]

12. When he comes back, inform him that he had record sales for the week

(Please, do not destroy/deface the merchandise - that will get you legally in a lot of hot water).

Just don't inform him that the record sales were due to the promotion you held the week he was gone:

"80 percent off on all scumbag merchandise!" - Reagan, Nixon, Bush stuff . . .