About those Kerry yard signs.......

[ewagner]

We (the county party) bought ours. We didn't get a thing directly from the Kerry campaign. As a result, we "asked" for a $5.00 donation to defray the cousts of the signs. Some people resented it....no, a LOT of people resented it.

Even at that, we couldn't keep enough in stock. I think we purschased almost 1,000 of them and there were only a few left on election day.

What was the experience in your county/city/township?

[NVMojo]

1. we were told to pay for them from the state party at first but ...

when they saw how their butts were getting kicked just before the election, the Kerry campaign came here and gave them away. I still have one in my window.

[Lefta Dissenter]

2. $500 for a sign?

isn't that a bit steep? :D

We (a bunch of us) put together a bigger order before the local campaign got any. When the campaign FINALLY got some, they were being total assh*les about them, and they would dole out one sign per person if you'd show up on a particular saturday to pick it up.

Even the woman I ran into who drove in from Oregon (town, not the state) to get a sign couldn't get one, because she was there the day before they were officially handing them out. The signs were THERE, of course, but it wasn't Saturday yet!

Jeez, next time get some adults to run the campaign offices, would ya? :eyes:

[ewagner]

4. Ooops

fixed it, thanks........

It seems to me that the Kerry campaign just didn't have the knowledge or expertise on how to run the mechanics on the local level......

[L84TEA]

3. We had next to none.

Most of us purchased our own.
Gee you would think all the time I spent pounding the streets and such I would of gotten a yard sign! lol. Oh well ... I wouldn't of been able to compete with the 5'x6' Chimp signs all over town anyhow.

[adadem]

5. Our county

party bought their own too - asked $3.00 donation - nary a quibble...many donated more.

[Osamasux]

6. It was different this time

When it didn't look like many would be given out :shrug:, I looked on my own.
I bought some from Northern Sun. I think they ran 5 for $25. I figured the campaign needed the money for other things and Northern Sun is a place we should help keep in business.

[Bjornsdotter]

7. We couldn't get any

All of the signs that went to McHenry County, Illinois were sent to Wisconsin to help them out, as Wisconsin was a swing state.

I did eventually get one when I saw Edwards in Milwaukee.

Cheers,
Kim :toast:

[Nikia]

8. I wasn't asked for a donation

I got the sign at the Appleton Kerry headquarters when I went there for the Kerry event at Lawrence. This is not the county that I live in. Of course, we could donate if we chose. I had already donated to the Kerry campaign. I guess that I just assumed that the signs were from the Kerry campaign. I think in that particuliar area though, which is predominately Republican, they were glad that people were putting them up regardless if they were donating.

[BrainRants]

9. Green Bay

We bought our initial one, but had them stolen. Brown County Dems had replacements after a few weeks, but they could tell they were short. The people working the Brown County Dems office were wonderful! Very helpful, lots of enthusiasm. They all deserve a lot of credit for their efforts.

[mb7588a]

10. It was a statewide "shock and awe" technique.

October 9th, I think it was, in the three counties my office was responsible for released 2,000 signs. They appeared in people's lawns who had requested them on that day. In some areas it was quite the scene.

With the high rate of theft, and the sign's low shelf life (vulnerable to wind and rain), this was a VERY reasonable and understandable campaign tactic.

[sybylla]

11. Glad it worked in your area

It was a miserable failure in mine. Signs were so late that every county party within 150 miles had purchased their own and handed them out. Kinda turned shock and awe into a rather pointless event. I take it you worked in or near a big city because my county of 35,000 people got a grand total of 50 signs from the Kerry campaign.

I suppose shock and awe might have worked had the counties been able to get anything else from the campaign (buttons, bumperstickers, literature, etc) but as that wasn't the case, we began to distrust that anything was coming our way. Turns out we were right. 50 signs was a joke and would have provided no shock and awe at all.

For being a battleground state, it shouldn't have been so difficult to get campaign materials. It's no wonder the election was as close as it was in this state and frankly, I think it's sad. Especially in comparison to the Feingold Campaign who got materials to the county parties in early June and made more available as they were needed. It made the Kerry Campaign look like it was run by a bunch of college kids.

[ewagner]

12. I think shock and awe

was a flawed strategy.

Actually I'm a little miffed at those who parrot the phrase "yard signs don't vote!"..

It's about visibility. It's about momentum. It's about people feeling that they are a part of the campaign.

Sometimes I get very frustrated with our leadership.

[Lefta Dissenter]

13. THANK YOU

you are correct, as always. :toast:

[MLE]

14. free for me

I don't know really anybody who was giving them out in my town, except me. I gave out some the week before the election. I got all of mine free from the campaign building where I volunteered. I also got a few more small signs as well as a huge 4 X 8 foot sign at a rally in a nearby town. I was also lucky enough to meet Sen. Kerry there! :)


I still have 2 Kerry Edwards signs up in windows and my stickers are still on my car.