Campaign placards are targeted

Sign thieves abound

There are two things that I specifically hate (and that’s a strong word, but appropriate) with regards to political campaigns. Demonization of the other candidate, and cheap, stupid political vandalism:

‘The sign theft and all that, that’s not a Democrat thing, that’s not a Republican thing, that’s just dumb people stealing signs, and it should stop,’ Kenney said. ‘If you want to help a candidate, stick a sign in your yard. Don’t tear down somebody else’s sign. But it has gotten worse.’

Kenney said Republicans, at least, almost budget for sign theft, ordering more signs than they need on the assumption that a certain number will vanish from lawns.

But losing signs to theft is an expensive proposition.

Last weekend, a vandal spray-painted a vulgarity across a large 4-by-8-foot Kerry/Edwards sign in Caroline County. Local Democrats had to order a new one, but for now, the defaced sign is still in place.

Ray Scher, a volunteer with the Caroline County Democratic committee, has to see it every morning when he leaves his gated community at Lake Caroline.

‘You can read it. It’s as big as the sign,’ Scher said. ‘It’s like somebody stood in a pickup truck and did it. It’s distasteful to me to repeat this story to you, but I’m upset.’

I’d be upset too.

A lot of people have asked me about today’s article and how bad it really is. It’s bad, but the real story is that Republicans in the area have tolerated sign theft for years. We expect our signs to be stolen. It is only recently that Democratic signs have been lifted or vandalized, and suddenly we have news. What gives?

The political hack in me says this is yet again another case of bias. On the other hand, we’ve had to put up with this kind of activity for years as Republicans, and now that the Dems are starting to get a taste of the nastiness we have had to put up with, hopefully it will come to a swift end. Or at the very least, ameliorate the thievery somewhat.

Of course, there’s a bigger issue of people taking this stuff too seriously. Election Day we can be Democrats and Republicans, but on November 3rd we’re all Americans again, and more importantly neighbors. I would like to think that most political activists on both sides of the aisle understand this, and that is why I am supremely confident that the sign theft is the work of thugs and morons. What a stupid thing to do.

It’s as I’ve said before: Sign theft is a despicable, stupid practice. Nothing makes me angrier than someone else stifling free speech, and that’s precisely the way I see this issue.