Another billboard has popped up on another highway that once again displays the repulsive character of the Tea Party faction of the Republican establishment.
This billboard was spotted in Colorado, on the I-70B between Grand Junction and Clifton. It features four caricatures of President Obama in poses popular amongst Tea Baggers: a Muslim terrorist with explosives strapped to his chest; a pimp/thug; a Mexican/illegal alien; and a gay man. So in one image the “artist” manages to reveal himself as a racist, a religious bigot, anti-Latino, and homophobic. The picture also displays the four Obamas “gambling” with America’s treasures and principles. And to top it off it refers to Democrats as “rats.”
This revolting display was put up by a cowardly sleazeball who wishes to remain anonymous. The person responsible is obviously ashamed of his viewpoint, and is afraid to embarrass himself by being associated with it. The same is true for the artist who, while identifying himself (Paul Snover), the sniveling jerkwad attempts to pass off any connection to the work as that of his anonymous patron:
“He was wanting to represent the influences he saw the president as having in his administration”
The truth is that Snover is also a right-wing crank and Tea Bagger. He is a member of uber-rightist web communities like ResistNet and Campaign For Liberty. His Facebook page shows that he “Likes” Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally and the Our Country Deserves Better PAC who launched the Tea Party Express. The fact that Snover can’t take responsibility for the highly charged opinions in his work illustrates the spinelessness of the movement with which he associates himself.
This billboard is presently being defended online by conservatives throughout the blogosphere. They laud the artist and the anonymous patron as heroes who are merely saying what the rest of America is thinking. Of course that’s a delusion on their part. However, the next time anyone from these right-wing quarters tries to argue that they aren’t racist and hateful, send them a link to this billboard. That should shut them up. It won’t, but it should.
“He was wanting…” “..President as having…” sounds like that famously verbose Palin-speak. Think she might be the ”brains” behind this venture, or maybe just inspired it?
The meaning? Kind of simple I think. From an artist point of view most everything in a persons work has some kind of meaning. Even if it is just too make the colors work together or against each other. The finished piece is a combination of things. To present a final suggestion, thought or feeling. Notice the Rat in the bottom left, it’s called “rat fu^#ing”. In other words it is a blaitent political statement of the worst of the right wing. And he/she is saying it loud and proud. So Mark, what do you think of my artist/political evaluation?
There is a lot to interpret in this work that I didn’t cover. Notice the bullet holes all the the presidents? Is that some sort of “suggestion?” And you caught the rats, but there are also vultures waiting above.
I wouldn’t spend too much time trying to analyze this junk though. It’s not really art. It’s just a big political cartoon.
This is why intelligent people KNOW that the people who agree with this garbage don’t actually know or care enough about domestic politics and foreign policy to be taken seriously. These are the guys that say stupid impractical shit, (and think they’re legit courses of action), like “Iran? Nuke it and turn it into a parking lot!” These guys have some weird perception of outside pressure to vote republican in order to reaffirm they have a nut sack. “I voted for McCain cause I’m not a pussy!”
“He’s a terrorist cause he has Hussein in his name!” Willful, motionless self imposed stupidity dominates republican voters’ brains, and they see that as a good thing!!! They’re fucking proud of being uneducated assholes, and see taking the initiative to seek out pure unbiased information as symbolic castration!!! I feel nothing but vindication in thinking that the vast VAST majority of republican voters are just voting that way because they’re stupid. Above example is all the proof you need. Current republican candidates for ANYTHING EVERYWHERE are just proof that these people started to run for office. If tea baggers were truly against incumbents of any party, endorsements from anybody would be a political death knell for them ALL. Paying attention on a daily basis would turn anyone not already rich and powerful to the left.
RANT COMPLETE
LOL! nice rant! (And I love a good rant based in facts.)
That’s right! Anyone who is not a Liberal/Progressive is an IDIOT!
Looks like a true representation of what the Democrat Party has become to me?
This is just pure bad taste and speaks of the likes of “PARTY OF NO” and “TEA RACIST PARTY” . Shame on them!!
This page makes me laugh. Liberal progressives spend all their time talking about how intelligent they are yet cannot put a sentence together without using a four letter word or two or misusing other words. “Impractical shit”? So, shit is impractical? In what way, exactly?
You delude yourselves by telling each other how “smart” you are yet don’t realize how everyone laughs at your lunacy. None of what you say makes any logical sense, you love to run completely on emotion and never bother to think a thing through. Maybe this is why you – yes you – are the ones always so full of hate and anger. Keep going though, it’s always good for another laugh.
Wow…nothing at all like liberal posts, billboards, websites, Photoshopped images, etc. of George Bush! How dare the Right do the same thing to the Left, why…that’s not fair! (Tongue firmly planted in cheer since Bill Gates still hasn’t created my sarcasm font yet…)
What I don’t understand is what the billboard artist is trying to express. Is Obama a pimp, a Muslim, a Mexican? How can he be all of the above and more?
I am a creative director in advertising and TV and this billboard is definitely Red State/second-rate. Unskilled illustration and overly busy execution. There’s a reason communications are based in New York and LA, “elite” though they be.
I’m not an art critic. I’m an artist. Speaking as an artist, I’ll give my impressions.
1. The image is too busy. There’s so much symbolism in here, the viewer can’t possibly process it all. Especially given the fact that they’d be “viewing” it at 55 mph. Since Americans read from left to right, the only image the viewer really has a chance to process is the one the artist wanted the most to convey: Obama as a terrorist. The recent killing of a certain Al Qaeda leader and his thugs kind of gives the lie to that. But that isn’t art-analysis. Moving on.
2. The caricature is recognizable. The rats and vultures are well-drawn, fully realized cartoon characters. Good job. This person should be drawing political cartoons, not hatemongering nazi propaganda on a billboard. Wow. A literal AND figurative paperhanger. Good for you.
3. Bad use of color. There’s too much brown, ochre, red. The eye is drawn to the negative space, seeking rest from the riot of blotchy shapes, which are subconsciously reminiscient of shit and blood, thus, disease. So the eye tends to end up on, not the image as a whole, or the intended subject matter, but on the faux-mexican’s arm, just below his bandolier.
In all, just a poorly executed political cartoon that looks like it was designed by Rush Limbaugh and colorized by Ted Turner, or possibly Ike Turner. What it’s doing as a billboard over an American highway, I cannot imagine. This should be posted above a dirt road in Pakistan. They’d LOVE it.
The only thing in this image that strikes me as correct is the placement of the soldier. Front and center, he stands protectively between this wretched hateful imagery and the American people, keeping us away from the danger. Field-promote him immediately.
It amazes me that libs constantly call Conservatives both homophobic AND “tea baggers” What I’ve nioticed is that it is the liberals who practice “tea bagging” because they are the ones who are not too homophobic to do it. A homophobic wouldn’t dream of participating in such a nasty activity.