Vandals strike down Talent signs

   Ten of U.S. Senate candidate Jim Talent's big yard signs lining the Ward Parkway corridor were torn down or heavily vandalized Saturday night.

   The campaign said today that the signs are known as "4 by 8s" and are the largest yard signs that campaigns distribute. Here are before and after photos of a sign destroyed at 8301 State Line Road.

   The perpetrators haven't been caught.

   "It's a despicable act," said Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer. "It's not just the vandalism and destruction of private property, but it's an affront to the political process."

  He called on the campaign of Democrat Claire McCaskill to denounce the vandalism.

   "That's horrible," said McCaskill spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh. "We absolutely condemn that kind of behavior."

   Chrismer said Talent signs also have been defaced along heavily traveled Southwest Trafficway. Altogether the campaign has lost about 25 of the big signs over the last month. The cost of the sign and labor involved in putting it up is about $40, he said.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Comments

[Ed Friedemann]

Can't get them put up for minimum wage? So why does he keep voting not to raise it?

[GOPer]

I think Talent should see if he can get a War on Sign Terror declared. Maybe people are trying to send Talent a message. Hmmm...I wonder what that would be? I got it he appears to be not welcomed and the message would be "Get Out"

Minmum wage increases lead to inflation and cut the lowest rungs off of the economic ladder, thus causing more damage than good.

5:09: your grammar skills are as appalling as your economic knowledge. Go back to the TV - I think O'Reilly is on.

I do not think that the GOP should be complaining about any sign stealing or vandalism being that they are the kings of such acts.

Just out of curiosity, why would anyone have taken before and after photos of a stinking yard sign? I'm not saying the Talent campaign did this themselves, but why would anyone bother taking before and after photos of a stinking yard sign?

Also, judging from these pictures, the sign looks like it might have been on public property, which, if I read my KC Star correctly, means they were fair game to be torn down by any civic-minded individual:

Kansas City Star - July 22, 2006
* Campaign signs on public property an eyesore *
Olathe resident Paul Russell watched in dismay as political signs began popping up on public property throughout Johnson County. He wants to know whether this is legal and, if not, who is responsible for removing the signs. "They call them yard signs, and they ought to be strictly limited to supporters yards," he writes. "The clutter bothers me, but the hypocrisy troubles me.".The answer.Rules for campaign...

So what else is new? Sanders campaigners have been stealing Wheeler signs in that area and others for weeks. Tell me again about the clean campaign Sanders is running?

[Sign Of The Times]

So because it's a few large (4x8) signs it get's press coverage. There is no excuse for this vandalism! I am a volunteer for Senator Charles Wheeler and I have replaced over 100 signs that have been stolen from homes, leaving just the medal frames. One beautiful high visibilty home on Ward Parkway has called the Wheeler campaign headquarters to ask us to please replace their three signs again and again and again. So today I drove there for the fifth time just to know that someone is "highly invested in our signs being destroyed. The signs that were asked for by the owner of Nichols lunch have been replaced four times although Mike Sanders signs go untouched by our campaign. We don't retaliate as Dr. Wheeler's signs read clearly INTEGRITY!

At least the sign stealers from the Sanders camp stole just the signs. They left the wire stakes so new signs could be posted. Thanks, guys. You're sweet.

Aren't you afraid you'll be caught red-handed like the candidate that ran against Sanders 2 years ago?

Has anyone seen Cynthia Clark-Campbell lately? Maybe she has the signs...

[No sign of an issue]

Dear Sign of the Times:

I smell another Wheeler campaign lie. Still trying desperately to create an issue that will give your candidate traction, eh? Or more accurately, trying to smear Sanders so it will somehow create traction for Wheeler? You know no campaign worker (even yours) would destroy signs. It's too big a risk, and isn't worth it. Ask Cynthia Clark-Campbell -- Katheryn Shields' last vendetta candidate against Sanders.

Your time might be better spent calming down and watching a movie. Like this one.
http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/
It's out on DVD starting tomorrow! And it's right up your campaign's alley.

I personally saw Mike Sanders' signs cut in half; the bigger ones. Apparently the Wheeler campers couldn't tear them, and chose to cut them down the middle instead. So that integrity BS "sign of the times", GIVE ME A BREAK!

[John Evans]

Talent is an embarrassment to us all. Anyone who would put up one of his signs is a total f-ing moron and deserves to have it destroyed. We need to send him straight to hell instead of Washington! Along with the Blunts.

Not only have we been replacing stolen Sanders signs, a person/s is burning his campaign signs as well.

Hey, 11:10 given our dry weather, thats a pretty stupid thing to do.

Hey 7:11 "Sanders campaigners have been stealing Wheeler signs" Before you start throwing out false accusations, what proof do you have that Sanders' campaign staff is to blame? By your logic, the Sanders camp can blame the Wheeler campaign staff for the burned and missing yard signs of his. What relevance does any of this have to the issues in the reace? Every election cycle signs are put up and some are stolen. No news here.

I have it on good authority that Freedom Inc. is paying for Sanders' signs.....so that's what an endorsement buys you.

[jenniferm]

Pretty amazing that a thread on Talent campaign signs gets overrun by the Wheeler/Sanders feud. C'mon people, how about taking it to a thread where it belongs.

"He called on the campaign of Democrat Claire McCaskill to denounce the vandalism."

Why???? If Talent has a problem with people ripping down his signs, isn't that HIS problem. Why bring McCaskill into the mix? Maybe because its a tight race and he might lose, therefore he needs to sling the mud and this provided a good opportunity for the campaign.

[Woohoo]

Wow, yard signs being stolen and vandalized. That's real unique, hard-hitting journalism. This happens in every election and is not a big deal. This kind of posting shows how "blogging" is sometimes very inane.

5:09: your grammar skills are as appalling as your economic knowledge. Go back to the TV - I think O'Reilly is on.

When liberals know they have lost a debate they resort to insults.
Historically increasing the minimum wage has never done anything but increase unemployment and inflation. Provw me wrong liberal! The democrats bring up minimum wage issues when election time comes around. Very predictable! I used to be a Democrat, but they ran out of any original ideas 40 years ago.

Mike Flaherty will protect the tax payers of the 10th District. As your next State Senator Mike will take the fight to Jefferson City and bring our share of state money home!

Check him out at www.senate10.com

[HMS]

Mike Flaherty will protect the female tax payers of the 10th District from the right to choose what to do with their own body and the sick and dying from potential life-saving cures with his anti-stem cell position. As your next State Senator Mike will take the fight to Jefferson City and bring our share of state money home to the Catholic church and his friends in business, including Anheiser-Busch.

Check him out at http://www.missourilife.org/

[CarrieB]

Beautiful, HMS. Thanks for pointing out what a menace Flaherty really is to the 10th Senate District. You should post your message across all of the threads he's cross-posted his message.

2:14, I agree with 6:19. Your argument might be taken more seriously if you'd put some facts behind it. And post it on a blog pertaining to that topic instead of this one. And learn to spell/type. Just sayin...

thanks hms, that speaks volumes. i can't believe that any candidate would be anti stem cell...except losing ones!