# Do Republican campaign signs get stolen too? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410 "2008-10-11T02:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/21 "2008-10-12T07:28:16Z")
Sob! My wings! My wings! Someone took them… ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/22 "2008-10-12T11:31:15Z")
\>An article in my today’s Akron Beacon Journal Actually the thing closest to a single-source comparison in this article said it is the other way around, doesn’t it? \>guy put up … a full-size cutout of George Bush in his yard Oh, come on! How is that not asking for it? He may as well have left boxing gloves in front of it! ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/23 "2008-10-12T14:50:43Z")
Well, [here’s](http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/10844.html)a column from advice columnist Amy Alkon about how someone kept stealing her McCain sign so she constructed a moat of dog feces around it to protect it. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/24 "2008-10-12T15:01:13Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > I’m guessing that GOP campaign signs disappear in Texas and Oklahoma all the time. OK yes, but TX isn’t so solidly red this time. McCain’s had a single-digit lead in almost every poll. ---
**Author:** ![Moonshiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@Moonshiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshiner)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/25 "2008-10-12T18:29:34Z")
[3 Arrested in Md. After Political Signs Are Vandalized](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9700-2004Oct5.html) [Pair arrested after large McCain sign torched in Sellwood yard](http://www.katu.com/news/30847164.html) ---
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/26 "2008-10-13T13:09:46Z")
> [@gladtobeblazed](#): > > Back in high school, as a practical joke, a buddy and myself switched a neighbor’s Gore sign with another neighbor’s Bush sign. > > Hilarity ensued. OK. That? Is awesome. I wish I’d been a fly on the-uh-street to watch the aftermath. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/27 "2008-10-13T16:00:34Z")
According to a story today, they are in St. Charles County, Missouri. It seems that sign-stealing is a nonpartisan activity. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/28 "2008-10-13T18:47:39Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > According to a story today, they are in St. Charles County, Missouri. > > It seems that sign-stealing is a nonpartisan activity. The story I read this morning was about Obama signs being _burned_ on people’s lawns in St. Charles County (I cannot stress how much I dislike that place). ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/29 "2008-10-13T18:52:15Z")
Here’s another [story](http://rochesterhomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=37221) about someone caught stealing McCain signs. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/30 "2008-10-13T18:55:22Z")
> [@troub](#): > > The story I read this morning was about Obama signs being _burned_ on people’s lawns in St. Charles County (I cannot stress how much I dislike that place). Link: [404 Not Found | ksdk.com](http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=157327&catid=3) ---
**Author:** ![Rattlehead02](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rattlehead02/32/3944_2.png) [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/31 "2008-10-13T20:52:40Z")
I’d like to chime in as another formerly youthful sign vandalizer. No political motivation, just bored with friends walking around at 3 in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Bill\_McNeal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Bill\_McNeal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Bill_McNeal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/32 "2008-10-14T03:53:30Z")
In the course of one overnight period in a 10 miles stretch, about 100 McCain/Palin signs were put up along a road near my house. 3 ended up being placed in my yard as well. Those are no longer there as I saw them and then just kind of had a blackout and who knows what ol’ male Sybil did with them. If signs end up placed on your property by someone and not on the public right-of-way, would they be subject to the whole 9/10ths principle? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/33 "2008-10-14T13:36:44Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > A listener of a Minnesota radio station sent pictures of their cars vandalized by Obama supporters. > > [http://www.fraterslibertas.com/2008/10/show-me-hate.html](http://www.fraterslibertas.com/2008/10/show-me-hate.html) Thank God - they didn’t misspell “Obama”, “Biden” or “President”. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/34 "2008-10-16T01:40:59Z")
Republican Campaign Signs Torched [http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/30866429.html](http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/30866429.html) ---
**Author:** ![danielmybrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@danielmybrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danielmybrother)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/35 "2008-10-16T03:33:58Z")
> [@I\_m\_Bill\_McNeal](#): > > In the course of one overnight period in a 10 miles stretch, about 100 McCain/Palin signs were put up along a road near my house. > > 3 ended up being placed in my yard as well. Those are no longer there as I saw them and then just kind of had a blackout and who knows what ol’ male Sybil did with them. > > If signs end up placed on your property by someone and not on the public right-of-way, would they be subject to the whole 9/10ths principle? Posters have to have permission to place signage on your property. If they do it anyway, you can do whatever you like with the signs. Personally, I would alter them just a bit, and put them back out there. Add a word or two, crude drawing, just enough that the person who put them there would seriously regret it. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/36 "2008-10-16T14:34:04Z")
Conservative signs were stolen from my neighborhood in the wee hours last night or this morning. Some were McCain/Palin, but all the CA proposition signs are gone. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/37 "2008-10-18T01:54:25Z")
A quick revisit: Tonight on the news I saw security camera footage of the same woman pulling up and taking Obama signs at two different locations. And, Mrs. Napier describes a conversation at her workplace about the high rate of Obama sign thefts. One of them said they thought this was happening because Obama signs were in short supply and hard to get. This got me to wondering: what would be the point of stealing a campaign sign to put it up someplace else? I still haven’t seen any news stories about Republican signs being stolen around here… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2008, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/38 "2008-10-20T11:16:07Z")
> [@troub](#): > > The story I read this morning was about Obama signs being _burned_ on people’s lawns in St. Charles County (I cannot stress how much I dislike that place). Fun hijinks: if you think your Obama sign is going to be torched, put a wooden crosspiece across the interior of the sign. Then when the paper burns away, voila - burning cross! Then take a picture and send it to the media, claiming that people are burning crosses on the lawns of Obama supporters. I really need my sense of humor checked. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/39 "2008-10-20T12:25:32Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Fun hijinks: if you think your Obama sign is going to be torched, put a wooden crosspiece across the interior of the sign. Then when the paper burns away, voila - burning cross! Then take a picture and send it to the media, claiming that people are burning crosses on the lawns of Obama supporters. > > I really need my sense of humor checked. Purrrfect _rubs palms together_ ---
**Author:** ![Erasmus\_Darwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@Erasmus\_Darwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erasmus_Darwin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410/40 "2008-10-20T13:40:44Z")
I heard about this on Friday: [http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=139276](http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=139276) An Iowa radio host has been encouraging listeners to steal signs and bring them in to the station. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-republican-campaign-signs-get-stolen-too/467410.md?page=3)