Big Stomachs as Campaign Billboards Will Get Exposure Once Again
Four Ohio men who campaigned for President Bush’s re-election in 2004 by writing slogans on their large, bare midriffs say they haven’t decided who they will support in the 2008 election.
In a sign of how much the political landscape has changed in the last four years, the quartet of former steel workers in Youngstown, Ohio say they haven’t yet decided whether they will support a Democrat or a Republican seeking to be the next resident of the White House.
In 2004, they were die hard Bush supporters with slogans like “Jiggle Your Gut for Bush” and “Rub This Buddha for Bush” written on their stomachs for all to see when they lifted up their sweat shirts at NASCAR races, campaign rallies and local high school football games.
And now?
“I’ll tell you, Ol’ Bush is a real disappointment, so we’re keeping our stomach options open,” said Gilbert Ellison, 57. “Hillary’s a long shot for us, in my opinion, but never say never.”
Edward Kirkpatrick, 61, speaks right up where Hillary Clinton’s candidacy is concerned.
“Never say never? I’d say I’m leaning more and more toward having her name on Mr. Jumbo here,” he said, lifting up his polo shirt and patting his slogan-free stomach.
Raymond Johnson, 56, shakes his head at the mention of Clinton. “She’s not for me, but I may end up with her on my stomach anyway if the Little Woman has anything to say, which she usually does,” he said.
The fourth member of the group, Sherman Masterson, 57, says he is leaning toward Rudy Giuliani, but the former New York mayor’s name is a problem. “It’s hard to spell and I would prefer a simple name like Bush, since it’s easy to write it on your stomach” he said. “That’s one reason I keep thinking about Obama. That would be easy to paint on my stomach and I’d be less likely to make a spelling mistake.”
One thing the four agree on at this point is that before the presidential campaign picks up steam early next year they will have to settle on a single candidate to support.
“We don’t want to put a mixed message out there,”Kirkpatrick said.
Just as they did in 2004, the four plan to attend NASCAR races, including the Daytona 500 and Cincinnati Bengals football games.
The quartet will lift up polo shirts and flash their slogans at people around them. But as in 2004, they also plan to wear sweatshirts in which the fronts have been cut out to expose their stomach slogans fulltime.