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Angry confrontations, spray-painted epithets and damaged cars signal heightened emotions surrounding this year’s presidential campaign. Date published: 10/21/2004
Political activists are used to seeing campaign signs vanish from their yards.
But they re not used to having signs spray-painted with epithets, or having their cars keyed, their tires slashed, or being confronted by angry supporters of the opposition. That’s the sort of thing that’s happening this year, and both Democrats and Republicans say it’s a sad testament to the heightened emotions surrounding this presidential campaign. The election has taken a nasty turn, said Shaun Kenney, chairman of the Spotsylvania County Republican committee. That nastiness goes beyond sign theft, which happens in every election. Delia Zisman, chairwoman of the Fredericksburg Democratic committee and the 1st District Democratic Committee, said one of her members left a meeting to find that a new tire on her car, which had a Kerry bumper sticker, had been slashed so vehemently that the knife blade was broken off and still stuck inside her tire. Zisman said another local Democrat, a veteran with a Veterans for Kerry sticker on his vehicle, was approached by a group of military men who ripped his sticker off the car. Zisman and other Democrats blame inflammatory rhetoric from national Republicans for the vandalism. A lot of the animosity is coming from being named un-American or unpatriotic if you don’t support the president, Zisman said. Local party chairmen for both Republicans and Democrats say they don't condone or encourage sign-stealing or other 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 hard. Don’t tear down somebody else’s sign. But it has gotten worse." For details, read Friday's Free Lance-Star.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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