LF: More Fallout From Obama/Hitler Tea Party Billboard

Title: More Fallout From Obama/Hitler Tea Party Billboard
Source: DesMoinesRegister.com
URL Source: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/ ... amahitler-tea-party-billboard/
Published: Jul 15, 2010
Author: DesMoinesRegister.com
Post Date: 2010-07-15 11:34:14 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 1123
Comments: 3

National Democrats are using anger over a Mason City billboard that compared President Barack Obama to two dictators to solicit donations, while tourism and business officials are trying to knock down protests against Mason City.

A billboard ordered and paid for by the North Iowa Tea Party showed President Barack Obama, Adolf Hitler, left and Vladimir Lenin, on South Federal Avenue in Mason City. The sign was papered over on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Globe Gazette, Deb Nicklay)

The fallout over the billboard continues today, as people who found the billboard intriguing or offensive continue to express their views in e-mails and posts on news sites, including at The Des Moines Register.

Fury over the billboard pressured the North Iowa Tea Party to take down the message three weeks early. Early Wednesday morning, the billboard company replaced the political group’s $600 ad with a public service message – but not before word had spread to news sites and blogs in the United States and overseas. Among those who condemned the advertisement were fellow tea party members, who called it counterproductive.

The executive director of the Democratic National Committee, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, sent out an e-mail Wednesday evening criticizing the actions of both tea party activists and Republicans.

“I think comparing a president of the United States to totalitarian dictators responsible for mass murder is appalling,” she wrote. “I think calling Barack Obama a socialist is nonsensical. But I don’t think any of this is surprising.”

Dillon wrote: “Republicans keep saying that they aren’t extremists – but they keep doing things like this. And don’t let the tea party label fool you – these people are Republicans, and the only thing that scares me about them is that they’re fired up to vote in November.”

“Will you chip in $5 or more to help us give the people of Iowa a new billboard – and run ads across the country?” Dillon wrote.

State and national tea party leaders have said they had nothing to do with the Mason City billboard. A founder of the North Iowa Tea Party, Bob Johnson, told the Register Wednesday that five or six northern Iowa activists were responsible for its content.

“The majority of the callers indicated they were planning to visit or do business in Mason City and have changed these plans as a means of protest,” Robin Anderson, executive director of the Mason City Chamber told the Gazette.

Anderson’s response to those comments has been: “The organization that purchased this sign represents a small number of North Iowa residents and they are within their rights to express their opinion. However, these views are not representative of the values of North Iowans.

“As community leaders, we are simply standing up to express an opposing view. We do not want Mason City and North Iowa to be characterized as a place where issues are confronted with acrimony, name-calling, and innuendo.”

In an e-mail to The Des Moines Register this morning, Ron VanElsen of Des Moines wrote: “The fire storm of opposition to the bill board wasn’t because of a reaction to the picture of Hitler like Bob Johnson would like us to believe. The opposition was to the false characterization of the president and his agenda.

Van Elsen continued: “This man has been demonized like no other in recent memory because he honestly believes that the country should spend some our tax money to provide a support system for the citizens of this country.”

One person wrote on the Facebook page: “As ‘offensive’ as the billboard was, it’s true. I don’t really like the Tea Party all that much, but that billboard was great.” (1 image)

Even our local FOX news station is reporting on it and ABC Radio is making mention at their 'top of the hour' news report.