Earlier this year, TrueMajority.com created a twelve-foot papier-mache statue of Uncle Sam spanking Tom DeLay. The group dubbed it the Spank DeLay Mobile, and drove it around Washington, where it was a popular attraction. Better yet, when spankmobile arrived in DeLay’s district outside Houston several days later, three local television stations showed up to cover it.
There’s a moral to this story: if you build an over-sized prop to torment your political foes, the media will cover your stunt. Example #2, by way of Josh Marshall:
A 28-foot gorilla has begun stalking some of Louisiana’s Republican congressman, starting Tuesday by menacing U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany Jr.’s office in Lafayette’s federal courthouse.
While it wasn’t granting interviews, the bright red inflated gorilla did carry a sign stating its demand: “Don’t monkey around with my Social Security. Say no to $131,458 benefit cut.”
Boustany later complained that the demonstration was a “cheap political stunt.” Of course it’s a cheap political stunt; that’s the point. Cheap political stunts are amusing and get attention, which is why the gorilla will be moving to the district offices of Reps. Jim McCrery (R-La.) and Rodney Alexander (R-La.) in the next couple of days.
Note to press flacks everywhere: If you build it, they (reporters) will come.