July 27, 2009

Two thoughts.

On the off chance that there are some well-written graduate papers on the following two topics, sometime I would enjoy reading articles covering, in a semi-impartial manner:

  1. The correlation of any 2-3 consecutive US Presidents and the change of popular music.
  2. The correlation between the longevity of bumper stickers remaining on cars after the election, and the success of that president’s party in the next 1-2 election cycles.  In my suburban county, Bush in 2004 and Obama in 2008 each produced an enthusiastic bumper sticker following (and Obama far-outperformed John Kerry).  Today, I’m not seeing many Obama stickers (I concede that, as a human, maybe I’m seeing what I want to see), and I can’t recall what this time in 2005 looked like for Bush stickers.

______________________________________________________________

Benjamin Hodge publishes the Web site KansasProgress.com, based in Johnson County, KS, in the Greater Kansas City area.  Hodge is a delegate to the Kansas GOP, a former state representative, and a former board member at Johnson County Community College.  You can join Hodge’s efforts on Facebook, through his personal Web site, on Twitter, and through his PAC.

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23 Responses to “Two thoughts.”

  1. Chip Says:

    I live in a left-leaning town, and today I see more Kerry bumper stickers then I do Obama bumper stickers.

  2. Jack Says:

    Heck, I’ve already seen “Palin ‘12″ bumper stickers!

  3. Kevin Says:

    I’ve honestly seen maybe 2-3 political bumper stickers here…ever. Maybe I’m just not looking. I remember two Obama ones in 2008, and one McCain-Palin one also in 2008. That’s all.

    Also, I don’t really understand the first point.

  4. Flip Dixon Says:

    I tried putting a Romney bumper sticker on my car.

    Unfortunately, it refused to stick to a single position.

  5. Sean M Says:

    Just heard that Sen.Bunning will not seek re-election, this seat should remain in GOP hands with either Rand Paul or Trey Grayson as the nominee.

  6. Kevin Says:

    #4, even though I like Romney, I laughed.

  7. Doug Forrester Says:

    When I spent a month in Fort Lee, VA I noticed Southeast Virginia (Norfolk to Richmond) had Bush-Cheney stickers still on the bumpers after the 2008 election. I bet half the trucks and 10% of the cars still sported Bush-Cheney stickers.

    That implies a lot of folks in that section of Virginia never put a McCain-Palin sticker on.

  8. Sean M Says:

    Here’s the link. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/27/embattled-bunning-wont-run-election/

  9. Alex Knepper Says:

    I see a ton of Obama bumper stickers.

    Of course, I’m constantly driving around the DC/Bethesda/Gaithersburg area, so…

  10. Alex Knepper Says:

    #4 was actually really funny! Hahahaha.

  11. Bob Hovic Says:

    Bumper stickers seem to be in decline — perhaps because politics is increasingly nasty. I have noticed fewer stickers with each cycle. Living in the Chicago area, there was no way I would have put a McCain sticker on my car last year — it would be asking for trouble (at minimum, vandalism to the car).

    That said, I still see a few Obama stickers. But, again, I’m in Chicago.

  12. Benjamin Hodge Says:

    To clarify my first point: for whatever (innumerable, really) reasons, certain musicians can thrive in one era, when the same musician wouldn’t have succeeded during other times.

    I was relieved around the early 2000s as John Mayer and Norah Jones replaced the Backstreet Boys of the late 1990s.

    In terms of driving pop culture, certainly major events (war) impact it more noticeably, but I imagine public policy produces subtle changes, as well, and (when looking back) one could find some correlations.

  13. Swint Says:

    I’ve still got my Mitt 08 sticker on. Just too lazy to remove, though i doubt i will until i get my 12 sticker

  14. alaska jake Says:

    I had a faded Ford/Dole sticker on my old ‘76 Plymouth wagon until my dad junked the car in 1993 when I was in college.

  15. Kristofer Lorelli Says:

    I will have my McCain 08 sticker on my truck and my Nancy Kassebaum tattoo on my right buttox.

  16. Kristofer Lorelli Says:

    still*

  17. Adam Says:

    My grandfather has a Perot sticker on the back of his truck. And I still tell him that he and those like him were responsible for Clinton.

  18. Alex Knepper Says:

    I was relieved around the early 2000s as John Mayer and Norah Jones replaced the Backstreet Boys of the late 1990s.

    This was also the era of Ja Rule.

    Don’t mistake the increase in soft music for a cause other than your own aging and association with different outlets for media.

  19. Kevin Says:

    #12, well, I don’t know the connection is, but popular music under Reagan (1981-1989) is the best of any president.

    Maybe Reagan really IS the greatest president…;)

  20. Benjamin Hodge Says:

    #19, Kevin:

    What about the hair of the 1980s, though?

  21. Kevin Says:

    Well, the hair is pretty bad. Bush is the best president of hair.

  22. Lori Says:

    My take on lingering bumper stickers is that the drivers lack etiquette and are poor sports. Once the contest is over, to continue the campaign when you lost is to pout, to continue the campaign after you won is to gloat.

    Whichever side you find yourself on, it is poor sportmanship in my opinion to gloat or pout. Peel it off the car and move on.

  23. Illinoisguy Says:

    I leave my Romney stickers on so as to say “Don’t blame me, I voted for Romney”

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