It wasn't until I was running some
errands after work that I finally noticed something that had been
just at the edge of conscious thought, bugging me over the past
couple of weeks.
It wasn't something that was there that
had been rattling around in my subconscious, but rather the lack
of something.
What was it?
Obama campaign signs, or rather the
total lack of Obama signs anywhere I've been over the past couple of
weeks. There are plenty of Romney signs, Ovide LaMontagne (running
for the GOP nomination for governor of New Hampshire), Kevin Smith
signs (ditto), Maggie Hassan and Maggie Cilley signs (ditto, but for
the Democrat nomination) and a spray of campaign signs for those
running for offices covering the US Congress, the New Hampshire
House, Senate, and Executive Council, to county commissioner. But I
haven't seen one Obama sign. NOT. ONE.
I must remind you that I am only
talking about a half dozen towns in one county of central New
Hampshire (which happens to be heavily Republican), but still I would
expect to see a few signs here and there. (I am not counting the
various campaign offices, of which there is one in Laconia, I think.)
Other than a few deluded souls who believe Obama is their Messiah,
writing letters to the editor in our local papers, I haven't come
across anyone I know who voted for Obama in 2008 that are planning to
vote for him this time.
This is something the polls have failed
to show. But then my 'data' is anecdotal and covers a very small
portion of one small state. But that doesn't mean it's wrong.
UPDATE 8/24/12: I
talked to a number of co-workers about this subject and they've
noticed the same thing. One co-worker lives in the Capitol City area
(Concord) and he's noticed a dearth of Obama signs. Another lives
down near the Massachusetts border and he says he's seen a couple of
signs in the city of Nashua, but that's it.