Bark for Barack!

Spotted in Albany, California:

Also spotted in Albany — which seems to be home base for “Bark for Barack!” signs, which I’ve never seen anywhere else:

Luckily, dogs can’t vote — can they?

UPDATE:

Turns out even this innocuous bit of silliness has a communist connection. The “Bark for Barack” poster is based on this famous graphic design by Soviet artist Alexander Rodchenko, who “used photo montage to enhance his images to create more powerful images that would be used for propaganda for the USSR.”

42 Responses to “Bark for Barack!”

  1. 1Claire on Nov 1, 2008 at 4:01 pm:

    They can in New Mexico. A semi-well known blogger Don Pizzolato registered his dog some years ago and apparently has been requesting absentee ballots for said dog in years past. He’s now on the hot seat for a 4th degree felony for registering, it probably gets worse if they find any absentee ballots at the county clerks office signed with a paw print…………….

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  2. 2Viewer on Nov 1, 2008 at 4:13 pm:

    Hey guys - a tip on this sign. It’s a direct reference to a 1930s anarchist/socialsit/communist poster from (I believe) the Spanish Civil War. Look it up. The original has a woman wearing a bandana to show she is a ‘revolutionary worker’ and her hand is by her mouth to amplify her ‘call to arms’. Later, will try to find the original screenprint image on Google and post a link!

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  3. 3Kay on Nov 1, 2008 at 4:31 pm:

    “Luckily, dogs can’t vote — can they?”

    Only if they live in Ohio.

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  4. 4rob on Nov 1, 2008 at 7:03 pm:

    The good part, of course, is that the only thing which would offend a Muslim more would be a pig exhorting the faithful to “Oink for 0bama”.

    Hmmmm

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  5. 5Sisyphus on Nov 1, 2008 at 11:15 pm:

    “dogs can’t vote — can they?”

    In Barack’s Chicago, they vote twice.

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  6. 6John on Nov 2, 2008 at 4:33 pm:

    The original is an ad poster for a publishing company painted in 1924 or 1925 by the Soviet Russian Constructivist artist Alexander Rodchenko. On the poster is pictured the jewess Lilya Brik, Born Lilya Kagan (for a way too flattering article, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilya_Brik). I first saw this poster hung on the wall of a faculty lounge at the University of New Orleans, in the late 1980’s. Here is the link to an image on an art website: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Lengiz-Books-on-Every-Subject-70-1925-Posters_i2038467_.htm

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  7. 7Perpetua on Nov 2, 2008 at 7:15 pm:

    Great catch! Very funny.

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  8. 8Bob's Kid on Nov 2, 2008 at 8:40 pm:

    Yeah, that sounds like the East Bay. :)

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  9. 9Achmed on Nov 2, 2008 at 9:01 pm:

    Did they really have to use the image of a Greyhound or Whippet in the poster? Sighthounds are noble creatures, and I’m sure they’d be annoyed to be used in neo-bolshevik propoganda…

    In all seriousness, Barry’s supporters are so tone deaf they obviously can’t see that some folks might be creeped out by all the soviet style posters they make.

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  10. 10Black American on Nov 2, 2008 at 9:41 pm:

    I live in Tennessee. I just got a new black cat. His name is Chadwick. He came from the pound in the wealthest part of Nashville. He is a Republican. I asked my local Acorn rep if he would register him so he could vote. When he found out that Chadwick was a Republican and he was going to vote for McCain, the Acorn guy told him to take a hike! No meow here for Acorn or Obama. And yes, Chadwick bit the Acorn guy and sent him packing back to the ghetto!

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  11. 1124AheadDotCom on Nov 2, 2008 at 9:47 pm:

    Everyone does know she’s shouting ‘BOOKS!’ right? If you search for ‘Lengiz, Books in all Branches’ or similar you’ll find it. I don’t know the backstory, but maybe she’s shouting about exploding books.

    Meanwhile, if anyone wants to stop playing and start doing something effective, send my list of non-partisan reasons to oppose BHO around:

    http://24ahead.com/blog/archives/008247.html

    That might work; complaining about a poster not from the campaign and based on something involving ‘BOOKS!’ ain’t gonna work.

    Please, grow a brain before it’s too late.

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  12. 12Sisyphus on Nov 3, 2008 at 12:11 am:

    24AheadDotCom:

    I suspect that these two images were posted here for comparison/entertainment purposes. I don’t think the intent was to tell viewers to disregard more important issues.

    Frankly, I found it interesting. Yes, we know there are many reasons to disagree with Obama.

    By the way, did you intend to make your blog look bloody hideous or was it by mistake?

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  13. 13Lee on Nov 3, 2008 at 1:17 am:

    #6:

    What the hell does the fact that she’s Jewish have to do with anything?

    Who calls a Jewish woman a “jewess” anyway? Posting stuff like that makes you look like one of the cretins on stormfront.

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  14. 14saint on Nov 3, 2008 at 2:05 am:

    Of course dogs can vote Zombie! — saint

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  15. 15staghounds on Nov 3, 2008 at 4:42 am:

    Lefties don’t see the problem with using Soviet iconography. After all, it’s a noble experiment only failed because the wrong people took over Comrade Lenin’s beautiful dream after it was forced on the defensive by the American intervention.

    Try an experiment- go to a party and work into the conversation, “My great grandfather was a great artist, he designed posters for Stalin”. (Or flew a plane in the soviet air force, you get the idea.) Go to another party and change “Stalin” for “Hitler”.

    Compare and contrast the reaction you get.

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  16. 16Texmom on Nov 3, 2008 at 7:19 am:

    Here are the people who claim to have created the poster:
    http://www.obamadogsunite.com/
    TM, Metrodog 2008. All rights reserved. Design by Timbuktu Design and Alexander Rodchenko. ; )

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  17. 17David Whitting on Nov 3, 2008 at 7:45 am:

    I don’t see anything wrong with this poster ,
    GO OBAMA !!!!!!

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  18. 18Clutch on Nov 3, 2008 at 7:55 am:

    I showed this to my old hound dog, she thinks that the dog in the poster is a stupid bitch. :D The two of us are voting for McCain/Palin tomorrow. (Hey if dumbasses can vote for the Zero, why can’t a smart dog vote for McCain?)

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  19. 19Gabriel Foster on Nov 3, 2008 at 10:22 am:

    You guys sound like fool. Anytime one of you dummies post something about Barrack you start to act like he post it. Well its a picture someone else created that has the same view as you dummies. It amazes me to listen to a group of people that turn there ear to the truth but every time an opportunity to spread a rumor comes you jump on it and want people to react. That is so idiotic. You know, its disheartening to see people continue over and over look over where Republican have taken this country, You look over who and what George W. Bush Represents,(Ignorance) you continue to look over the fact that up until he started to make his stance for the White House (John McCain), and you also look over the fact that He McCain is an angry stubborn old Politician that has slipped himself into where he is today. He should be doing time for S&L. The Gulf War help the country forget. He was a so called strategist. Well I a veteran who served my country in in the in the In War and in Peace and John Mccain should stopped lean on his military background as the know all. Know that all Veterans don;t support his lies and murder and theft.

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  20. 20Pierre on Nov 3, 2008 at 10:46 am:

    I love how people like “Gabriel Foster” flip out as soon as you post anything about Barack. I mean it was just a silly sign. Look, a silly dog sign. And Gabriel Foster immediately breaks out in hives and starts ranting about Bush , Vietnam, and how McCain is a murderer, liar, and thief.

    Well played Gabriel, I’m going to assume you’re a reverse troll intended to make people think Democrats are loonies.

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  21. 21Jim Treacher on Nov 3, 2008 at 11:50 am:

    “dogs can’t vote — can they?”

    In Barack’s Chicago, they vote twice.

    Even after they’re dead.

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  22. 22n8 on Nov 3, 2008 at 11:54 am:

    A buddy of mine sent this to me this morning, saying that this was “proof” that obama idolizes communism.

    So I had to make some “proof” of my own.

    http://www.nkwell.com/country_first.gif

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  23. 23Kirill on Nov 3, 2008 at 11:48 pm:

    And heavily to you with a choice…www.plakat-ussr.blogspot.com

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  24. 24m.dog on Nov 4, 2008 at 4:33 pm:

    I created this poster and I stand by it. It is partisan, and that is all. It has neither a socialist nor communist spin. You are reading way too much into it. It is a great image of a dog supporting Obama. I support Obama. I love dogs. That’s as far as it goes. I think the people who posted here are really grasping at straws and are making a whole lot of something out of nothing. To set the record straight, the original poster is a woman shouting “Books”. Since there seems to be so much concern and meaning being ascribed to our use of this image, you all should know this poster was never used as Soviet propaganda, but rather was an ad for literacy put out by a publishing company. Alexander Rodchencko was a Constructivist era artist. He is also considered to be one of the fathers of modern graphic design. Rodchenko’s work was later appropriated and used as propaganda, but that was not why this poster was used as the basis for our Bark for Barack fundraiser. It’s just a great graphic image and it works really well for our purpose. It’s 3:31 in California and I hope to find me and my pups howling at the moon in a few hours when the votes are tallied and a Democrat has won!

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  25. 25LauLau on Apr 22, 2009 at 2:16 am:

    the original is about books,
    encouraging people to learn to read as many people in russia at the time were illiterate.
    not exploding books lol :p
    oh yeah it was made in 1925

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  26. 26enluch on May 26, 2009 at 1:50 pm:

    Alexander Rodchenko wasn’t a bug-eyed Communist — he was a constructionist photographer and a renowned Vanda grade artist. Just because some of his works was used in certain Communist posters and propaganda, it does not automatically discredit his credibility. As a matter of fact, if one to study this very image which was taken after Revolutionary years, it becomes apparent that the nature of the picture is to “offer a romantic glimpse at the modern world.”

    Paranoia and hysteria go hand in hand with radical wingnut conspiracy monger.

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  27. 27Рустам Карпин on Jul 3, 2009 at 11:57 am:

    {Читаю {ваш|этот|} блог, и понимаю, что {ничего|нифига} не понимаю. Все так запутано. :)

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  28. 28Кирилл Александров on Jul 13, 2009 at 11:32 pm:

    Мдааа… В некоторые жизненные моменты волосы могут шевелиться не только на голове :)

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  29. 29Феликс on Jul 27, 2009 at 3:09 am:

    Да уж Какой кошмар!

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  30. 30кyкyшка on Aug 20, 2009 at 10:23 pm:

    Аднажды в студеную летнюю пору. Бродил Я по нету. Наткнулся на пост. Понравилось очень! Респект выражаю! И даже закладки себе добавляю!

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  31. 31Владислав Голованов on Aug 24, 2009 at 11:47 am:

    Оригинальная идея. Только вот интересно сколько времени на это потрачено? :)

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