An Anti-Obama Sign Prompts Letter To The Editor

A sign shop in El Reno is getting praise and criticism for its latest political creations. Cutting Edge Signs proudly displays these signs that label a picture of President Barack Obama as "Jackass in Chief."  One sign says "Hey Obama! This is my business and I built it! And I didn't need you!" 

"I'm not a huge fan of the man and I'll openly say I did not vote for him," Chris Bromlow, the owner of Cutting Edge Signs, told Fox 25 "My biggest complaint is when a sitting president makes an insult to small business owners say "I didn't build that' or 'you didn't build that'…I take great offense to that."

During a campaign stop in Virginia, the President said, "Look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own, you didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something -- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business -- you didn't build that," he continued. "Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the internet. The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own."

"I would say 90% of it is very positive," Bromlow said about the response to his signs, "People who drive by when we are outside give us a thumbs up, they're honking their horns, they're smiling, they're laughing they're getting a kick out of it.  But we've had a handful that find it offense or think it's a little bit over the line.  But on the other side...we've been selling the heck out of them really."

One of the people upset by the signs is 8-year-old Campbell Eaton.  Easton wrote a letter to the editor of his local newspaper.  "That sign should be gone." Eaton wrote, "We must respect presidents and never call them names. That sign just makes me feel bad."

Campbell Eaton told Fox 25 he wrote the letter, "It's because it had a bad word on it and i learned not to say bad words at school."  He says he was taught to respect the President and other elected officials.

Campbell's father, Geoff Eaton says he's glad his son took a stand for civility.  "I believe that you have to respect the president," Eaton told Fox 25, "I don't agree with everything he does and my wife definitely doesn't agree with everything he does but she doesn't like the sign either and I think there are better ways to get your message across."

Eaton says he is ready for an end to polarizing politics.  "I'm ready for the guy to say I think my opponent would do a good job, but here is why I would do a better job."

Bromlow says his signs express a sentiment that's shared by small business owners around Oklahoma.  "The way I look at it is, if the shoe fits…anybody who goes and tells somebody that they didn't do something when they know darn good and well that they did, and insults them and says something that's such a slap in the face to business owners and individuals.  I think jackass, quite frankly, is a very light term."An Anti-Obama Sign Prompts Letter To The Editor

Posted: Wednesday, September 12 2012, 07:29 AM CDT