HuffPost's "The Bush Years" Posters: A Powerful Tool for '08

Three weeks ago, we launched HuffPost's Posterizing the Modern GOP project to graphically capturing the lunacy of the Bush years. And we asked for your help adding to the names, events, and slogans depicted.

The response was overwhelming, with over 1,000 people offering suggestions (even those with a different POV of the GOP were inspired to jump into the fray).

Rich Silverstein, who created the posters, and his design team culled through the submissions and -- with an assist from our editor, Roy Sekoff -- have created updated versions of the posters. The result is amazing -- and even more damning than expected. To check them out in their full-sized glory, click on the thumbnail images below.

Events

Slogans

People

While putting these together, Rich, an award-winning ad exec, had another brainstorm: give the HuffPost community a chance to buy the original posters -- and use the proceeds to put giant versions of the three posters on the sides of a trio of buildings, one in New York, one in Los Angeles, and one in Washington, DC. It would look something like this:

So that's what we're doing. The 24" x 36" Lithograph posters come in three versions: Villains of the GOP, Worst Events of the Bush Years, and Slogans of the Bush Years. We're selling them for $20 each -- or all three for $50 (plus shipping and handling).

We are also doing a run of Limited Edition Silkscreens of each of the three, which I will sign. These beautiful high-quality prints are $50 each (plus s/h).

Since there is a time crunch, if you want them for a Christmas gift, please order right away. But they'll be great throughout 2008.

And remember, all proceeds (minus printing and processing costs) will go toward putting these powerful reminders of the Bush years on buildings in New York, Los Angeles and Washington.

Click here to order your posters (I've just ordered mine).

Comments

[thatvisionthing]

What about "plausible deniability"?
What about "nobody could have foreseen"?

[Tellmethetruth]

"I don't have confidence in the president. I don't have confidence in the vice president. And I don't have confidence in the Justice Department. That's as simple as I can put it," said Biden, a 2008 presidential contender.

12/17/07 Sunday, Biden appeared on CNN's "Late Edition."

[travis6cs]

here is my take on a poster for these times

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/travis6cs/TheGreatSeal.jpg

[Blurp]

Interesting idea. One critique... as seen in the phrase "BRING 'EM ON," Mr. Silverstein and his design team committed a ubiquitous typographic blunder. 'EM is a contraction (or more accurately a truncation) of THEM. The correct punctuation would be an apostrophe mark and not the single open quote mark used. Same holds true for years, eg: '08 instead of 2008.

[owiseone]

It's HARD WORK.

How many times has W told us how hard his job is? (All that death and destruction just takes wears him out)

Is "hard work" one of the slogans on the poster?

To me, that encapsulates IT all.

[Qbear]

As much as I love the designs, and think it will be great to have them fund the huge images in each city, to ACCUSE Cheney/Bush and the GOP of all their crimes....for the life of me I don't want to think about the DARK AGES of Cheney one second after Jan 2009.

[Libsrule]

T-Shirts!!

I love the posters and as someone else pointed out, it's almost like shooting fish in a barrel by using their own slogans against them.

I got the SLOGANS poster. I just don't know if I could handle looking at all three and realize what a horrible horrible administration this clusterfuck has been.

[MysticInd]

I wish they would print these on fabric and have dresses sewn so W House and crew can wear them in prison.

[Elitnaurista]

I think the new posters are breathtaking. If we put these up on every bulletin board and billboard across the country I think it would be great. This administration has so many scandals and scoundrels one must spend a bit of time recalling them all. This puts them all there in one easy to comprehend package. The people, slogans, and events aren't as nebulous, and one can see connections that might be missed by simple recollection.

[2lib4oh]

These posters are a great idea for helping folks "connect the dots".

To help voters understand that this administration has been running a secret government frames like: Secret Energy Task Force, secret signing statements, states secrets privilege,black sites and recess appointments come to my mind.

Regime change, Office of Special Plans, Securing the Relm,blood for oil,ect.

"Scarcity of good targets in Afghanistan", forged documents with Nigerian letterhead.

Voter fraud, US Attorney scandal, Diebold Corp., Votergate, Kathreen Harris, hanging chads, absentee ballots.

Family values,Faith-Based Initiatives, Mark Foley, Rev. Ted Haggert, David Vitters, Larry Craig,
Ralph Reed, Duke Cunningham, Abramoff,Tom Delay, Swiftboat Vets for Truth,Rove, ect.

War profiteering, Halliburton, KBR,
No-bid contracts, Blackwater, Carlyle Group, Dick Cheney.

The list is endless because the Decider in Chief just keeps "catapulting the propaganda".

[makesmecrazy]

Orlando has it right. Mass protest in the form of boycott is the only, and I mean only, way to effect change in the system. The system is broken, really broken, and it cannot, and will not be fixed by removing republicans and replacing them with democrats. Both parties are bought and sold by the people with the money. Money is the problem, that's why neither party is interested in the real reform needed. For example, the "public" airwaves can be given over for public discourse, you know, things like running for office.

Let's get back to the notion of boycott. I think if you look back over the history of this country and others, you will find that suffocating the system is the only way to breathe life into the opposition.

Think about it. Most Americans have way way too much stuff. We could cruise for a very long time on the stuff we have without buying a single thing beyond food, things for our basic survival. Imagine not purchasing a single thing that is not needed, really needed. No extra gasoline for any travel other than what's required. What would the impact be if a large number of really committed people would focus all their energy on suffocating the machine. Let's do it. I am starting here and now! Join me for the sake of the future of the country!

[thatvisionthing]

The longer the lists get, the taller the building needs to be. I can't be the only one thinking the buildings these would fit best on are the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Show me THAT poster!

? Add a third tower?
? Add a fourth list and put a list on each tower face?
? Make three-sided tower?
? Hologram? GIANT hologram, like the blue towers of light?

C'mon artists!

[ez14livin]

I keep coming back to this because I think the idea is brilliant. However, I don't like the original posters and wouldn't buy any of them.

What I will do instead is to rearrange the words and have them printed on T-shirts that let the republicans' words tell their own story:

I"M THE COMMANDER GUY
COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVE
UNITER NOT A DIVIDER
I AM THE DECIDER
COALITION OF THE WILLING AXIS OF EVIL
EVIL DOERS KNOWNS AND UNKNOWNS
BRING "EM ON SHOCK AND AWE
SIX DAYS SIX WEEKS FUZZY MATH
SIX MONTHS TOPS IT"S A NUMBER
GREETED AS LIBERATORS
OIL WILL PAY FOR THE WAR
IT"S HARD WORK
SLAM DUNK THE ARMY YOU HAVE
FLIP FLOP ADAPT TO WIN
HECK OF A JOB, BROWNIE
CUT AND RUN
WHEN THEY STAND UP
A GODDAMNED PIECE OF PAPER
WE"LL STAND DOWN OLD EUROPE
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
ENHANCED INTERROGATION
A NEW WAY FORWARD
THE U.S. DOES NOT TORTURE
STUFF HAPPENS
CAKE WALK EXIT STRATEGY
STAY THE COURSE
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
I"M A WAR PRESIDENT
JUST A COMMA IN HISTORY
I DON"T RECALL
FAMILY VALUES

[ez14livin]

these really should be displayed at the MSP airport, as a 'Welcome to the Twin Cities' statement for the republicon tent show.

[RTIII]

Arianna,

I REALLY like the basic idea, but REALLY DON'T like the new posters themselves. They're too busy and hard to read. We need more and different posters. How about something as simple as this - on a HUGE poster:

Don't Let Proof
You Should Have
IMPEACHED
Be The Start Of
World War III

What do you think? Much more easily readable, and a catchy phrase for people to remember.

Thank you for your consideration,
RTIII