Posted on 01/17/2005 7:40:11 AM PST by Samwise
NEW YORK -- After spending 10 days in London with friends who were outspoken about their disdain for President Bush's policies, Berns Rothchild came home wishing she had a way to show the world she didn't vote for him.
"I sort of felt ashamed, and didn't really want to be associated with being an American," said Rothchild, who lives in New York City and voted for John Kerry.
Her mother had a suggestion: bracelets, inspired by the Lance Armstrong Foundation's popular "LIVESTRONG" bands, that would signal opposition to Bush.
Thousands of miles away, two women in Idaho had the same idea. So did a woman in Kansas. The result? At least three separate bracelet ventures targeting left-leaning citizens who want to wear their political affiliation on their wrists - and at least one competitor bearing the opposite message.
Rothchild, 35, is selling blue bracelets that say "COUNT ME BLUE," while Laura Adams, of Fairway, Kan., offers blue bracelets that say "HOPE." The McKnight family, of Moscow, Idaho, is even more direct; their black bracelets proclaim: "I DID NOT VOTE 4 BUSH."
"It's kind of like saying, 'This is my tribe,"' said Adams, 43, a Kerry supporter, who was inspired by her 14-year-old stepson's yellow Lance Armstrong band.
It's unlikely the wristbands will ever have the widespread appeal of the bands created by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which have sold about 31 million so far to raise money for cancer research. Brenda McKnight, 40, said her family has sold roughly 4,000, and Adams said she has sold about 3,300. Rothchild has sold about 500 since her Web site launched Monday.
But all three ventures also have the aim of raising money for a variety of organizations.
Rothchild, who is selling the bracelets on the Web in packages of 10 for $20, plans to give part of her profits to UNICEF, and Adams has donated money from the sale of her $3 bracelets to Save the Children and Habitat for Humanity.
The McKnights are auctioning their bracelets on eBay and selling them for $3 each on their Web site, where buyers can vote for one of six organizations that will receive a portion of the proceeds.
So far only McKnight said she has received e-mails criticizing the bracelets as unpatriotic. But Rothchild said her venture has spawned a counter-protest - from her Republican father.
John Rothchild, a Miami Beach, Fla., resident who voted for Bush, has invested in 5,000 "COUNT ME RED" bracelets.
He has hired his daughter's boyfriend, who created her Web site, to create his, which he launched this week.
"Now we're sort of having a father-daughter competition to see who can sell more," Berns Rothchild said.
Brilliant idea...wish I had thought of it. How much fun would it have been to sell these to RATs and donate the cash to Dr Dobson or the NRA.
Maybe I should sell bumper stickers that say "Kerry and Hillary in 2008". I'm sure I could make a few thousand selling Kerry... uh...ya know, I've already forgotten who his running mate was 2 months ago!
Note to self, skip any job applicants who arrive wearing a blue bracelet.
Check out Neal Boortz today. He had quite a bit to say about these.
boortz.com
What shade of blue are the bracelets?
Boo-Hoo Berry!
If only it had a picture of jesus, they'ed really sell on ebay. Should read "Count me BLUEser".
Opponent of the free market, profiting by the free market.
"Sometimes irony can be pretty ironic!" -- Buck Murdock.
Dan
I'm glad they're marking themselves as losers and see no problem with it at all! I wanted to show the opposite. Thanks to a freeper's post, I found a website with numerous pro-GWB bumper stickers (however, many viciously anti-Bush, too) so now my car has a "Four More Years and Loving It" (with GWB picture) taped to the back window just to irritate all those around here with "Bush Cheated" and "Bush - Second Choice" stickers on their cars! After the inauguration I may move to the "W is My President" sticker - and save my new "Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" sticker until Hillary! announces her 2008 run.
The liberals don't really have much conviction. First, they told us they were moving to Canada. Now, they've settled for wearing a blue bracelet to symbolize their disaffection.
Personally, I liked it better when they said they would move to Canada.
"Good. It makes it easier for me to dismiss anything a person says or thinks if they are sporting a blue bracelet."
As soon as I heard about this, I figured that would be the reaction.
In fact, this is another good idea that is being ruined by the Libs. For some time now, Blue and Pink bracelets have been circulating, for Cancer Survivors. They are inscribed "Strength, Hope, Courage". As a cancer survivor, I'm glad to have been given one of these, and dissappointed that I can't wear it without someone stereotyping me as a 'Rat.
Thank you very little.
I was a little miffed, when these blue bracelets showed, because that is the color of another cause that I have high value for - Leukemia Society. Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon and others) is issuing blue bracelets with "Life is a Team Sport", both to support Leukemia Society and to memorialize the teammates lost in the airplane crash, last fall.
I would hate to have mine mistaken for one from the pro-Kerry crowd. On the other hand, it might be an interesting conversation!
BWAAAAHAAAAAAHAAA! Neuticles!!!!!
Yeah, you used to have to wait until they opened their mouths to figure out they were libs.
I live in Massachusetts, and I had a big decal that took up half of my rear window, it has a silouette of a Swift Boat, and said SWIFT BOAT VETERANS FOR TRUTH-STOP KERRY'S FRAUD with the WWW.SWIFTVETS.COM in the silouette...it was great!
Anytime I saw a Kerry sticker, I made sure I would pull in front of them on the highway for a few minutes...:)
I got lots of dirty looks and fingers (once from a fiftyish lady with her hair in a bun, driving a volvo) although nobody keyed my car!
I took it off last week. I like to think I am not that nasty a guy, and I was enjoying it too much. I'm done rubbing it in.
Besides, that lady in the volvo really scared me...:)
I ordered 10 'count me red' bracelets yesterday. Estimated delivery 3 to 5 weeks.
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