Romney and Ryan Campaign in Ohio (Photo of man wearing racist t-shirt; DU, DKOS screen name?)

Note by Kristinn: AFP/ Getty Images took the photo so it can't be posted here. Click the source link to view the photo of a bald (skinhead) man at a Romney-Ryan rally in Lancaster, Ohio today. The man is wearing a black t-shirt with large white all-capitalized letters emblazoned on the back that says, "Put the white back in the White House."

To make sure, the man placed a Romney-Ryan sticker at the top of the back of the t-shirt. By coincidence, a wire service photographer just happened to be in a position to take his picture.

Media photographers will usually ask the name of the person they are photographing. There is no mention in the AFP description of the photo of who the man is, but he is described as a "supporter" of Mitt Romney. Also, the man's face is completely unseen because of the angle of the photo.

My guess is this a set-up by a liberal activist or union goon and the photographer.

My guess is this a set-up by a liberal activist or union goon and the photographer.

My guess is it's another fake-but-accurate.

Out of curiosity, I looked at a close up of the photo.

Despite the fact every hair and wrinkle on the shirt is crystal clear, the lettering on the shirt and sticker are blurred. I even went to the website to see it it was originally looked like, yet couldn't find one like it.

Also, look at the "E" in 'the' and the one in 'house'. you can see them both equally despite the fact the crease is deeper at the top

If this were real, you wouldn't be able to see part of the e in the lower word, and less that half of the E in the top word.

Besides, does anyone really think someone would get away with prancing around in that shirt at a Romney rally and no one else would call them on it?

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BTW - the t shirt website isn't a liberal site, it just sells the stuff.

They have some clever anti-Obama and pro Romney stuff, too.

This thread was a great resource for countering those who may want to link this guy to Romney and Romney supporters. Here's my summary of counterpoints, some which I got from this thread.

1) As described by the source, the picture was taken before the event began, so we don't know if anyone objected to him wearing this or if he was later allowed access into a restricted area wearing that shirt.

2) If man in a NAMBLA T-shirt showed up at an LGBT event, liberals would yell foul if someone tried to link that community to pedophilia based on this. How is this any different?

3) The only manufacturer of shirts like this which I could find came from a site marketing shirts to those who hate Palin, which seem to be encouraging liberals to buy these shirts in order to link Palin and her supporters to racism.

4) Google - Romney Lancaster - and then click "Videos": You'll see Romney, Ryan, and almost everyone in the crowd in coats. It was cold that day. So why is this guy there in a T-shirt?

5) There were cameras everywhere that day, yet this was the one and only picture this guy! I don't see how that's possible - unless he removed his coat, posed for the picture, put his coat back on and left.

6) It has been documented that radical anti-right activists and groups exist whose sole purpose is to infiltrate right-wing events and to dress, carry signs, or act in a way that will discredit the right. All evidence seems to cleary point to that being the case here:
* Picture taken before the event began
* No other pictures or videos exist
* Cold day, everyone else in coats and hats
* Man's face is not shown
* Man is not interviewed

Finally, if this was NOT a set up, then the photographer would have done much more. He would have followed the guy who was their before the campaign began to see what happened once campaign organizers arrived. He would have gotten out a video camera, or taken many photographs in sequence, to allege that the crowd was not reacting to this shirt.

And others, including news media, would have also taken and posted pictures or videos by now.

But no, he took the one and only shot, which makes itclear that this was a set up - this was a quick-stand-over-there in-and-out operation.

It’s also totally weird that this photographer takes a bunch of wide crowd shots, a bunch of R&R, and then a couple of sidewalk shots and then this total non sequitur lone guy in the crowd t-shirt shot. And, looking at the crowd shots, seems just about everyone is in a jacket or sweater/fall clothing. I saw what may have been a t-shirt but you couldn’t tell if it was long sleeved. This guy showed the shirt for the cameras, and then probably covered it up after.
He’s got either an earring on or a mole behind his right ear.

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