So, I was out on the corner across from Ponds Church this afternoon. A longtime Oakland resident joined me, and we had a great time chatting as we waved our homemade campaign signs at the long line of traffic on Ramapo Valley Road.

After awhile, this young kid shows up wearing make-up – I assume for Halloween – and stands to the side of us holding a sign and pointing at me. I take a peek and the sign says, “I’m with Stupid”.

Now this is the first clever thing my opponents have tried that I respect strategically. I have no budget, no lawn sign, no glossy mailers, just a homemade sign I hold out on the road. Obviously, I don’t need this kid – he was at least old enough to drive – standing on the corner with me waving his sign.

Fortunately, the spirit of Ronald Reagan was with me, along with the Ronald Reagan mask in my car, so I went and put it on and stood right next to the kid. “Now who looks stupid?”, I ask him, “You’re standing here dissing a beloved president.” Seems the kid really did not want to do that and he left with his sign.

I have to admit, it was a good attempt to disrupt my campaigning, and I enjoyed the challenge; but perhaps my opponents should encourage kids to be a bit more creative in promoting their own ideas rather than dragging down another person’s ideas. We really don’t need to start indoctrinating the youth into the politics of demeaning someone else because they have no ideas of their own.

Anyway, my companion on the campaign trail that day was an 85 year old man who had made his own sign. After the kid leaves, he puts the Ronald Reagan mask on and has a grand time waving to the cars.

It was a good day.