Star Spangled Staggers

US politics from outside the beltway

Romney's tribute to Thatcher

New "Obama Isn't Working" poster is a replica of "Labour Isn't Working".

By George Eaton Published 24 June 2011 18:28

Joe Biden famously plagiarised a speech by Kinnock, now Mitt Romney has stolen a poster from Thatcher. The Republican frontrunner's latest campaign ad, entitled "Obama Isn't Working", is a near replica of the classic "Labour Isn't Working" poster from the 1979 Conservative campaign.

In fairness to the Romney campaign, they acknowledge their debt to Thatcher in a passage on their website:

In 1978, Saatchi and Saatchi, then an up-and-coming advertising agency hired by the British Conservative Party and their campaign for Margaret Thatcher, created an historic political poster depicting the negative economic conditions and the government's failed attempts to correct that path. Labeled the poster of the century by the magazine Campaign, the image pointed to Britain's economic climate of rising unemployment, rising inflation, and a large and growing national debt. Those conditions and the public discontent throughout the country during that election and the parallels that Americans face today cannot be ignored. With 9.1% unemployed, record deficits, a soaring national debt, and millions of struggling families, one thing is clear -- Obama isn't working, either.

Let's hope that Obama succeeds where Sunny Jim failed.

Hat-tip: Slate.

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Tags: Mitt Romney US Election 2012 Margaret Thatcher Barack Obama

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34 comments

Sun, 2011-06-26 11:34 — Robert Taggart

Under Thatcher oneself worked... for four weeks in ten years !
The giros kept coming.
MHT - our heroin !
MR - the 'iron-man' ? !

Fri, 2011-06-24 20:33 — Dave Brinson (not verified)

I seem to recall that the "unemployed" in the Thatcher poster were members of the Hendon Young Conservatives (most of whom, one assumes, had jobs.) Who is Romney using ? Tea Party Youth Wing ?

Sun, 2011-06-26 11:46 — Androus (not verified)

Stu: You do realise that anytime you post the hypocritical-on-merit: "Not that i'd expect anything else from the left mind you. Lost the argument so revert to type & stick to lies & smears as thats the only thing your good at." - it's you who sounds like an idiot.

It is possible to make a point without sounding like a rabidly partisan douche.

Sun, 2011-06-26 12:11 — Dave C (not verified)

Romney's got 18 months to present his plans to reduce unemployment. We'll listen with interest.

Fri, 2011-06-24 20:50 — Stu (not verified)

What utter crap spouted by dominic sayers.

There were never 10 million unemployed thats an out & out lie. Not that i'd expect anything else from the left mind you. Lost the argument so revert to type & stick to lies & smears as thats the only thing your good at.

And it quite clearly does work as a play on words as the message is clear that Obama isnt working, or otherwise the US economy would be picking up & US unemployment decreasing. Fingers crossed this helps kick out Obama & once we again the march of the right will have taken power across the americas & europe.

Fri, 2011-06-24 20:52 — Edward Turner (not verified)

Under Mrs Thatcher hte unemplyment peaked at 4m,

Fri, 2011-06-24 21:03 — Matt (not verified)

Hey Stu will that "march of the right" be undertaken with or without jackboots ?

Fri, 2011-06-24 21:23 — PhilM (not verified)

How about
Tough on Obama, tough on the causes of Obama
Could be a winner?

Fri, 2011-06-24 21:36 — Am (not verified)

I hope Romney paid everyone in the queue to use their image even if it was taken 30 years ago. Could be expensive if he didn't-know they probably won't sue though

Sun, 2011-06-26 13:58 — Indu Pendent (not verified)

Its a significantly different poster to the Labour...

The "Isn't" should be on the same line as Obama. It would down play the tone of the poster as being personal attack on Obama (they have even done Obama as a differenct font to emphaises the attack) and shifts the tone to focus people on the serious impact Obama is having.

People tend to be defensive about attacks on the underdog.

Just saying ... good spin costs money

Sun, 2011-06-26 15:35 — matthew fox (not verified)

None of Romney's 5 children served in Iraq or Afghanistan. even-though, they where over 18 and able-bodied.

George W Bush has the worst job creation record of any President, and managed to change surpluses into deficits.

Sat, 2011-06-25 00:50 — Whatsgoingon

Make sense. Romney did say he was unemployed last week to some folks in Florida.

What next Maggie old trick is up his sleeve?

"HANDBAG!"

Sun, 2011-06-26 16:01 — Michael LeBlanc (not verified)

The Democrats (and progressives everywhere) need to reframe the discussion from "governments don't create jobs" to "Sure... so capitalism exists to give you and your family a decent living?"

Sun, 2011-06-26 18:42 — Max (not verified)

Clinton’s Big Lie: “Srebrenica Massacre”:http://szrzlj3.blogspot.com/2011/06/clintons-big-lie-srebrenica-massacre.html

Tue, 2011-06-28 10:09 — Indu Pendent (not verified)

@matthew fox

Yep - you are dead right.

GW Bush was focussed on using public resources to pursue personal goals. He supported an illegal war, grew the US national debt (what did their kids get for it) and precided over a decline in the economy. All for votes and power.

Try this word association to see if anyone else comes to mind:

-greedy, arogant, superior (as in looking down on voters), biggot, spin, sex up, sofa, out of touch, selfish, behind closed doors, deceitful, lies, power, corruption, media management, win votes at all cost, £350Bn borrowing, more lies, deficit, unemployment, industrial decline, anchorless, reactive policy development, nazi uniform, borrow more for popularity, 1/3 illiterate teenages, unemployable, fastest widening social divide, doesnt matter we won.

Sat, 2011-06-25 09:47 — mcquade

"Under Mrs Thatcher hte unemplyment peaked at 4m"

That's the official figure and fails to take into account the millions Thatcher shunted onto her incapacity benefit scheme in order to favourably massage the true figures.

Sat, 2011-06-25 11:17 — Harry (not verified)

He's getting his reaction in early - by the time of the 2012 election the fiscal stimulus will have run out, and it will look really prescient.

Sat, 2011-06-25 11:39 — Luddite (not verified)

Edward Turner
24 June 2011 at 19:52
Under Mrs Thatcher unemplyment peaked at 4m, It did Edward, and never came down under Labour. When Labour came to power we had 4 million on one kind of benefit or another and when Labour left government we had 4 million on one kind of benefit or another.

Mon, 2011-06-27 08:37 — lusina

Thatcher was a disaster to England and the world. She came up with extreme ideas that have blighted the Right ever since. They seem to know no other doctrine than hers - cut, cut, cut on welfare and thereby save the economy!! (Remember Hague's secret comment to the American Ambassador as leaked - "We are all Thatcher's children") What saved her was the Argentine Junta which gave her the little war that she needed to get her out of the black hole she was in at the time and a series of unimpressive Labour leaders that confronted her while PM (Foot and Kinnock). Maybe, we are seeing a re-hash of all that with Ed Milliband, but then Cameron is no match to Thatcher, rather a poor shadow with little charisma. She, at least, had character with clear leadership qualities. That much has to be admitted.

Thu, 2011-06-30 20:10 — Wrensense (not verified)

Thatcher was the most evil politician ever, so this says it all!

Mon, 2011-06-27 11:32 — Marcus (not verified)

Once upon a time Saachi's were effective. How times change.

Labour should hire some Meerkats and say "simples" at the end of every election broadcast. People really are that gullible and fickle. Its a guaranteed winner.

Tue, 2011-06-28 19:44 — matthew fox (not verified)

The first name that came to me was Indu Pendent - selfish, lies, out of touch, arrogant ( you spell that with 2 r's ) deceitful, more lies.

What prize do I win?

Sat, 2011-06-25 17:19 — Alex (not verified)

Luddite, most of the time, cleaning up a mess takes longer than making it.

The ever popular quick fix offered by politicians, especially when basing their electoral campaign on the (supposed) failings of others instead of the success of themselves, is akin to sweeping Ebola under a warm, damp carpet.

Sat, 2011-06-25 17:34 — elrob

The pun still works. Work meaning functioning (the policies), and work meaning employed (over 9% are not).

The barely mentioned historical irony is that the unemployment levels of the time of the poster (about 1.1 million; and that is the full Labour market survey, not the massaged down Thatcherite figure later known as the claimant count) have almost never been bettered since.

Thatcher not only became the next government, but the economic template ever since (Thatcher, Major, Blair, and Brown until the credit crunch hit and it Thatcherism was partly binned for 18 months).

Thatcherism isn't working. When will the media, regulators, and government ever wake up to this?

Don't hold your breath. Even the death of the free market capitalism has led to even more free market capitalism.

Wed, 2011-06-29 22:32 — Vim (not verified)

Like all American remakes, it completely misses the point.

Sat, 2011-06-25 21:33 — Hugh Markey (not verified)

Can't understand why Mr Thatcher's wife, the 'Lady's not for Turning!', was in fact turned out of office by amongst others Kenny 'Mr Softy' Clarke and Francis 'Daddy's Boy' Maude.
Seems that capitalism is no respecter of persons who become unpopular with the electorate. Following election, Johnny Major got more votes than Mrs T. Good call! Tories got it right - Mrs T was a busted flush!

Zombie

Wed, 2011-06-29 04:02 — Edgar Totleben (not verified)

For anyone who wants the American perspective, yes, Young Republicans over here react to Margaret Thatcher with the same moist affect as your Young Conservatives do, although extremely few of them could even articulate why. Perhaps that's the same over there, too.

Wed, 2011-06-29 10:32 — Lawrence Efana (not verified)

Is it also not true that comparison can be extremely poor and misleading?
Dynamic factors will always push their course and yet the problem is: what we make and learn out of all! Today you are on top and tomorrow you are down is not just a routine but truly a thing to make everyone and the politicians included), to rethink strategy and the essence of CHANGE. Both sides of the Atlantic have a reason to enrich seriousness of the strategy and change by making a greater sense of the following: "acceptance versus change"; "responsibility versus dependence"; "opportunity versus oppression"; "material versus spiritual"; "life as easy versus life as hard"; and "openness versus prudence". Events of politics, including the lessons of economic cycles, etc., sit in here. It is obviously challenging how to make the wanted sense! If you lump all together, you might find a worthwhile reason to free OBAMA on the theme of this comparison and the time we live in. Look well at above 'make-up' of the challenges and you will come to a very balance conclusion that PRAGMATIC POLITICS IS TRULY WELL DRIVEN BY OBAMA ON ALL FRONTS - NOW MORE COMPLEX THAN OF THE THATCHER ERA)! Let us apply our senses well and be true so that our politics too can solve the problems re-occurring to embarrass citizens. Always, there is some pain in truly setting things right: what we are also seeing across both sides of the Atlantic, though not at whatever cost, because then you might rock voters' boats. I still prefer a reasonable practice of pragmatism: one that might also reduce wars!

Fri, 2011-06-24 19:23 — Andrew (not verified)

Regardless of your political position, "Labour isn't working" is an excellent pun.
"Obama isn't working" isn't a pun at all.
Therefore it doesn't really "work".
(That was a pun.)

Fri, 2011-06-24 19:24 — John Campbell Rees (not verified)

Just what the USA needs, a potential President ready to take it forward into the 1980's, such a brave new world.

On the other hand, nobody can complain about Mitt Romney's Green credentials. Why waste the planet's precious resources creating a new election poster, when you can recycle a 32 year old British one.

Fri, 2011-06-24 19:33 — John Nevill (not verified)

You have to feel sorry for republicans. If their leadership and to 'borrow' 30-years-old ideas from the UK what hope have they got of coming up with ideas for running country? Return to slavery, perhaps?