"From Tourists to Tumbleweeds"...Crawford, TX...sales falling with ratings.

[madfloridian]

I am linking to the online article which has a different title and a different picture than the print edition. I am using the title from the print edition cause I like it better.

From Tourists to Tumbleweeds

As Bush's Popularity Drops, So Do Souvenir Sales

CRAWFORD, Texas
Near the lone stoplight on Main Street, a for-sale sign hangs from a dusty window where a souvenir shop used to sell cufflinks, cowboy boots and denim shirts emblazoned "The Western White House." Another gift store across the street is shuttered too, though a sign says it will reopen elsewhere. And the biggest souvenir shop in Crawford is reporting a drop in sales.

The Washington professionals have their polls, their focus groups and their newspaper editorials. But Crawford, the 700-person town where President Bush's ranch is located, has its trinket stores, and they have fallen on hard times, in what some say reflects the president's sinking popularity over the war in Iraq and a daunting influx of anti-war protesters.

...."It was in 1999 that then-Gov. George W. Bush bought his 1,600-acre ranch seven miles from downtown in this ranching and gas-drilling region 20 miles west of Waco. After Bush took office as president in 2001, the ranch became known as the Western White House, drawing thousands of visitors a year hoping to see the ranch, which is not even visible from the road. Although locals were thrilled to see more tourist traffic, they opted for small ventures like souvenir shops. Crawford still has only one restaurant, two gas stations and no hotel.

..."Bill Johnson, owner of Crawford's largest gift shop, Yellow Rose, said he plans to continue running his store, which also sells crosses, saddles, guns and Western clothing in addition to coffee mugs, T-shirts and other souvenirs.

"I think the president's ratings will go up, and when that happens, the sales go up," he said. "As far as Crawford's future, I think it looks bright. Is it going to be as hectic as it was a few years ago? No. But Crawford's name is known far and wide, and when he retires, people who are endeared to him will want to come to Crawford."

From the online edition.



DONNA MCWILLIAM/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shops in President Bush's hometown have fallen on hard times, with sales falling along with his approval ratings.

And from the print edition with caption. Scanned.


Note the Sale sign on the shop. I think the owner of the Yellow Rose is a dreamer when he says Bush's popularity will rise again. Bush will forever be tainted by this war, as will our country

[Jackpine Radical]

1. A creatrive solution would be to restock with DU accessories

& cater to the Schadenfreude crowd.

http://www.cafepress.com/du_store/678682

[eleny]

3. Snaps!

:kick:

[Cha]

6. Props!

:thumbsup:

[tanyev]

7. I remember reading that one of the diners had a life-size cardboard cutout

of Shrub. Now would be the perfect time to go in there with a trusty Sharpie.

[cyclezealot]

11. I'd be unable to eat my lunch.

I demand far more pleasant surroundings.

[Phredicles]

2. 'people who are endeared to him will want to come to Crawford."'

I dunno; anyone who actually wants to see him will likely have to go to Paraguay or The Hague.

[frylock]

4. dang! where will the people go to get their gwb petrified dinosaur turd..

with googly eyes?

[Cha]

5. Hope that hawker of

of bush things doesn't hold his breath until the decider gets his polls up.

What a tragic joke.

[madfloridian]

13. Look what I found about the owner of the Yellow Rose. Oh, my

This is really alarming stuff.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2005/11/crawford200511

"Not all true believers are so reasonable. Consider Bill Johnson, 63, who owns the Yellow Rose, Crawford's largest gift shop. "This is God's store," says Johnson, an eerily soft-spoken, intense reed of a man with carefully parted sandy hair, a deep tan, and piercing green eyes. Outside the Yellow Rose, visitors are greeted by two giant tablets bearing the Ten Commandments and a replica of the Liberty Bell. Inside, one is greeted by a cornucopia of stuffed real tigers and bears, assorted crosses, old wagon wheels, and, mostly, Bush souvenirs: countless images of Dubya in military gear, Dubya with the Bible, Dubya flanked by eagles, Dubya bobbleheads, life-size Dubya cardboard cutouts, Western White House shot glasses—plus a sign that reads, HITLER, STALIN, CASTRO, AND QADDAFI SUPPORTED GUN CONTROL.

"Saddam Hussein—he disarmed his enemies so he could kill them," says Johnson, explaining that, although everyone has a right to his own opinion, Americans who support gun control are no different from genocidal dictators. "That's pretty much the way us folks feel about it."

Just as his store is God's store, the war in Iraq, Johnson insists, is God's war. "In the Bible, it says if you don't protect your family you're worse than an infidel," says Johnson. Jesus the pacifist needs to be seen in context, he explains. "The same Jesus that turned the other cheek is the same guy that ... ran out the money changers. He whipped them." The Bible also holds precious wisdom about how to treat people here at home, Johnson believes. Welfare, for instance, violates the message of the Good Book that those who don't work deserve to die. "In Second Thessalonians, it says, 'That the man shall not work, he should not eat.' Just let him starve," says Johnson"

[XOKCowboy]

16. Bill needs more help than I thought... What a NUT!

I'm thinking maybe an exorcism is in order!

Second Thessalonians? Where did he dig THAT up? I'd love to know the context of that quote. Gotta love the Bible. It sure covers ALL theological bases doesn't it?

[Cha]

18. Yeh, and Corporate Welfare

is what's killing this country..that and bush and his goddamn stupid disciples.

[madfloridian]

19. Disciples...good word.

A lot are that way.

:hi:

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. I am astonished to see that the guy thinks * will actually retire to

the pig farm.

Yeah, I know it's been in the family for a long time, well, since 2001, and it's close to the bustling metropolis of Waco, but it is still in the US.

He'll be looking for someplace a little more conducive to relaxation - a place without extradition.

[madfloridian]

10. Like Paraguay, next door to Rev. Moon...heh heh

http://www.wonkette.com:80/politics/george-w.-bush/we-hate-to-bring-up-the-nazis-but-they-fled-to-south-america-too-208549.php

[grytpype]

9. heh heh heh

"I think the president's ratings will go up, and when that happens, the sales go up," he said.

Heh heh heh... yeah, you keep right on thinkin that.

[madfloridian]

12. That's a lonely looking place, that town.

Kind of empty. :hi:

[sweetheart]

14. "crawford, where the fucker drops his shits" /nt

[XOKCowboy]

15. Yo Bill. Get a clue. The "ranch" is a prop.

When he doesn't need it for his photo ops, he'll be back in Connecticut in a heartbeat.

Oh and Bill get some professional help or at least wear a hat in the summer.

[TheWatcher]

17. Bill is clinically insane.

He is completely irrecoverable.

You can't save those people.

I'm to the point I'm not even interested in trying.

They would rather fight against you than face the truth.

The irony?

People like Bill would have supported Hitler.