Sunday Brunch Discussion: Obama’s new presidential seal logo… love it or hate it? [Politics Suck]

On Friday, Obama sat down for a press conference with a brand new logo in tow. Normally not something that makes headlines at all, except that this time, some people have got their panties all in a nasty, skidmarked bunch over what they see as arrogance and “crossing the line”. Why? What is it about a logo that causes so much consternation? Because the new logo is a play on the presidential seal. And this strikes some people as some sort of sacrilige and evidence that he’s an elitist, etc etc.

My opinion is that I like it. It’s ballsy, it’s different, it’s clever. To me, it says a new kind of politics, a new kind of White House– one that’s cooler and more in touch with the modern world. However, others couldn’t be more offended if he had a logo of himself skull-fucking George Washington.

Comments on CNN’s Political News Ticker range from “I love it” to “This is scary, he even wants to change the American logo-seal, by replacing it with his name. Americans please wake up and do not vote for Obama. Are these the kind of changes you really want.?He will turn this country into a Muslim sect, Just wait and see.”

Right.

I honestly don’t get it. Politicians and used car salesmen take images and icons of America all the time and twist them and shape them into their own image– the flag, the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, the dollar bill, Mount Rushmore– fucking everyone does it. They put their face on the dollar bill and their face on Rushmore promising the lowest prices in the area or ponies for everyone if you vote for them. On the one hand, if this is all the haters have to throw at him, that’s a good thing. On the other hand…

On the other hand, the logo that you choose to represent yourself with, whether it be as a business or a politician, should above all, do no harm. If it’s clever and memorable, that’s great, but for politics, it should also be neutral. Your logo should never be a reason for any controversy, because you’ll get enough of that from the other guy and it should never be a reason that someone would not vote for you.

And the motto Vero Possumus? Really, Obama? Really? You want to stand there behind a logo that has the word “possum” in it? I don’t care if it’s sorta-kinda Latin for “Yes we can”, it fucking has the word “possum” in it. Roadkill. Varmints of the night. I’m sure someone right now is printing up a thousand anti-Obama t-shirts with that slogan with your face on a possum. Why not latinize “Change you can believe in” or “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of how awesome I am?”

I’m thinking he won’t really use this one a whole lot for the above reasons. He can say he wants to the change Washington and that’s fine, but there’s no reason that he should have to fight himself over his own choice of branding. That’s just sloppy. So while I love the logo, I think perhaps he should have thought it through a bit more.