Playing Chicken with Politics.

October 15, 2002 7:20 AM

Playing Chicken with Politics. What do you do when a defecting party from your coalition ends up in another coalition with your opposition (and thereby removing you from power in the local legislature)? Why you get a giant chicken to follow the defecting party's chairman around for two weeks! Is this just political grandstanding? And even if so would it be effective? Would it work anywhere else?
posted by PenDevil (5 comments total)

politicians are so mature.
posted by tolkhan at 7:43 AM on October 15, 2002

During the 2000 elections, Ozone Action (which eventually folded and the leadership took over greenpeace US) followed the presidential candidates around wearing big smokestack hats and holding pacards that said, 'What's Your Plan?' in an effort to have them address climate change. Eventually, John McCain had the Ozone Action kids come on his bus and talk with him for a while about the issue. He did some research, talked to some people, and now he's one of the enviro's biggest (if not biggest) backers in the Senate.
posted by crackerass at 7:53 AM on October 15, 2002

For the Afrikaans impaired out there, the phrase "Kortbroek is bangbroek" translates to "Kortbroek is a scaredy pants". Kortbroek is the local nickname for the NP leader (it translates to "Short pants" but really means "Smallfry" in this context, due to his short stature, youthful looks and relative age to other politicians)
posted by PenDevil at 8:26 AM on October 15, 2002

Oh my god, I had to read the FPP 4 times before I realized the word was defecting, and not defecating.

Why you get a giant chicken to follow the defecating party's chairman.....
posted by loukas_c at 9:51 AM on October 15, 2002

perhaps said party has been watching old Michael Moore re-runs w/ Cracks The Crime Fighting Chicken...
posted by robotrock at 5:22 PM on October 16, 2002