Eager reader Jana noticed that the combination of the Contribute and Volunteer buttons on M. Michael Rounds's Senate campaign website hearkens to the pink-on-red equal sign folks are using to signal their support for marriage equality:
"Mike is covering his bases and appealing to the left and the LGBT vote," says Jana. "Well played, candidate Rounds."
I chuckle at Jana's play on Rounds's serendipitous graphic choice but think no way: no one at Team Rounds or GOP Central is interested in monkeying around with subliminal messaging to signal either quiet LGBT sympathies or wise-guy graphic inclinations.
But check out Kristi Noem's campaign website. Check out the little favicon that pops up in the browser tab or the URL bar:
A red equal sign, rotated 90 degrees, to vertical. I first saw it on her little Second Amendment push poll, so I thought maybe it was a little sign for the number 2, in the red of the blood which she would shed to defend our right to bear arms. But that rotated equal sign is on her main page, on every page.
Click Rain designed Noem's site, just like they design Rounds's. Maybe they're playing with us. Maybe they're sending a signal that Republicans are really the party of equality and civil liberties. Or maybe they are trying to co-opt and dilute the symbol, or even to say that there are more pressing issues to fight for than gay rights. Or maybe she is expressing solidarity with Army captains, or 11 million undocumented immigrants who Noem may support with immigration reform that embraces LGBT rights?
There are certainly more important issues to discuss than Team Noem's graphic design choices. But I'm curious: what do those two red bars flagging Noem's campaign website stand for?
p.s.: According to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, in January, Noem's favicon was a tiny version of her orange Kristi swoop logo. By April, it was the red 11, or Roman II, or whatever.
Republicrats? Dempublicans? Elephants and donkeys living in sin.
It's probably some four square Pentecostal thing that she does when she speaks in tongues.
Sometimes... a cigar is just a cigar.
She can rotate but she remains clueless.
Yeah, but two cigars?
The swastika gets rotated too. Yah, and I know about Godwin's law.
Kristi's logo should be an empty circle.
I liked Mike's comment. I would never have thought of it. I must be slipping on thinking up smart remarks.
It looks like it is the icon for Parallels Plesk, the webserver default icon.
Ding ding ding! You are correct, sir! Team Noem must have switched hosting control panels to Parallels Plesk.