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Follow-up to A Sign of the (Political) Times in Bucks →

If you've been paying attention to corners and sidewalks throughout Bucks County, you may have noticed more little black and white signs littering your town. I wrote about the originals back in July, when the "Brian Fitzpatrick for All of Us" PAC signs went up months before any election. Now it's Bob Harvie's countersigns, boldly proclaiming "Fitzpatrick voted 7 TIMES to RAISE grocery prices." all across Bucks County.

The counter-message was simple: Brian Fitzpatrick voted seven times for something that made groceries more expensive. Whatever you think of the ad, it's the kind of claim that gets attention. It definitely got the attention of the "Brian Fitzpatrick for All of Us" PAC and they clearly didn't like the taste of their own medicine.

Then the Republican political machine did what machines do when they can't win a fight fairly. They bent the rules again, and they hid Harvie's signs.

What's a Sign Sandwich?

Sign sandwiching is exactly what it sounds like. You take your own campaigns signs and plant them in front of and behind the other side's sign, so theirs are covered. If you can't read it, it might as well not exist, right?

Why do it? Because you don't have to win the argument if you can make sure nobody reads the other side's. It's the yard-sign version of shouting over someone at a town hall (you remember those right? They are those things Fitzpatrick doesn't attend). Campaigns do it because it works, and it works because most people driving past a corner at 35 miles an hour see only one sign, and never know there was ever anything else there.

Two Weeks of Documentation

Starting July 30, I documented and participated in the battle myself, though I also admit to not expecting any signs showing up so early in the process. I'd heard from another volunteer (and occasional writer for ABB), Steve Cickay, as well as others, about what was happening and it, frankly, ticked me off. I spent the next few weeks seeing if it was true and documenting what was going on.

The first sandwich I caught on camera was at the Summit Trace corner. Over time I documented several locations via photo and video at three locations at different hours of the day, often checking multiple times each day. It was happening, and it was happening often.

So Who's the Sandwich Man?

The obvious answer was either a PAC or campaign operatives: It was an organized, repeated, coordinated action. It didn't feel like one crank with a station wagon and way too much free time. The good news was finding out what was happening was a problem easily solved with a cheap trail camera off Amazon, and creative use of my various craft skills to better blend it into its surroundings. Readers, I'm not going to lie. This bit was a little fun. I always liked arts and craft.

During the next two weeks, I hit pay dirt twice.

I captured both video and still photos of the sandwich man. A text to a few local Democrats resulted in a quick ID: Jacob Quitugua.

He's on the Fitzpatrick Endorsing PAC payroll per FEC filings: ten biweekly checks between February and June, plus mileage reimbursements, about $18,400 total. Not bad if you can stomach the work I suppose.

He was lead field operations for NJGOP and was the Camden and Gloucester County field director for Jack Ciattarelli's campaign.

Here's What Makes Me Angry

Yes, this whole thing is silly on several levels. It's lawn signs and adults arguing about printed plastic sheets on stakes, and I'm running around to plant hidden cameras, trust me, I know how it sounds. But here's why it still matters.

At its core, sign sandwiching goes against the concept of fair play and the spirit of free speech in this country. It breaks agreed upon norms that were around for good reason. It might even be a violation of the law, though unlike direct defacement or theft, I can't find evidence this specific action was ever brought up before a court.

If all this breaking of norms and possibly of laws is starting to remind you of the Trump Administration, that's my intent. The Fitzpatrick PAC, and even the Fitzpatrick campaign itself are responsible. The first by employing someone doing the sandwiching and the second by not denouncing it publicly. After all, this was happening right in front of Fitzpatrick's office for weeks.

Map Key

1. Fitzpatrick's office
2. Sign sandwich site
3. Sign sandwich site 2

And isn't all this really just the theme of the Trump Administration as a whole and anyone who still labels themselves as a Republican these days? The rules apply to everyone else, not to them. Fitzpatrick has worked very hard to distance himself from Trump, the MAGA movement and frankly, other Republicans. Yet a political action committee bearing his name engages in these exact maneuvers.

Maybe Fitzpatrick should walk a little further, a little faster from those influences, because from here, the distance between Trump and him seems pretty small.