Editorial: Red, White, Boo: Political Races Provide Fodder For Halloween Tricks, Treats
This story was written by Editorial Board,
Instead oforange and black this year, it's all about the red, white and blue.With the amount of media coverage the presidential race has gotten in recent months (or years), Election Day seems like a bigger holiday than Halloween.Let's face it, this is one of the most important elections our nation has had in decades, and it will probably be the most important for years to come.The late-night talk shows have taken advantage of this rich opportunity to use the election as political fodder as much as possible, so why don't we join them?We're always struggling to come up with great costume ideas for Halloween parties. This year we've got a whole set of political figures to emulate, and the costumes would be easy to craft.All you need is a designer wardrobe and some snazzy glasses to pull off a great Sarah Palin. A pair of big, fake ears would go a long way in a makeshift Barack Obama getup. All you need to do for Uncle Sam is get a blue blazer, red pants and a gray beard and point your finger a lot.Political Halloween decorations would also be a fun addition to the dual holiday. A quick Google search will provide you with stencils to help you make your own John McCain-o-lantern.You might want to avoid this year's trend of hanging dummies of your least-favorite candidates from fake nooses in your window, though. Several people around the country have already been forced to take down their controversial presidential effigies, so it probably wouldn't go over too well in the residence halls.Use red, white and blue streamers instead of orange ones, or put out fake gravestones bearing the names of politicians whose careers are dead, like John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Dick Cheney or, of course, George W. Bush.When you pass out candy, make sure it is patriotic. Nestle Crunch bars already have red, white and blue wrappers, or you could get M&M's or jelly beans in those colors.If you're too old for trick-or-treating but you're still in the mood for something sweet, consider patriotic Jell-O shots.If you're partying with friends at home, make a drinking game out of candy distribution. Each time a cute, little presidential candidate comes to the door, take a shot. (Be sure you have a designated candy passer-outer so you don't scare the kids too much.)Beer pong and flippy cup are classic party games, so make them politically themed at your Halloween party by using red and blue cups. If any Ralph Nader supporters attend, be sure you have green cups for them.It seems all we've heard about lately is how serious this election is. Let's use Halloween as an opportunity to make fun of it.Heck, some of the politics we've seen latelyare just as scary as any Halloween trick.