Hillary Clinton’s campaign spokesman probably won’t be buying the next portrait by artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the 2008 iconic “Hope” poster for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and is suppporting Bernie Sanders this year.
“I’m supporting Bernie Sanders because I want to push principles, not personalities,” Fairey said in a video on Wednesday evening. “I’m tired of portraits. I want to make images of people of substance.”
Last year, Esquire asked Fairey if Obama had lived up to the promise of the “Hope” poster. Fairey replied: “Not even close.”
So when Sanders tweeted Fairey’s endorsement of Sanders, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon tweeted in response: “Diss Obama by day, do poor man’s imitation of 2008 campaign by night.”
Diss Obama by day, do poor man's imitation of 2008 campaign by night. https://t.co/jN14g4pMCc
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) February 18, 2016
In doing so, Fallon used Fairey as a proxy to suggest that Clinton is more loyal to Obama than Sanders is. Clinton and Sanders are vying for primary votes in South Carolina, where Obama remains popular with Democrats.
Sanders didn’t just tweet Fairey’s endorsement: He also tried to sell some shirts. Available in both black and white, the shirts feature Sanders’ name along with the Vermont Senator’s popular campaign slogans, including “Feel the Bern,” “A Political Revolution” and “A Future to Believe In.”
Watch Fairey’s endorsement video below.
Acclaimed artist and actvist Shepard Fairey has a new design in the Bernie Store: https://t.co/TeOfYwtwWohttps://t.co/i9RIoz9AsO
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 18, 2016