Who Would You Cast Your Vote For — Obama or Steve Jobs?
- Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:30pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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If posed with a choice for president to rival Barack Obama — one that extended even beyond the current GOP or Democratic field — who would your choice be? For one Los Angeles-based artist, Weston James, his choice would be none other than the late Apple visionary Steve Jobs.
That is the focus of James’ latest work, in which he challenges patrons to cast their vote for either “Obama or Steve Jobs.”
“With all his accomplishments and his deep understanding of running one of the most successful companies in the world, would Steve Jobs have more success running the country than Obama?” asks James on his website, which features the artwork.
The piece, titled “Obama & Steve,” originally exhibited in a Los Angeles art gallery and is now back at the artists’ studio undergoing finishing touches. According to James, while guests of the exhibit were able to cast their votes on the interactive artwork — complete with an iPad featuring specialized software — in person, others can do so online at the Obama and Steve website.
From the site:
It started with posing an interesting question: Obama or Steve Jobs? It then snowballed into a social experiment. With all his accomplishments and his deep understanding of running one of the most successful companies in the world, would Steve Jobs have more success running the country than Obama? The answer might not be clear but it certainly calls to light that there is room for discussion. Staying true to the democratic process, the answer is in the hands of the people. Place your thumbprint, make your choice, and help spread the word.
[...]
Obama and Steve is a piece that questions the politics of today. Interactive on multiple levels, the piece is meant to provoke emotions and capture reactions while documenting its reach. The unique setup of this piece allows the viewers to vote for either Obama or Steve. The results will be tallied on January 1st and the piece will be sold for the total amount of votes, thus generating a measurable log of the effect the piece had and establishing an equation for valuation.
When asked who attended the exhibit for his unusual and thought-provoking piece, James told The Blaze that the audience ranged in age from teenagers to people in their 60′s, of all different income brackets — from “MOCA and Getty types,” to up and coming graffiti artists. In fact, one prominent artist in attendance was the man famous for his Soviet-era propagandist style depictions of Barack Obama, Shepard Fairy. All of the gallery guests cast their votes for either Jobs or Obama during the exhibition.
“Demographics, genders, income levels and social backgrounds didn’t make a difference,” James told The Blaze. “It was great to see people with decades in age difference discussing and debating social topics, which is exactly what I had hoped for of the piece.”
Currently James is in the process of adding additional elements to the work to highlight “the involvement of the audience” before it is to be sold.
“One thing that you will see is the addition of a series of fingerprints to symbolically visualize the number of people who have cast their votes,” James said, adding that piece will be finished after voting closes on New Year’s day 2012. James intends for 20 percent of the proceeds to go to charity.
When asked if the lone fingerprint currently visible on the piece represents his own, James replied “yes” and said his inspiration and ultimate goal is simply to motivate people to “keep talking”
“I just put the ingredients out there, the real art is what everyone creates in their discussion and dialogue. There are so many things that fly by so fast today without discussion it is really sad.”
But while James admits that he likes stoking the fires of debate, he is “not pushing a set agenda or point of view” in his artwork.
“I feel that in a discussion like this it is inevitable that we create new viewpoints, alignment, understanding and hopefully inspirations that will hopefully lead to actions of change and improvement for the world around us,” he told The Blaze.
For James, what matters most is what those who view the piece will take away from it, and what they “will do with the inspiration from this conversation.”
“It would be great to have millions of people take notice, but if at the end of the day one person can take some inspiration from this discussion and do something great with it for themselves, their community or ideally the world at large than this piece will have meant something. It will have fulfilled its purpose and lived my intention for it.”
“For me it will be to create more, to start more fires and hopefully light a few sparks in those people that come to experience the work and conversation.”
To vote for either Obama or Steve Jobs, you can visit James website Obama and Steve and let us know if you voted.
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Comments (106)
IKEMICH
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:26pmWhat an IDIOT question.
Report Post »Steve Jobs Is dead.
How can he benefit you?
With Obama, all other jobs are also dead.
What is the difference?
MrButcher
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:38pmits an existential post-modern premise to begin with…
I’ll go one further…
Since the republicans don’t have any living candidates worth voting for or believing IN….
why not nominate a dead man named “Jobs” to oversee the country as China rises
to its pre-historical prominence??
Few people understand the international peril we (americans) are in.
Report Post »Buck Shane
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 10:23pmGiven that Stevie is dead, given the choice between Jobs and Obama, I would vote for John Galt.
Report Post »Buck Shane
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 10:32pmROMNEY2012
MAD_HATTER_
READRIGHTHERE
TOP_DOWN
These posters appear to be Romney staffers playing politics.
Don’t bother with what they post; its just political sophistry.
These may even be the same person trying to appear to be a consensus.
Can we trust someone who uses these tactics?
Report Post »NoRoomForSocialismHere
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 11:16pmNo one to vote for in that, just no one
Report Post »mils
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 11:40pmneither one…they were/are both one in the same…
.? is this a rhetorical quesiton????
Report Post »Brooke Lorren
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 11:51pmSteve Jobs by a mile. A dead person could do better than the current president.
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 12:15amCan it Tiffany. Jobs is gone. Lean towards real news, not some stupid if-you-could-tabloid poll.
Report Post »PelositheGreat
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 7:58amStop and think. With Obama our debt is screwed,regulations abound and we are the world’s sissy.
Obama will make things worse. Jobs wouldnt. He wins.
Report Post »demint.disciple
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 9:34amI choose death….. GIVE ME LIBERTY , DAMN IT !!!!!!
Report Post »Bill in Texas
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 9:46amI would still pick Jobs. He could do more good for the nation dead than Obama living and breathing.
Report Post »dthomps6
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 11:11amSteve Jobs because he can’t sign bills
Report Post »pap pap
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 12:37pmA dead man would do a much better job at being POTUS than Obama ever could.
Report Post »toomuchgovt
Posted on December 17, 2011 at 8:01amThe “dead Presidents” in my pocket represent me, better than the one in office.
I like it, I can’t wait to see who wins.
At least Jobs, actually created jobs, Apple was knocked out by a monopoly and came back. This is a true american come back story. Like it or not. Apple in an odd way represents what you can do. Besides I love their commercial were they use the movie 1984 images.
Report Post »vonstro
Posted on June 3, 2012 at 2:04pmI‘d vote for a dead guy before I’d vote for Obama… I‘d vote for ANYBODY before I’d vote for that clown again! What a disappointment he’s been.
Report Post »KTsayz
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:19pmI would write-in Ron Paul, but wouldn’t leave my thumbprint.
Report Post »AhLeahIris
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:26pmNeither. I’d pick Moochelle since she knows how to party down: http://wp.me/p1HGwx-1IM
Report Post »stinkybisquit
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:17pmDo I: 1. vote for a community organizer/ activist/ radical who has no interest in politics, or 2. a tech guy, who sticks his two cents on social activism into politics? It makes as much sense as asking us if we’d rather have Hitler or Mussolini.
Report Post »IKEMICH
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:16pmWorthless question.
Report Post »Jobs is dead,why “vote” for him?
Can he improve your life?
With Obama, ,jobs are still dead, so what is the difference?
Weak news day if this is all you can muster for consumption, or has reporting died as well?
freedomofspeech
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 1:18amJobs is dead, true, however due to his product life has become more individualized. Obama is alive and life has become more regulated. Think the dead guy wins.
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:11pmMore “artsy fartsy” BS from an obvious starving artist.
Report Post »randy
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:24pmArt? Someone actually calls an ipad on a pipe, with a mirror and two stupids signs art?
Report Post »NOT!
YepImaConservative
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:38pmLol………….. ;-)
Report Post »Ben__Franklin
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:08pmHow about neither. Though Steve Jobs is one of the evil rich 1% that created thousands of jobs and made other people he hired millionaires. I do not think that fact registers in Obammy’s little bird head.
Odumbo sees wealth as a pie. For Jobs to have become super rich (he got 7/8s of the pie) everyone else had to become extremely poor (as they only have the slim slice of 1/8th the pie of wealth left). That thinking is just how screwed up the person impersonating a President is in the Whitehouse is and we have lemmings that voted for him.
Report Post »diesal
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 10:03pmWell said! Obama thinks wealth is this limited finite “object” because his brain is so small. He has no vision, no vision at all. Wealth comes from people doing what they were designed to do…explore, create and grow. Not implode, shrink back, be afraid and steal from others who are exercising their God given talents. In a way, it’s like stealing from God himself who made mankind to dream BIG! Not to sit around and push government papers around on a desk, jobs for small minded men like Obama and his cronies.
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 4:10amDo you really think that Steve Jobs is typical of the people who have most of the wealth n this country? That they all actually created their wealth through the power of unbridled human creativity? I think that’s a little naïve. If you looked at the people who make up the top 1% and what they actually do for it, I’ll bet you’d find that for every guy like Jobs there are ten who make their money mostly be seeing to it that somebody else gets less than he deserves.
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:07pmI’d vote for Steve Jobs. He can’t do much damage in his present condition. 0bama, on the other hand……………
Report Post »DirtyDeeds
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:04pmAt this point I will refer to George Bernard Shaw. I think Obama has consumed much more [tax dollars] than he has ever produced. Steve Jobs actually may have created something special for us all and he didn’t try to destroy our society. It is only the dirty Occupiers that are using his technology that are destroying our society.
Report Post »NE12012
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:01pmA “black” thumbprint cast for Steve Jobs…………….is racist.
Report Post »Carefreeflyer
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:00pmNeither !!!
Report Post »majorsco
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:52pmSteve Jobs was an achiever, who brought good things to the world. Obama is an achiever-wanna be and that’s being kind. My vote would go to Steve Jobs over Obama, even though Jobs is already dead.
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:05pmWell, there you go, Steve Jobs is gone, but I would still vote for him over the brainless corps that occupies the White House. We’d get more done!
Report Post »philipzhao
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:52pmA vote for Obama is a vote for America’s downfall !
Report Post »Bronco II
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:52pmI voted for Steve Jobs.
Report Post »Al J Zira
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:50pmThis can’t be art, there’s no urine!
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:46pmWow, you might as well ask me, “What would you rather have, a Monkey rip your face off, or your head nailed to the floor”.
Report Post »brntout
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:45pmDamnit Blaze,why do you give the progressives another way to stuff the ballot box.They were already using dead voters, and now a huge famous dead guy who actually contributed to society even though he was a lib/progressive?Why?
Report Post »AMERICA4EVER
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:44pmThe question is not relevant.
Report Post »Zcat
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:44pmIs this a joke? Maybe a trick question?
Report Post »garyM
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:41pmIs this another Romney ad?
Report Post »garyM
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:40pmwhat??????
Report Post »Eblaze44
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:39pmlame, this is such a lame thread. Jobs is dead – which might just be the better choice than Obama.
Report Post »jagr1850
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:37pmsteve jobs
Report Post »NHwinter
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:37pmArtist? Is there an option for neither?
Report Post »freeweever
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:34pmNeither, both are progressives and both are Idiots when it came to America and her standing. Jobs was a genius in design though, period.
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:07pmNot to mention, he made millionaires out of many people, and employed many, which is more than Oduma bin Liar has done.
Report Post »Ben__Franklin
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 8:13pmOh come on Ross, you know Jobs rags to riches was trickle up. If those homeless people had not hired all those people there could never had been any millionares and no company called Apple. Just ask Obammy, capitalism has never worked. Just ask Michael Moore – no one can make it in this country. Clear example of two Lib-turd Ignor-a-meses
Report Post »RoyHowell
Posted on December 15, 2011 at 7:34pmApple wants your thumbprints. DNA is next.
Report Post »Bonnieblue2A
Posted on December 16, 2011 at 1:07pmLikely they all ready have collected those fingerprints off the touchpads of their iPhones & iPads. Google then purchases that intel and provides it to our police state.
Report Post »