Via Jonah Goldberg, we learned The New York Daily News reported that business professor Michael Schrage caused an uproar among liberals on the Upper West Side of Manhattan by commissioning a sidewalk artist to paint conservative heroes on the sidewalk.
He said "It was mischief, but not malice," since he said if he wanted to upset people he would have asked for Bush, Cheney, Romney, or Perry. Instead, it was former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and two economists:
Instead, Schrage commissioned portraits of Thatcher, whose visage stares up from the east side of Broadway near 106th St., of free market economist Friedrich Hayek, who smiles at passersby up near 112th St., and of conservative columnist Thomas Sowell, whose picture is further north near W. 115th St.
Hani Shihada, a longtime street artist best known for his chalk renderings of President Obama, said Schrage paid him $1,000 per portrait - which DNAinfo.com first reported on Tuesday. He said he was surprised so many residents could identify the people he drew.
"I was familiar with Thatcher," said Shihada. "I didn't know the others."
The artist was not used to the anger against the art from people who are supposed to be known for their tolerance and open-mindedness. Oops:
Shihada, 51, said he was also taken aback by the anger the portraits - especially the Thatcher picture - churned up. He said it was defaced with the word "murderer" and other "critics" walked their dogs across the Iron Lady's face.
"People in their 50s and 60s are very angry," he said. "They say, 'We're going to spit on her.' I thought they were kidding, but they did and they kept on doing it."
...Thatcher's mouth and nose were smeared with white paint Tuesday, and local residents said they'll be happy when her picture fades away.
"What a horrible woman," said Jere Herzenberg, a 64-year-old retiree who once lived in Liverpool. "England was a mess under her. I'm glad somebody painted over her face."
It does sort of underline how it could be fun to be conservative-leaning in Manhattan.
