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How about a $9.99 Mitt Romney thong, emblazoned with his smiling portrait and the slogan, "I Love My Gov!" If that's too shocking, what about a $19.99 "Mitt Romney for Pres 2008" T-shirt, or a red-white-and-blue wristwatch with the governor's image on its face?
Even as Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tries to temper speculation he will run for president, Internet entrepreneurs are boldly forging ahead, hawking loot that touts his campaign and, as the market demands, criticizes it, too.
Romney beer steins, bibs, boxer shorts and sweatshirts are available, courtesy of a few amateur designers united by their desire to cash in on the speculation surrounding Romney's future. Other presidential candidates are getting similar treatment.
"I wasn't deliberately promoting Romney, but he certainly seems to be one of the guys who is mentioned a lot," said Michael Steinbach, 38, a vendor from Ypsilanti, Mich. Like his fellow designers, he paid www.cafepress.com, a California-based Internet company, to market his wares in exchange for a cut of the profits.
Sales of Romney gear might skyrocket, said Allen Mudgett, 41, a freelance illustrator from Townsend in north central Massachusetts who is selling his own Romney gear on the Web site.
Mudgett's designs feature Romney's likeness on mugs, T-shirts and a trucker hat with resilient foam front and adjustable head band.
"I really did this in advance, hoping that the gear would heat up in the fall, when he makes a decision whether to run again," Mudgett said of his Romney-based sales.
Steinbach, a Libertarian, and Mudgett, an independent who voted for Romney in 2002, said there were no political motivations in their nascent businesses. They are about the apparel and only the apparel, they said.
But William Healey, 68, a retired electrical engineer from Needham who is selling Romney gear on the Web site, said he doesn't mind needling the governor. The Democrat's designs feature a tote bag with the slogan "Mitt Romney: NO, Stem Cells: YES" and a thong that says "Romney Go Home," in red letters across the front.
"I despise Romney," Healey said. "He's seriously into opposing stem-cell research, his stance on education has not been too solid and his support of cities and towns is horrible."
He just hopes to make a little cash, enough to help with car payments, he said.
"It is not wildly profitable," Healey said of his business. "I could push this a little harder, but when it stops being fun, I will stop."
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