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Republicans Blast Pearl Jam Poster of Burning White House
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By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
August 15, 2018

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HELENA, Mont. โ€” Republicans on Wednesday condemned a poster by Pearl Jam that shows the White House in flames and a bald eagle pecking at a skeleton they say is meant to depict President Donald Trump.
The National Republican Senate Committee compared it to the now-infamous photo of comedian Kathy Griffin holding a fake decapitated Trump head.

Photo of Pearl Jam poster depicting the White House in flames
This image taken from the Twitter account of Pearl Jam shows the official poster from the bandโ€™s concert. (Twitter via AP)
The rock groupโ€™s Twitter account says the official poster from Mondayโ€™s concert in Missoula, Montana, is a collaboration between bassist Jeff Ament and Bobby Brown, an artist also known as Bobby Draws Skulls.
The โ€œRock2Voteโ€ concert aimed to encourage young people to vote in the November midterm elections and support Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, who is from Amentโ€™s hometown of Big Sandy.
The poster includes an accompanying message from Ament that says, โ€œYโ€™all know the deal, weโ€™re at a tipping point and its (sic) time for action.โ€
The poster shows Tester in a tractor flying over a burning Washington, D.C., framed by the letters โ€œPโ€ and โ€œJ,โ€ with smoke forming the word โ€œVoteโ€ in the background.
Several objects and people are in the foreground, including a skeleton with a full head of hair lying face down, an eagle pecking at the bones of its foot.
Testerโ€™s Republican opponent, Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale, also is depicted with a crab claw for a hand and carrying a โ€œMarylandโ€ flag, a reference to Rosendaleโ€™s native state.
The message from Ament accompanying the poster included the description: โ€œD.C. burning. Tester Evel Knievel on tractor โ€ฆ over the cesspool below. Russian money, golf courses, hookers? Maryland Matt. Stars and Stripes as flames.โ€
Rosendale called the poster โ€œdisgusting and reprehensibleโ€ and called on Tester to โ€œdenounce this act of violence and blatant display of extremism.โ€
โ€œProbably more than ever itโ€™s important to have a congressman that can sort of make people think less emotionally about some of these things.โ€ โ€” Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam bassist
The National Republican Senate Committee, which is supporting Rosendaleโ€™s campaign, also blamed Tester for not speaking out against the poster it called โ€œgory.โ€ The committee compared it to other examples of public figures โ€œencouraging violenceโ€ against Trump, like Griffinโ€™s photo.
Tester officials said the campaign had nothing to do with the poster.
โ€œWe never saw the poster before the show and we donโ€™t like it,โ€ Tester spokesman Chris Meagher said. โ€œAnd we donโ€™t condone violence of any kind.โ€
Pearl Jam was traveling Wednesday and not immediately available for comment, according to Whitney Williams, a publicist for the Missoula concert.
Ament told The Associated Press in April that the band wanted to use the Montana concert to support local advocacy groups, encourage voter participation and boost Testerโ€™s campaign. He said he believed that the political climate had become too divisive.

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