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Who’s the scarier Halloween costume, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?

October 29, 2012

Halloween is two days away. Have you decided on your costume yet?

Since it's an election year, political masks are popular.

The seasonal retailer Spirit Halloween says that Barack Obama masks
are outselling Mitt Romney masks 60 percent
to 40 percent in nearly all of the company's 1,000 stores.

Obama romney halloween masks

Internet orders are included in the tally. And the company also has an online ballot where Obama is leading (when I voted) with 76,803 votes to Romney's 35,731 votes. Write-in candidate Batman is a distant third with only 240 votes.

Spirit Halloween's final costumed consumer poll, aka sales of potential president masks, will be released a few days before the Nov. 6 election.

While merchandise sales information definitely isn't collected scientifically, Spirit Halloween spokeswoman Lisa Barr says the store's Presidential Index based on mask purchases has accurately predicted the winners of the last four presidential elections.

Of course, if we take into account all the mask possibilities maybe we're looking at a successful Zombie and Spiderman White House ticket.

Want to stay political, but you're not really into either presidential candidate? Maybe pretending to be one of the veep candidates, Joe Biden or Paul Ryan, is more appealing.

Or you can dress as:

  • Clint Eastwood and Invisible Obama. All you need is a scowl, low grumbling voice and a chair. I suggest, however, a lightweight chair so that you don't get tired from carrying it around all night.
  • Binder full of women. Get a group of your friends and link yourself together with metal ring bracelets. Just make sure they open easily because there are definitely times when you want to slip into your single sheet of paper persona.
  • Swing state of your choice. Dress in varying shades of red, blue or if polls show it's really close in purple.
  • An angry Tagg Romney. All you need is a suit, a nice head of dark hair (or wig) and boxing gloves.

If you want to take a financial approach to your costume, consider going as the fiscal cliff. Dress in gray to simulate a rocky crag and just sway and teeter as you make your party rounds. Of course, this might lead to you being cut off as your party host or local bartender might think you've already imbibed a few too many.

And then there's Sarah Kliff's Simpson-Bowles easy costume suggestion via Twitter:

Simpson Bowles wonk halloween costume via Sarah Kliff on Twitter

And with Hurricane Sandy's arrival just before Halloween, you might want to dress up in a weather-related outfit.

Whatever costume you choose, have fun and trick or treat safely.

You also might find these items of interest:

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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