Obama souvenir sales in tailspin T-shirts, mugs reflect shift of political winds In a downtown D.C. gift shop, a table teems with T-shirts, squared off and neatly folded. On one row: an iconic pop art-inspired image of President Obama, culled from a campaign poster, atop the one-word caption Hope. On the next: a smiling, waving George W. Bush, backed by the U.S. flag, behind a caption asking, Miss Me Yet? One nation. Two shirts. Polls, focus groups and fundraising tallies have their place but if you really want to take the electorates pulse, go souvenir shopping. Money talks, and as the economy limps, our leaders snipe, and the rough beast of our divided government slouches toward next years presidential election, the political memorabilia tills have a tale to tell: For the president, its a scary one. Downtown shopkeepers and cart vendors near the Mall said last week that Obama-related sales had significantly slowed in part because of a traditional August tourism lull, in part due to the presidents sagging approval ratings. Freddie Vinoya, a manager at Honest Abes Souvenirs at 1000 F Street NW, said that customers used to purchase more than three dozen Obama Hope T-shirts a week. Its still a best-seller, but not nearly as much, said Mr. Vinoya, 34, a resident of Accokeek. Sometimes, they hate Obama now. Thats why they buy the [Bush-themed] Miss Me? shirts. We got those in last December. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/15/obama-souvenir-sales-in-tailspin/ I suspect we will see a lot of homeless people wearing donated "Hope" shirts in 2013. The Obama bumper stickers were the first to go. Everyone can see those. _