Out-of-touch politicians beware: Mark Weyermuller is bringing you to his doorstep this Halloween. Forget the jack o' lanterns, scarecrows and bats, nothing scares like a figure of Rahm Emanuel clutching a dead fish.
Sporting a pinstripe suit and a carbon copy mask, the mayor is just one of many political replicas featured in Weyermuller's annual Halloween front lawn display.
"It seemed scarier than the Freddie Krugers, the Norman Bates and Mike Myers," said Weyermuller, a Wilmette resident, of his Emanuel doppelganger. "I think in this case reality is much scarier than fantasy."
"I'm not sure why he has the dead fish," Weyermuller deadpanned.
Also included is former governor Rod Blagojevich, making his second appearance after his debut last year. Blago has a hairbrush lodged between the fingers of his plastic hand.
Between the two politicians stands an inflated witch holding a sign that reads: "Vote early and vote often, the Chicago way," an ode to city's affinity for political corruption.
On the left side of Weyermuller's lawn, the theme is the 2012 presidential campaign. Up front is Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, while figures including Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Michelle Bachman look on from behind. Herman Cain is starting to inch his way forward.
"The neighbors think I'm nuts, but people seem to enjoy it," Weyermuller said of the decorations he has erected every year for the past decade. "I was doing this before anyone even heard of Barack Obama. Years ago it was all Clinton and Bush."
He said he has more than 70 masks that he collected from Chicago costume stores over the years.
"You'd be surprised," he said. "They've never made a Joe Biden mask, but they've made a Dan Quayle."
