If you walked by the UK's Whitehall Tuesday afternoon, you might have encountered a kissing booth - but takers weren't getting a peck on the lips.
"My name is Grimey McConster," student activist Tyler Offerman starts his pitch to passersby. "I'm running for office here in Kentucky. I'd be more than happy to care about whatever issue you pay me to care about."
Donning a suit, tie, and slimy smile, Offerman is playing the role of a money-hungry politician who will pay lip service to any cause for a donation. It’s all part of a fundraising effort the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition has affectionately dubbed an “ass kissing booth.”
"Seven different campuses across the state are participating in this week of action to draw attention to the fact that politicians more and more are only prioritizing the needs and priorities of their donors and completely ignoring the actual needs of their constituents," he says, now out of character. "Especially young people in this state."
And campaign organizers say they’re not above being a little cheeky to get that message across. The hope is that the unconventional tactic might attract a few more curious onlookers to seriously investigate the group as the midterm elections approach.
