LaRouche followers find tough crowd

Followers of fringe political activist Lyndon LaRouche set up a table on Thursday outside the La Cañada Flintridge post office in hopes of grabbing some notice.

While displaying a large image of President Barack Obama wearing a super-imposed Hitler moustache did just that, it’s unclear whether any of that attention translated into support.

One man walking from the post office to his car stormed off from the area, asserting that the pair activists was less than informed about world affairs.

Others simply distanced themselves.

“I’m doing my best to ignore them,” said longtime La Cañada resident Larry Wood.

Another area man felt so strongly offended by the comparison of Obama to Hitler that he dropped by the Valley Sun office to complain.

This isn’t the first time a LaRouche group has campaigned outside the local post office.

In February 2010, the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station received two calls that the activists were being overly aggressive in accosting passersby. This time around, said Sgt. Gary Ogurek on Thursday, the station hadn’t received any calls.

A frequent dark horse presidential candidate who has operated a number of political committees over several decades, LaRouche spent time in prison in the 1990s for mail fraud convictions he contended were part of a political conspiracy against him.

The LaRouche group has long called for Obama’s impeachment, but targeted previous presidents as well.

For all the drama that surrounds the group, the two men outside the post office Thursday — one identified himself only by first name, the other expressing disdain for the media and refusing to do even that— said they were mainly pushing federal bank regulation reform.

LaRouche is calling for the U.S. to restore regulations enacted during the Great Depression that would prohibit banks from engaging in both commercial banking activities (such as personal and small business loans) and more speculative investment activities.