PHOENIX (CBS5) -
The president and the birther issue are at the heart of a new business here in the Valley. While some people might find it offensive, the brains behind the new venture says it's all in good fun.
Ron Blake owns a house cleaning company, but his latest business venture has nothing to do with cleaning supplies.
"We wanted to do caricatures and the whole purpose of a caricature is it's exaggerated," said Blake. He and his friends found a guy on Craigslist to draw unflattering cartoons of the president and created trading cards to poke fun at the birther movement.
"I thought, gosh, after four years, this thing is still going on," Blake said. He and his pals are asking $15 for the set of six; five cards with a caricature of the president on the front and a fake birth certificate on the back.
"We make fun of and we talk about how Barack Obama was born in Mexico," he said. The sixth card is the loveable jester, Donald Trump.
"Probably the most well-known person that keep bringing this topic up about the birther issue," Blake said.
But not everyone thinks it's all in good fun. Blake said one guy backed out of printing the cards because he felt they were derogatory.
"He thought we were making fun of the president and to me, that's not what we were doing," he said.
Blake insists he's not trying to make a political statement or disrespect the office of the president. He likens his trading cards to a skit on Saturday Night Live.
"It's just all in fun and I hope they take it that way," he said.
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