More functional items arethe Reagan slippers

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By ARIAN SMEDLEY
Associated Press Writer
Published: July 30, 2008
NEW YORK - Have you ever thought about bringing an 8-foot-tallburning torch to a political rally? What about drinking JohnMcCain-brand juice?
Those gestures may sound creepy today, but burning torches were oneof the first examples of American campaign memorabilia in the1800s. And presidential nominees in the 1960s had their namesemblazoned on juice cans, including Barry Goldwater’s“gold water” — “The right drink for theconservative taste.”
It wasn’t all witch-hunting and thirst-quenching; there wasplenty of potty humor, too. In fact, early American campaignmemorabilia makes today’s wry slogans on T-shirts look tame.
Some trinkets were signs of the times never to be seen again, likethe McKinley parasol, the Eisenhower cigarette pack and the Kennedypaper dress.
Others have evolved. The political button may have gotten its startas coat buttons like the ones made to commemorateWashington’s inauguration in 1789, said Sara Henry, deputydirector and chief curator of the Museum of the City of New York.
“This brass button says ‘Long live thepresident,’ and this one has his initials in themiddle,” she said, pointing to the encased artifacts. Thebuttons are part of the exhibit “Campaigning for President:New York and the American Election,” which is open at themuseum through Election Day.
But it was not until the middle of the 19th century when all whitemen got the vote — as opposed to just land owners —that political parties used memorabilia to “sell”candidates to the masses, Henry said.
Tall torches adorned with photos of candidates were passed outduring rallies and parades to light the dark streets. Paperlanterns decorated with a candidate’s picture, a rare itembecause most burned, were also used for campaigning.
William Henry Harrison, elected in 1840, is said to be the firstcandidate to actively campaign for president, said Larry Bird,curator of the Division of Politics and Reform at the SmithsonianNational Museum of American History. In addition to torch polestopped with his signature log cabin, the campaign made domesticitems such as women’s brushes and sewing boxes.
There was plenty of negative campaigning, too. One of the earliestexamples at the New York exhibit is the Grover Cleveland and AllenThurman chamber pot from 1888. Then there are the William McKinleypigs. Playing on the phrase, “In a pig’s ass, I’dvote for McKinley,” the little pigs have a hole at the rearthat you can look through and see a picture of McKinley.
“You do see a lot of potty humor in American politics,”Henry said. “We haven’t included a lot of it in theexhibit because much of it is just so juvenile.”
William Jennings Bryan, a candidate known for his long speeches,was frequently represented by a coffin along with the phrase,“Talked to death.” And then there’s the McKinleydoll. The porcelain and cloth doll, when held upright, is McKinley.When turned upside down, it’s an African-American baby,referring to the accusation he fathered an illegitimate blackchild.
In 1944, a poster impugned vice presidential candidate Harry Trumanby drawing him in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. More functional items arethe Reagan slippers, the comb to “Comb Nixon out of yourhair,” and the Kerry flip-flops.
The post-World War II era was the heyday of memorabilia, says Bird.“I like Ike” nylon stockings were created at a timewhen women started to expose more of their legs. And as technologyadvanced, so did the political button, which started off as alithograph printed directly on metal, says Mort Berkowitz, who hasthousands of buttons going back to the 1800s and is also known as“the Button Man.”
In the ‘60s came the quirky juices like Goldwater’s andthe Lyndon Johnson juice can — “A drink for healthcare.”
“It was political but also social,” Bird said.“That’s what’s changed.”
When campaigning on television became standard, the focus began toshift. Buttons got bigger, presumably to play to the TV cameras.Candidates spent more money on commercials than tchotchkes.
Bird recalls being unable to get a button at the New Hampshirecampaign office for Democratic candidate Paul Simon in 1988,although he could watch a video of the candidate’s biography.“If I’m a candidate, I’d rather have a millionpeople wearing my button than I would have someone just watch mytelevision commercial,” he said.
It’s impossible to know which products from today’scampaigns will be collector’s items, although we may go aheadand decide that the Barack Obama thong was a bad idea. But Birdsays despite all the changes, the underlying purpose always remainsthe same: to feel a part of it all.
“There’s a need for people who want to participate tohave material with which to express themselves,” he said.