Negative Advertising in Political Campaigns
From Richard Nixon’s 1960 presidential campaign to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, it is clear that using negativity in campaign memorabilia has been a phenomenon for decades. The earliest of the displayed items is the emery board supporting Richard Nixon’s 1960 presidential campaign. The phrase “Don’t trade a record for a promise” is printed and implies his opponent’s promise is empty and not as good as what Nixon offers. The “Don’t blame me, I voted for George Bush” and the “It takes a Village Idiot…” bumper stickers both highlight that voting for the opponent would not be in the voter’s best interest. Similarly, the “Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer” button conflates Cruz with a murderer whereas the “Nasty Women Against Trump” button embraces a negative name that Donald Trump called his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the final 2016 presidential debate and turns it against him. By repurposing the language of their opponent’s attacks, the Clinton campaign attempted to appeal to the emotions of their voters by highlighting the negativity stemming from the other side. The remaining items use negativity differently to highlight issues and candidates’ efforts to fix them. For example, Nixon’s 1968 brochure emphasizes the current problem of crime and promises to solve it. The “Living wage not minimum wage” bumper sticker takes the same approach with a different problem. Overall, other becoming more overt, the practice of negative campaigning has not gone through much change over the past few decades.
Credit: Emily Gilby, George Smith, & Miranda Yannon
Item Title: “It Takes a Village Idiot to Vote for Bill Clinton” Bumper Sticker
Candidate/Campaign: -
Date: undated
Collection: Campaign & Political Memorabilia Collection
While not associated with any particular campaigns, similar slogans have been tied to various local Republican parties and clubs. Though a common phrase, in this case the term “village idiot” refers to Hillary Clinton’s book It Takes a Village, which was published during the campaign. This particular bumper sticker would have been used to persuade voters to not to support Bill Clinton by associating his supporters with idiots. The “village idiot” attack has spanned partisan lines and was used to attack Republican President George W. Bush as well.
Item Title: Button: Ted Cruz - Zodiac Killer
Candidate/Campaign: -
Date: undated
Collection: Campaign & Political Memorabilia Collection
This campaign button was made by an unknown democratic activist who opposed the reelection of Republican Ted Cruz to the Senate in the fall of 2018. It is not associated with any specific campaigns. The design is inspired by the internet meme that alleged Senator Cruz was the Zodiac Killer, the infamous serial killer from the late 1960s – early 1970s. The specific pattern of the text alludes to the cryptic messages the Zodiac Killer sent the police. The purpose of this button was to use humor to portray Ted Cruz in a negative light, thus persuading voters to oppose his reelection.
Item Title: Richard Nixon Brochure on Crime in the D.C. Area
Candidate/Campaign: Richard Nixon, 1968 Presidential Campaign
Date: undated
Collection: Senator John Tower Collection
Political candidates have used pamphlets to convey their views since the time of America's founding, Common Sense is one such example. In the 1960s, in order to push the tough-on-crimne Republican platform, Richard Nixon launced an attach on the courts, claiming that they were too liberal, through the use of radio, television, and political pamphlets. In a departure from the norm, he conceded that the environment can lead to crime, but continued to call back to America’s national values. Written at a time of racial upheaval and turmoil in the quest for equal rights, some segments of America sought the return to normalcy they believed Nixon’s tough-on-crime stance would bring.
Item Title: Nasty Women Against Trump Button
Candidate/Campaign: Hillary Clinton, 2016 Presidential Campaign
Date: undated
Collection: Campaign & Political Memorabilia Collection
The slogan on this button originated from Donald Trump calling Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” in the final 2016 Presidential Debate. Clinton’s campaign never created a consistent slogan, however, Clinton chose to embrace this insult, and so did many of her supporters nationwide. Buttons have historically been a popular form of campaign memorabilia, so it made sense to plaster this new phrase on a button. This unique slogan results in a button that is simultaneously pro-Clinton and anti-Trump. Clinton ended up winning the popular vote, but Trump won the electoral college and the historic 2016 election.
Item Title: "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for George Bush" Bumper Sticker
Candidate/Campaign: -
Date: undated
Collection: Campaign & Political Memorabilia Collection
Item Title: “Living Wage not Minimum Wage” Bumper Sticker
Candidate/Campaign: -
Date: undated
Collection: Campaign & Political Memorabilia Collection