Grumpy Old People for Dole

This button was for Republican Senator Bob Dole's campaign for U.S. president in 1996. It mocks the characterization of Dole, who turned 73 in July 1996, as an old man with a grumpy demeanor. The capital letters of "Grumpy Old People" emphasize GOP, the acronym for the Grand Old Party, aka the Republican party. Dole and his running mate, Jack Kemp, lost that election to incumbent president Bill Clinton and vice president Al Gore, 379 electoral votes to 159.

In fall 1941, Dole enrolled at the University of Kansas, but joined the U.S. Army in 1942. He was assigned to the 10th mountain divistion as a second lieutenant. With the injuries he suffered in combat in 1945, he lost use of most of his right arm. He was later awarded two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. In 1976, Dole was Gerald Ford's vice presidential running mate, but they lost the election to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. Dole also unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1980 and 1988. In 1997, President Clinton awarded Dole the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2007, Preisdent Bush appointed him co-chair of a committee to investigate problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which closed in 2011. Dole turned 92 on July 22, 2015.