Comic illustration of George Bush with black text on a white background.

Political cartoons can be used to diffuse a heavy political concept to make more palatable to an audience. American involvement in the Middle East is a controversial topic with many opinions on how America should be conducting foreign policy. Supporters argue that America has a duty to help foster democracy and intervene in areas where human rights are being violated. Other supporters argue America needs to keep close watch over areas filled with their enemies in order to prevent terrorist attacks.

Support for involvement in the Middle East is not universal and many oppose any involvement. Several members of the opposition do not believe that the United States is acting humanely and committing crimes of their own. Others believe that the United States has made little progress in the area and should cut its losses. There are those with isolationist ideals who think the United States should focus on itself and not use resources of the Middle East. Some have even suggested that the reasons to stay in the Middle East are more sinister and that the United States is only there for oil.

Photographs of Bill Clinton and Al Gore side by side with a small red silhouetted illustration of Wisconsin between them.  The middle of the button is half white and half blue with white text.  Blue outer border with red ring and white stars.

The Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, now the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin, supported incumbent President William "Bill" Clinton and Vice President Albert "Al" Gore when they ran in the 53rd presidential election in the United States in 1996 by releasing promotional buttons. Clinton and Gore defeated the Republican candidate Robert "Bob" Dole and Reform candidate Ross Perot with 49.2% of votes from the electoral college and remained in office for another term. 

Red and blue text on a white background.
 

By definition, the term bushwhack means to ambush. In the run-up to the 1992 election, anti-George H. W. Bush memorabilia including shirts and buttons were produced that read, “We’ve Been Bushwhacked.” This clever double entendre conveys opponents’ resistance to a second Bush presidency all while describing the first term as an “ambush” on the American people. Bush ultimately lost the presidency to former Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, but whether or not the “bushwhacked” slogan was responsible for moving the needle in the election remains to be seen.

Color portrait of President Jimmy Carter, black text above and below on a white background.

Voters elected Democrat Jimmy Carter, a former Georgia State Senator and governor, as the 39th United States President in 1976. In his run for re-election, Carter lost the 1980 election to former California Governor Ronald Reagan. In New York state, Reagan beat Carter taking 46.66 percent of the vote while Carter took 43.99 percent. In Western New York, Carter won three counties — Niagara, Erie, and Monroe. On the eastern side, he took Albany, New York, Bronx, Kings, and Queens counties. The 1980 election is considered a political turning point — suburbs showed their voting power, including in the suburban areas surrounding New York City, which were won by Reagan. After losing the election, Carter returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, and his peanut farm.

Black and white portrait photograph of Wendell Willkie.

Born on February 18, 1892, Wendell Willkie was an American lawyer and corporate executive who is perhaps best known for being the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Campaigning against President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Willkie actively campaigned against Roosevelt's New Deal policy as well as for a more active role for the United States in World War II. On election day, President Roosevelt received twenty-seven million votes to Willkie's twenty-two million, and also held a substantial lead in the Electoral College with four hundred and forty-nine to Willkie's eighty-two.

Despite his loss, Willkie, to the surprise of many in his party, became an unlikely ally to the President. Between 1941 and 1943, Willkie embarked on numerous trips abroad, acting as the President's informal envoy. Willkie actively pushed for the United States to provide unlimited aid to Britain in their struggle against Nazi Germany. After returning to campaign once more for President in 1944, Willkie suffered a series of heart attacks, forcing him to leave the campaign. Willkie finally succumbed to a heart attack and died in 1944 at the age of fifty-two. Willkie is remembered and hailed for providing President Roosevelt with political assistance that proved vital to helping America's allies during World War II. 

Photograph of Wendell Lewis Willkie's head and shoulders on a black background.  Black text on a white outer border and two small illustrations of bald eagles on opposite ends of the button.

Born on February 18, 1892, Wendell Willkie was an American lawyer and corporate executive who is perhaps best known for being the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Campaigning against President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Willkie actively campaigned against Roosevelt's New Deal policy as well as for a more active role for the United States in World War II. On election day, President Roosevelt received twenty-seven million votes to Willkie's twenty-two million, and also held a substantial lead in the Electoral College with four hundred and forty-nine to Willkie's eighty-two.

Despite his loss, Willkie, to the surprise of many in his party, became an unlikely ally to the President. Between 1941 and 1943, Willkie embarked on numerous trips abroad, acting as the President's informal envoy. Willkie actively pushed for the United States to provide unlimited aid to Britain in their struggle against Nazi Germany. After returning to campaign once more for President in 1944, Willkie suffered a series of heart attacks, forcing him to leave the campaign. Willkie finally succumbed to a heart attack and died in 1944 at the age of fifty-two. Willkie is remembered and hailed for providing President Roosevelt with political assistance that proved vital to helping America's allies during World War II. 

Photograph of Wendell Willkie on a black background with black text inside an illustrated nametag.

In the 1940 U.S. Presidential Election, Wendell Willkie ran for office under the Republican banner, promoting interventionist policies to align the United States more closely with Great Britain and the allied cause in World War Two. He began his career as an attorney but eventually rose from legal counsel to corporate president of the Commonwealth & Southern corporation. Despite losing to President Roosevelt, Willkie regularly assisted the President in strengthening ties with Britain with informal trips to London. 

Red text on a white background.

William Upham was a Massachusetts native who tragically spent many years of his enlistment in the Civil War as a prisoner of war. After the war ended, Upham became a graduate of West Point and pursued many business ventures. This all changed in 1887, when the town of Marshfield burnt to the ground. Utilizing his resources, Upham helped to rebuild the town.

After this experience and the trust that he gained from the citizens, Upham switched careers and became a politician. He started at the local level, at first becoming an alderman then a mayor. Upham kept climbing the political ranks until he became Governor of Massachusetts in 1894 on the Republican ticket. He did not seek re-election in 1896 and quietly retired back to Marshfield, then Florida.

Red and blue text on a white background.

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson ran for president for the second time in 1988. Jackson sought the Democratic nomination, running against other notable candidates like Joe Biden and Al Gore. Jackson’s candidacy was criticized as a long shot from the beginning, but Jackson would run a fairly successful campaign, outperforming every candidate besides the eventual nominee, Michael Dukakis. Jackson’s successes were built on what he called a “Rainbow Coalition”, a collection of voters including people of color, LGBTQIA+ persons, the working class, and white progressives. Jackson sought to bring these groups together with policies like the support of universal healthcare, free community college, and the repeal of Reagan era tax cuts on the wealthy.  On June 7th, some of the last primaries would be held in California, Montana, New Jersey, and New Mexico. 

Although ultimately unsuccessful, Jesse Jackson’s Presidential campaign would leave a lasting legacy in America. At the time of his campaign, Jesse Jackson was the most successful African-American candidate for President, receiving nearly seven million votes. Many see Jackson’s campaign as paving the way for future President Barack Obama’s candidacy, and today many progressives look to Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition as a model for their own campaign.

Photograph of a brown dog on a grey background with black text.

Victory was President Ronald Reagan's golden retriever. Then a 5-week-old puppy, Victory was presented to Reagan on March 26, 1980 at a campaign stop in Milwaukee. Victory's name was meant as a bid of good luck to Reagan, who at the time was still campaigning for his first presidential term.  

After Reagan did win the election in November 1980, Victory did not move to the White House. Instead, Victory remained at the Reagan's ranch, Rancho del Cielo, in California along with the Reagan's other dogs and their horses.