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Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote the line in his book of poems, San Francisco Poems. Ferlinghetti is an American poet, activist and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. His main audience is young people with his poetry being against social norms and that art should be shared among everyone. He termed his work the be “wide-open” referring to the wide range of content and mode. The idea that art was only for the higher class was an ideology that Ferlinghetti was against. He was very vocal that art was meant for everyone to participate in and see. Felinghetti also write fiction with his most recent book called Little Boy (2019). He is also 101 years old as of June 2020.

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This button was distributed as a joke at a meeting for the American Folklore Society by the chairman, Richard Dorson. The American Folklore Society is an association of people who study and communicate knowledge about folklore around the world. It was founded in 1888 and had Mark Twain as a member as well as President Rutherford B. Hayes. The society is located on the campus of Indiana University-Bloomington.

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While the phrase “Blow on my horn, I’ll follow you anywhere” is likely referencing a fondness for fellatio, the image of the unicorn is taken from Edward Topsell’s The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents, a thesis on zoology published in 1658. 

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The phrase “Somewhere in Texas there’s a village missing an idiot” began to appear on bumper stickers and buttons when George W. Bush became President of the United States, in reference to his Texas origins.   

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President George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, was in office from 1989-1993. He was a naval pilot in WWII and moved to Texas after the war. There, he was elected to represent Texas in the House of Representatives. Then, he became a UN Ambassador and later ambassador to China. He became the head of the CIA and was nominated to Vice President under Ronald Reagan. (The portrait is from his official Vice President photograph.)

Bush was elected President in 1988 and served one term. He saw the end of the Cold War and the first Gulf War. Bush was in many ways a classic example of a Republican, which led people with more progressive values to poke fun or mock his time in office.

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Edmund Sixtus Muskie, March 28, 1914 - March 26, 1996, had a noteworthy career in state and federal government that spanned five decades. Beginning as a member of the House of Representatives from 1946 to 1951 and later serving as governor of Maine from 1955 - 1959, Muskie served in the U.S. Senate from 1959 - 1980. Muskie, an environmental advocate during his time as governor, brought his love of the environment to the U.S. Senate. His work in the Senate led to the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Clean Water Act in 1972. In 1968, he was the Vice Presidential Democratic nominee. In 1972, Muskie was the front runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination losing to George McGovern. In 1980, he was appointed Secretary of State by President Jimmy Carter and served until the end of President Carter’s term in January 1981.

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The quote “If God had wanted us to vote he’d have given us candidates” originated with American comedian Jay Leno. Leno is best known for hosting NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992 to 2009. 

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"I worship the quicksand he walks on" is a quote from 1966 by Washington Post columnist Art Buchwald. The President he was referring to was President Lyndon B. Johnson. However, the quote has been used several times to describe other, mainly conservative, presidents as well. 

Popik, B. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/i_worship_the_quicksand_he_walks_on