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In 1988 Jesse Jackson campaigned for the presidency for his second time. The noted activist and minister’s first campaign in 1984 had put him in third place in the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination, which was much farther than many had believed he could go. Jackson’s 1988 platform was much the same as it had been in 1984, calling for a “Rainbow Coalition” of minorities, the LGBT community, and the poor, an end to the War on Drugs, the creation of more jobs, and raising taxes on the wealthy. The campaign went well but was hindered by allegations of his brother’s criminal past. Jackson won second place in the race for the Democratic nomination, first place going to Michael Dukakis, who eventually lost the presidential election to George H.W. Bush. Jackson continued to serve in politics and continues to lead his organization Rainbow/PUSH, a group dedicated to social justice.

Jesse Jackson Presidential Campaign, 1988. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Jackson_presidential_campaign,_1988.

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Richard M. Nixon's (1913-1994) second term as the United States President was a difficult one. During his reelection campaign in 1972, the Nixon Administration was involved in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee's Washington, D. C. headquarters. The incident, and the attempts by the Nixon administration to cover it up, is commonly referred to as the Watergate Scandal. 

Repeated calls for Nixon's impeachment by both members of the House of Representatives and national organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union occurred throughout the latter half of 1972 and 1973, and by February 1974, the House Judiciary Committee began officially investigating Nixon. Impeachment hearings began on May 9, 1974, and during the testimonies, it was discovered that in addition to the Watergate Scandal, Nixon had covertly recorded conversations in the Oval Office use a voice-activated recording system. Nixon resigned from office on August 9, 1974, amidst the impeachment proceedings. 

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Elvis Presley was an American icon best known for his music. Called the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis popularized rockabilly music during the 1950s and starred in numerous films during this period. After being drafted into the military and taking a break from performing in the first half of the 1960s, Elvis returned to the stage in Las Vegas in 1968, and starred in the first globally broadcast concert in 1973. Presley died in 1977 from a heart attack, and is today considered to be a cultural icon. This button may have come from a 1987 convention held in honor of the Elvis International Tribute Week, when Elvis fans congregated to celebrate the life and music of the singer.

Brown, Patricia Leigh. (1987, Aug 14). A Decade after Elvis: Faithful at the Shrine. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/14/us/a-decade-after-elvis-faithful-at-the-shrine.html.

Elvis Presley. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley.

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This button was for the 1920 U.S. presidential election campaign of Warren G. Harding and his running mate Calvin Coolidge. With President Woodrow Wilson's health preventing him from running for re-election in 1920, the Republicans nominated Harding and Coolidge. The Democrats nominated James Cox and Franklin Roosevelt. Campaigning in the post-World War I environment for a "return to normalcy," Harding benefited from sentiment against Wilson's reformist foreign and domestic policies. Harding won in a landslide; his 60.3% to 34% victory remains the largest popular-vote margin after the 1820 election of James Monroe.

Harding's administration was characterized by economic improvement and a restoration of tariffs, but also restrictions on immigration and accusations of corruption against some of Harding's political appointees. The Teapot Dome oil lease scandal came to light after Harding died in 1923. Vice President Calvin Coolidge took over as president and served until 1929 (he did not run for re-election in 1928).

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In 1988, the Democratic Party nominated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as their chosen pick for the presidential election.  Dukakis and Bentsen sought to win the election for the Democratic party against Republican candidates George H. Bush and Dan Quayle.   Bush and Quayle campaigned against Dukakis and Bentsen on key issues such as the economy and international relations but Dukakis and Bentsen failed to fight back Bush and Quayle's attacks. Dukakis and Bentsen lost by a landslide, no other lose has surpassed the amount of electoral votes or popular votes that Bush received.

Dukakis campaigned using the term the "Massachusetts Miracle" referring to his time as Governor when the state achieved high volumes of economic growth.  Dukakis's key policies centered around immigration issues and a new prison furlough program.

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Dan Quayle was the 44th US Vice President, serving alongside George H. Bush from 1989-1993.  Quayle attempted to obtain the Presedential nomination in 1996 but he decided to step down out of the race after a nonmalignant tumor was found on his appendix after an emergency appendectomy in 1995.  This button makes a direct reference concerning "draft Quayle" and is in response to allegations that Quayle had family pull strings in order to get him in the National Guard instead of being drafted into the Vietnam conflict.

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This button was made after the 1992 U.S. presidential election in which Bill Clinton defeated incumbent president George H.W. Bush. It was also made with a "Bush Defeats Clinton" headline. The "Clinton Defeats Clinton" headline on the newspaper held up by Harry S Truman on this button harkens back to the 1948 election, when the Chicago Daily Tribune mistakenly printed the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman," which didn't actually happen.

In that contest, Republican Thomas Dewey led several polls and was widely expected to beat incumbent president Truman. An early deadline meant that the first post-election Tribune had to go to press before many election results were in. It printed roughly 150,000 papers with the Dewey Defeats Truman headline, yet the late election returns came in for Truman, giving him the win.

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This button promoted a slate of candidates in the United Steelworkers union's contested election in 1965. I.W. Abel ran for president, Walter J. Burke for secretary-treasurer, and Joseph P. Molony for vice president, all as challengers to the incumbent officeholders. Abel, the union's secretary-treasurer at the time, characterized union president David McDonald as distant from the rank and file. Abel advocated for workers to have a greater voice in bargaining goals and was critical of the Humal Relations Committee labor/management group set up in in 1960 to avoid future strikes. Abel, Burke, and Molony were all elected. Abel engineered several union mergers while president, increasing USW membership by more than 500,000. He retired in 1977.

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Mort Sahl was a  comedian in the 1950s-80s who satirized presidents and presidential candidates. He revolutionized comedy because his comedy routines jumped around sporadically even when he was telling a story. During the 1960 presidential election he said "Vote No for President - let's keep the White House empty for another four years" as an attack on President Eisenhower and his perceived ineffectiveness.

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