Color photograph of Bill and Hillary Clinton on a black background

Bill Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States on January 20, 1993. Clinton was the first Democrat to be elected as President since Jimmy Carter in 1976, and is considered the first post-Cold War president. Clinton and his running mate Al Gore defeated incumbent president George H. W. Bush, winning 43% of the vote against Bush’s 37.4% and independent Ross Perot’s 18.9%. Clinton was considered a fresh and hopeful alternative to Bush, whose approval ratings went from nearly 90% during the Gulf War, down to below 50% by the end of 1991.

Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton's wife, is credited by some as saving her husband's 1992 presidential campaign when she appeared with him on the television show 60 Minutes, following accusations of an extramarital affair between Bill Clinton and an Arkansas singer. Hillary Clinton, a lawyer, was the first First Lady to hold a postgraduate degree and have a successful professional carerer prior to moving into the White House. Following the inauguration, she was an integral part of her husband's inner circle, and is historically considered one of the most empowered First Ladies. 

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James Flint, a Chicago based businessman and founder and owner of Miss Gay Continental Pageant (a national contest for female impersonators) ran for Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1987.  Flint, a long time supporter of the Democratic Party was also involved in organizations such as the 46th Ward Democratic Organization, International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, the Rainbow Coalition, and many others.  Flint lost the elections but still is viewed as a valuable asset and supporter to the Gay and Lesbian community.

Color photograph of Bill Clinton and Al Gore in front of the White House with black text at the top and white text at the bottom

Bill Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States on January 20, 1993. Clinton was the first Democrat to be elected as President since Jimmy Carter in 1976, and is considered the first post-Cold War president. Clinton and his running mate Al Gore defeated incumbent president George H. W. Bush, winning 43% of the vote against Bush’s 37.4% and independent Ross Perot’s 18.9%. 

Many attribute Clinton’s natural charisma, coupled with his informal but focused campaign, to his victory. His saxophone-playing appearance on the late night talk show The Arsenio Hall Show is seen as a turning point in his campaign, garnering him support among both minority and young voters. Clinton was considered a fresh and hopeful alternative to Bush, whose approval ratings went from nearly 90% during the Gulf War, down to below 50% by the end of 1991. 

Blue and red text on a white background with red stripes in the upper left and a blue area on the bottom left with white stars on it.

This is a promotional button for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) from the 1970s. The saying on the button is a reference to a New York Times article which called for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to be nominated for President. This button may have been related to a larger promotional campaign for the CSO. In 1976, under the direction of conductor Sir Georg Solti, the orchestra was featured on a 39-week nationally syndicated radio program. The series, sponsored by Amoco and produced by Chicago radio station WFMT, aimed to fulfill an increasing demand for more classical music programming on the radio.

Yellow, black, and red text on a white background and a camera lens

The phrase, "Surprise! You're on Candid Camera!" was the catchphrase of the show Candid Camera, which ran on television from 1948 until 2014 with various networks picking up the program. Prior to television, the program was a radio show called Candid Microphone. The premise was to catch people in practical jokes or unaware that they were being recorded. The image displayed here on the "candid button" appears to be both an eye and a camera borrowing on the common theme of hidden spyware for joking purposes.

Creative House Productions Inc. originated in 1964 and was a design and manufacturing company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was responsible for the creation of many promotional comic pins found in gumball machines and Cracker Jack boxes. Creative House eventually created the brand PinMart, which became the first website to sell lapel pins. PinMart eventually outgrew its parent company and bought Creative House in 2008.

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Richard Nixon was a politician from the state of California.  He served  first in the House of Representatives between 1947 and 1950 and then as a U.S. Senator from 1950-1953.  Nixon was selected by Dwight D. Eisenhower to be his Vice President running mate during Eisenhower's campaign for President.  He would later go on to serve two terms as Vice President during the Eisenhower Administration.

Nixon, himself, ran for President of the United States in 1960 election against Democratic nominee, John F. Kennedy, which Nixon lost by a narrow 0.2% of the popular vote.  By the 1968 election, Nixon had decided to run again as the Republican candidate against Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey, President Johnson's Vice President.  Nixon went on to win the election, becoming the 37th President of the United States.  In 1972, he ran for a second term as President, winning the election by a 60% margin of the popular vote, defeating Democratic candidate, George McGovern.  Due to the Watergate scandal that ensued during the following years, Nixon became the first President to resign from office, doing so in 1974.

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Wearing Badges is not Enough is the final line from the 1985 Billy Bragg single “Days Like These” that urges listeners to get involved with political activism rather than remaining on the sidelines. Born in 1957, Bragg is an English songwriter, guitarist, and throughout his musical career he has been a vocal supporter of progressive left-wing policies and grassroots movements.

Red verticle stripes on the left with blue horizontal stripes at bottom with black text on a white background an a black and white photograph of a man's head in the center

Hubert Humphrey was a Democratic politician, who, in 1968, ran as the Democratic candidate in the U.S. Presidential election against Republican opponent, Richard Nixon.  Humphrey had served as Vice President under President Johnson's presidency.  After Johnson had announced that he would not run for a second term, Humphrey entered the race for the Democratic nomination.  He would go on to loose the race against Nixon, contributing factors to this defeat were the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy and the general unpopularity of President Johnson.

Illustration of an eagle with a star over it and green leaves on either side over a red and yellow banner with red text on it and red text underneath it. Blue text on either side of the illustration on a white background

This button comes from Jimmy Carter’s 1976 campaign for the presidency. Carter was originally a peanut farmer in Georgia, and served as the state’s senator in the 1960s and the state’s governor in the early 1970s. When he campaigned for the presidency against President Gerald Ford, Carter appealed to average voters by discussing his former job as a peanut farmer and being interviewed by popular magazines like Playboy. Carter won the election with 50.1% of the votes, and as president escalated the Cold War, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders, witnessed the Camp David Accords which led to peace between Egypt and Israel. After his presidency, he began the Carter Center in 1982, a human rights advocacy organization, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Jimmy Carter. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter.

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This is a satirical button about Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. While this button may be taken at face value as pro-Clinton, the textual emphasis may, in fact, be a critique of Clinton and a reference to his marital infidelities.

During Clinton's 1992 Presidential campaign, a controversy arose over accusations of an affair between Clinton and an Arkansas model and actress, Gennifer Flowers. Clinton denied the accusations at the time, but later admitted under oath that he had a sexual relationship with Flowers. In 1998, another scandal emerged regarding Clinton’s extramarital relationships, this time with a much younger White House employee, Monica Lewinsky. The investigation led to the impeachment of Clinton and charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Following a senate impeachment hearing, Clinton was acquitted of all charges and he remained in office to finish his second term.