Blue text and thin red stripes on white horizontal stripe between blue half-circles

Illustration of a rainbow over white text on a black background

In 1972 George McGovern launched his presidential campaign. The Democratic Senator from South Dakota promised voters that he would end the Vietnam War and decrease the military budget in order to fix the economy. McGovern, whose campaign assistants included future president Bill Clinton, was also in favor of equal rights for women and the LGBT community, inspiring this button. Against McGovern was Richard Nixon, whose aides were later discovered to have stolen information from McGovern's campaign during the Watergate Scandal. Nixon ended up winning the election with 60% of the votes, and Mcgovern returned to politics to advocate for those in need.

George McGovern Presidential Campaign 1972. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McGovern_presidential_campaign,_1972.

Illustration of a brown peanut with arms and legs and hair, holding an American flag in the center of the button with red text on the top edge and blue on the bottom

This button comes from Jimmy Carter’s 1976 campaign for the presidency. Carter was originally a peanut farmer from Georgia, and served as the state’s senator and later as governor during the 1960s and 1970s. When he campaigned for the presidency against standing president Gerald Ford, Carter was unknown to voters, which turned out to be an asset since he was distanced from the Watergate scandal that ended Nixon’s term. Carter appealed to average voters by advertising 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, and signed the Camp David Accords. After his presidency, he set up 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.

Illustration of an American flag in the middle of the button with white text around the outer edges and a blue background

The button presumably supports a politician named Dean who is in favor of the legalization of medical marijuana. Marijuana (cannabis) and its unique cannabinoids, though not rigorously scientifically tested, have been shown in some studies to effectively treat chronic pain, reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea, and positively effect a host of neurological problems. As of 2015, cannabis has been legalized for medical use in 23 states in the United States and in Washington, D.C. Despite the fact that cannabinoids are technically illegal on a federal level due to the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, on December 16, 2014, the Obama Administration and Congress “quietly” decriminalized medical marijuana via an earmark in a spending bill. 

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http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-medical-pot-20141216-story.html

Red white and blue striped background with white text on the blue stripe and an illustration of a ford model T car on the top white and red stripes.

In 1976 President Gerald Ford launched his first and only Presidential campaign. Ford, a politician from Nebraska, had originally been Vice President under Richard Nixon, having been appointed after Spiro Agnew’s resignation in 1973. After Nixon’s resignation in 1974, Ford became President, the only President in history who was not elected to either the vice presidency or the presidency. As President, Ford pardoned Nixon for any wrongdoing in the Watergate scandal, de-escalated the Cold War by signing the Helsinki Accords, and ended the Vietnam War. In 1976 Ford ran for the presidency, but was defeated by Jimmy Carter who was supported by voters who disagreed with Ford’s pardon of Nixon. Ford was awarded numerous accolades by subsequent presidents and stayed active in politics until his death in 2006.

The rebus on the button features a Model-T car, first created by Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company. Gerald Ford and Henry Ford were not related, since Gerald Ford's birth name was Leslie King, Jr.

Gerald Ford. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford.

Blue text over a white band and white outline of the state of Wisconsin on a green background

This is a 1968 presidential campaign button for Wisconsin supporters of Harold E. Stassen, who served as Governor of Minnesota and sought the Republican nomination for U.S. president in in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1988. Stassen's most successful of those tries was in 1948—he won four primaries that year, but lost the eventual nomination to Thomas Dewey.

Stassen graduated from the University of Minnesota law school in 1929, and in 1938 became the youngest governor in Minnesota history at the age of 31. Re-elected in 1940 and 1942, Stassen joined the U.S. Navy four months into his third term and served on the staff of Admiral William F. Halsey as a lieutenant commander. He was later promoted to captain. In 1945, Stassen was a delegate to the San Francisco conference that formed the United Nations, leading the campaign to keep the veto provision out of the Security Council (it was not). He also initiated the provision that allows UN member countries to act collectively against an aggressor even when that action was vetoed. In 1948 Stassen became president of the University of Pennsylvania. The last surviving member of the U.S. signers of the United Nations charter, Stassen died in 2001.

Orange text with white outline and white text superimposed over a color photograph of a man smoking a cigarette and two running horses

This button was in opposition to U.S. Senator Bob Dole's campaign for president in 1996, after he had made controversial remarks questioning the addictive quality of cigarettes. 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.

White text that shrinks in size from left to right on a brown background

This button is from the 1962 senate campaign of Everett M. Dirksen, a Republican who represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives (1933–1949) and U.S. Senate (1951–1969). Dirksen was born in Pekin, Illinois in 1896. He was known for his support of civil rights legislation in 1964 and 1968, and also for being in favor of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He served as Senate Minority Leader from 1959-1969.

Dirksen enrolled in the University of Minnesota Law School, but dropped out to enlist in the U.S. Army in World War I as a private, eventually being promoted to second lieutenant. First elected to Congress in 1932, Dirksen supported many of FDR's New Deal programs. He announced his candidacy for U.S. president in 1943, but received no votes at the 1944 Republican convention. After 10 years as Senate Minority Leader, Dirksen died in 1969. A Senate office building was named after him in 1972.

Red top half and blue bottom half with white text

This button is referring to Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore, who faced each other in the 2000 US Presidential election. Scientifically, “Alpha” is a designation applied to the highest ranking individuals in groups of social animals. “Beta” animals are considered to be second in command to alphas, and are less assertive, generally deferring to alpha males in social situations. In American culture, there is a commonly accepted dichotomy between alpha and beta males. Alpha males are considered to be physically superior, confident, and assertive leaders. Their Beta male counterparts are considered to be more passive, non-assertive, and possess less physical prowess. 

By insinuating that the supporters of George Bush are Alpha, this button is also implying that Bush himself is Alpha and therefore a more natural and assertive leader than Gore. 

White text on a red background

This button is meant as a social commentary against the United States Republican party. The symbol for the Republican Party is the elephant and what the button is trying to convey is that no one wants a good piece of elephant, they want a good piece of ass referring to the Democratic's use of the donkey as their mascot.

The first use of the donkey was in Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. Jackson's opponents referred to him as a "jackass" due to his slogan, "Let the people rule!"  In 1870, political illustrator, Thomas Nast used the Democratic donkey in Harper's Weekly and also created the Republican Party mascot, the elephant. The cartoon depicted a donkey, who was dressed as a lion, scaring the other zoo animals including an elephant labeled "The Republican Vote."  Since that cartoon was published, the elephant has been a symbol of the Republican Party due to the fact that the animal is perceived as strong and dignified.