"Peanuts on your Table or a Ford in Every Garage." The election of 1976

The aftermath of Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal had left the presidency tainted and the American people lost a lot of confidence in politicians. After Nixon resigned, vice president Gerald Ford took over, trying to heal the nation after Watergate. Ford's term got off to a good start, as he was very likable and clearly different than Nixon, but a short ways into his term, Ford issued a full pardon for Richard Nixon, a very unpopular move. President Ford also had two assassination attempts made on his life. Heading into the 1976 election season, the Democrats realized they could easily win the White House back due to the unpopularity of Nixon's pardon and the continuation of wars in Asia. The Democrats ended up choosing Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, a Washington outsider who seemed to be honest and hard working. Walter Mondale from Minnesota was chosen as Vice President. Carter presented a change from Nixon and Ford, and he grew in popularity during the campaign. As for the Republicans, Governor Ronald Reagan of California challenged Gerald Ford in the primaries, almost winning and upsetting an incumbent president. Reagan's campaign presented a conservative backed agenda, while Ford had the support of the more moderate wing of the party. Bob Dole from Kansas was chosen to run in the VP slot. Ford did well in the early primaries, and just as Reagan was about to give up, he went on a big swing and won several more states, and by convention time, it was undecided who would receive the nomination. Being a sitting president, Ford was able to garner enough support to win the nomination from Reagan, but this was not the last time the name Ronald Reagan would be mentioned in American history. On election day, the results were pretty close, but Watergate still loomed over the Republicans, and Carter was able to squeak out the victory. Carter's presidency was complicated, and some consider it a failure. He was the first president elected from the Deep South since the Civil War, and he presented an outsider's appearance, but he often alienated Democratic members in Congress by pushing his own agenda and ignoring Congressional legislation. One of Carter's biggest accomplishments was the Camp David Accords, in which Israel and Egypt agreed to peace. Some of Carter's failures greatly stained his reputation, such as the Energy Crisis, the Malaise speech, and the Iran hostage crisis. Jimmy Carter has had an eventful post presidency as well, winning the Noble Peace Prize and remaining active in world affairs. Some of the items I have included are cartoon buttons from the 1976 election, often with Ford and Carter taking shots at each other, as well as peanut references, Carter's occupation, and some various other buttons. Most Ford and Carter items are very affordable, and small green and white buttons with the words Carter-Mondale on them are very easy to find, mostly for a $1 or less.

Richard Nixon secures his place in history: The election of 1972

1972 was an eventful year for Americans, and the presidential election would fall in to the same mood. Early that year, president Richard Nixon made headlines by traveling to China, the first president to do so. Being a powerful communist nation under Mao Zedong, China had been closed to much of the western world, but Nixon's visit did much to improve relations between the two countries. Nixon also traveled to the Soviet Union in May and signed the SALT agreement with Leonid Brezhnev. As election season approached, some burglars broke in to the Watergate hotel in Washington, D.C., the Democratic headquarters. What eventually erupted as the Watergate scandal would really not play a role in the election results that year. The Democrats were trying to find a candidate that was anti-war and progressive, and South Dakota Senator George McGovern won the nomination, defeating a surprising run by George Wallace, before an assassination attempt ended his campaign. There was some controversy over the vice presidential nomination for the Democrats, as nominee Thomas Eagleton was discovered to have suffered from depression and it was thought this would harm McGovern's campaign, so Sargent Shriver was chosen instead. As for the Republicans, there was little doubt that Nixon would be renominated, as well as Vice President Spiro Agnew. On election day, Nixon carried 49 states, and won close to 60% of the popular vote, with McGovern winning Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. It was one of the most lopsided elections in history, and for the first time, the entire South voted for a Republican. Nixon's second term became largely engrossed by the Watergate scandal, as many high office holders resigned, such as VP Agnew, special assistants, and cabinet members. Nixon was able to put an end to the Vietnam War, but by late 1973 and in to 1974, Watergate was all the focus in Washington, and in August of 1974, Nixon resigned, turning over the presidency to Gerald Ford. Campaign items from this election are pretty abundant, especially word pins promoting Nixon and McGovern. Most small jugate buttons for Nixon and Agnew are also readily available. McGovern items are also pretty common, and you can even find items with both Eagleton and Shriver pictured with McGovern. I have pictured a few items from this campaign, including a pair of plates, a couple buttons, a McGovern poster, and an interesting Nixon/Ronald Reagan button, a hopeful from people thinking Reagan should run with Nixon instead of Agnew.

Richard Nixon makes a comeback: The election of 1968

The United States of America was drastically changing throughout the 1960's, especially in the world of politics and culture. The Vietnam War had escalated during Lyndon Johnson's second term, and the assassinations of political leaders shook the nation. Besides the death of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy would also fall to the assassin's bullet. President Johnson made clear in early 1968 that he would not accept the nomination for president again, throwing open the race during the summer for many candidates. At the Democratic Convention, Vietnam War protestors came out in the thousands, and caused quite a disturbance. Robert Kennedy had seemed likely to win the nomination, but his untimely death led to the incumbent vice president Hubert Humphrey from Minnesota to win the nomination. As for the Republicans, conservatives and moderates were still battling, as Barry Goldwater remained popular, as did newly elected governor of California Ronald Reagan. Having semi-retired from political office, former Vice President and presidential candidate Richard Nixon made a comeback and won the nomination, with Spiro Agnew chosen as the vice-presidential nominee. With the unpopularity of the Vietnam War and the culture change, Nixon was destined to win, and that he did, winning comfortably in the popular vote and electoral college. Nixon's first term marked a change in foreign relations, as he visited China and signed an arms agreement with the Soviets. In the pre-Watergate era, Nixon was one of the most popular presidents up to that time, and it would show in the election of 1972. Nixon also began to tone down the Vietnam War, but mostly moved troops around instead of completely bringing them home, and conflicts with nations like Cambodia continued for much of the 1970's. Another big event that took place on Nixon's watch was the first flight to the moon, occurring in 1969. Another part of this election was the campaign of Alabama Governor George Wallace, who ran on the platform of opposing integration and promoting segregation. Wallace did pretty well in the election for a third party, especially in the South, but it was not enough to upset Richard Nixon's popularity. Political items from this election are abundant, as many of the word pins with slogans like "Nixon Now" or just "Nixon" can often be bought for a dollar. Most jugate buttons or single picture pins of Nixon are also very affordable, and the same is true for Humphrey items. Some of the slogans for Nixon's campaign were "Nixon's the One" or "Dump the Hump." George Wallace items are also very common, and I have included a couple of those as well. I have over 50 Nixon items, but I have included a few of my favorite buttons and a poster. I have also pictured a poster from Humphrey's campaign.

Conservatism v. Liberalism: The election of 1964

After the tragic death of John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson had been sworn in as the 36th President. With the election season coming soon after Kennedy's death, the nation still mourned and could not believe Kennedy was gone. There was little competition among Democrats for the nomination, although George Wallace did challenge Johnson in the primaries, but Johnson won at the convention on the first ballot. As for the vice-presidential nominee, Robert Kennedy challenged Hubert Humphrey for the ticket, but ultimately, Johnson chose Humphrey. As for Republicans, a divided had occurred between the moderates, led by northerners and NY governor Nelson Rockefeller, and conservatives, largely based in the south and midwest, led by AZ Senator Barry Goldwater. The convention was very heated, as conservatives booed Rockefeller and moderates booed Goldwater. In the end, Goldwater won the nomination, along with NY congressman William Miller for vice-president. During the campaign, the issue of extremism and Civil Rights were the two main issues. Each side accused the other of being extreme or too far leaning in their respective directions. As for the Civil Rights issue, the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 greatly changed the demographics in for the election and most future elections, as the South became more and more Republican and most blacks fled the Republican party and became Democrats. On election day, Johnson and Humphrey won in a landslide, carrying almost 60% of the popular vote and carrying 44 states. Johnson did manage to hang on to a few southern states, but the deep south, traditionally Democrat, all voted for Goldwater, signaling the change. Johnson's second term was largely packed with the Vietnam War, but there was also more of the Great Society and passages of bills like the Voting Rights Act and other attempts to end segregation and discrimination. Also, the rise of conservatism in the Republican party really started with this election. Former Democrat and actor Ronald Reagan gave a very supportive speech for Goldwater, beginning Reagan's political career, and greatly increasing contributions for the Goldwater campaign. Campaign items from this election are generally easy to find, especially simple Goldwater wordpins and Johnson word pins. Even a lot of single picture buttons are cheap and readily available. Some of the more scarce items for Goldwater are buttons that show him with an awkward face position on the button or a large 9" button surrounded by the sun. Most Johnson items are also common, especially single picture buttons, although as with every campaign, there are rarities. Posters, china, music, and 3-D items, such as "Gold Water" and "Johnson Juice" can also be found commonly. One of the campaign slogans or designs for Goldwater was "Au-H20," the scientific table chart for Gold and Water. Some items reference slogans, such as "LBJ for the USA" or "In Your Heart, You Know He's Right." I have pictured a poster from each candidate, a group of Goldwater buttons, and a record with speeches from Johnson and Goldwater.