Nixon Now

It is a shame that Nixon went down in history as the only president to ever resign office. During his first term as president, he gained widespread popularity and won his reelection by landslide. However by the second year of his second term, the Watergate Scandal had consumed most of his career and had the public in clamoring for his impeachment.

But let’s go back to the better days when Nixon had the support of the people.

Image courtesy of stylepinner.com

When Nixon ran for president in 1968, it wasn’t his first attempt. He had tried back in 1960 but lost to John F. Kennedy. For the 1968 election, Nixon used a variety of campaign slogans. With “Nixon Now” and “Nixon’s the One,” the Republican Party encouraged the public to help Nixon win the campaign this time.

Following his successful first term in office, Nixon ran for reelection with a slightly modified campaign slogan: “President Nixon – now more than ever.” This extension of the first campaign slogan subtly suggests why Nixon should be reelected. First off, Nixon is referred to as President. This establishes Nixon as a trustworthy and successful candidate. Those who did not vote for Nixon in 1968 can now look at his first term and reevaluate their opinion of him. Second, “more than ever” is tacked onto the end. This suggests that it is even more vital that Nixon wins the campaign.

These slogans were backed by previous results. With his first term, Nixon tackled the issues of the nation, both domestic and foreign. He over saw the large scale integration of schools and the lunar landing. He worked on addressing the inflation problem and environmental concerns. Internationally, Nixon worked on removing American troops from Vietnam and easing tensions with the Soviet Union. Additionally, policies for dealing with Latin America, specifically Cuba, and the Middle East were established.

But Nixon’s campaign slogans weren’t always so simple. Like many candidates that are popular with the crowds, Nixon was sometimes referred by his nickname, Dick. For the 1960 election, one slogan/campaign song proclaimed “Click with Dick.” This three word tag used rhymes to connect the voting method of pressing buttons with the candidate.

There is one, that for the blog’s sake, I won’t mention here. You can find it online when you Google image search “Nixon campaign slogans.” I wasn’t sure if it was real or not when I first saw it, but, according to an article by ABC News, it isn’t entirely fictional (mentioned under 1. Democratic Slogans). It was used exclusively by “diehard” supporters. Regardless of the content of the slogan, it still rhymes and refers to Nixon in an … affectionate way. But this slogan also works because it claims that Nixon can’t be beaten.

All the Way With LBJ!

While Lyndon B. Johnson may not be remembered as that good of a president, public opinion about him in the 1964 election was quite different.

Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Johnson was sworn into office as the 36^th president of the United States of America. When he ran for reelection, LBJ entered the campaign with experience in office already under his belt. He promised to the people that he would continue and finish what President Kennedy had started. This include an array of social reforms such as tax reform and civil rights.

Supporters used the line “All the way with LBJ!” to promote his reelection. This line hints at the desire to keep the policies of Kennedy alive. The best way to do this according to the slogan line is to keep Johnson in office.

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Naturally rhyming slogans had a higher chance of getting stuck in voters’ heads and were easier to chant or cheer. “All the way with Adlai” was used by Adlai Stevenson in his 1952 and 1956 attempts at presidency. JFK also used a similar chant because "k" rhymes with "way." “All the way with…” talks about the process of getting the candidate through the primaries, nominated by the party, and eventually to the White House. LBJ was fortunate to have his initials fit the rhyme pattern and rhythm of “all the way with….”

Barry Goldwater and Johnson had a rhyme competition in the campaign slogans. Goldwater supporters claimed that “In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right.” Johnson supporters fought back with “In Your Heart You Know, He Might” and “In Your Gut, You Know He’s Nuts.” These rhyming taunts played on Goldwater’s policy of wielding more nuclear power. Johnson’s campaign focused on labelling Goldwater as a radical who could start a nuclear war. With the Kairos of the time period, this attempt to discredit Goldwater worked extremely well.

But, Johnson’s campaign is best remembered for the Daisy ad. The ominous tone of the video advertisement played on the constant fear of the Cold War and international nuclear threats. Following the disturbing images of nuclear detonations and mushroom clouds, the narrator comes back in with the line “the stakes are too high for you to stay home.”

Johnson’s campaign really made the voters go all the way with LBJ. He won reelection in a landslide victory winning 44 states versus Goldwater’s 6. The popular vote was 61.1% in Johnson’s favor.

However the attitude shown by the voters did not last through LBJ’s second term. The Vietnam War became a major issue and protests severely tarnished his reputation at the time. Nevertheless, his term as elected president saw progressive social policies that established a base for future developments.

I Like Ike

Back when I first started this blog, I did a short segment on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s. As the blog has now come to the point chronologically where Eisenhower belongs.

(Image courtesy of Wagner College)

This campaign is unique in the sense that Eisenhower did not openly declare his intent to run for president. Instead, as much as the public pressured him into running for office, he declined running in 1948 and remained withdrawn from the political world until he was nominated for the Republican candidacy in 1952.

Dwight Eisenhower was a popular figure in the post-World War II era. He was a celebrated war hero after leading the Allied forces to victory in Europe. Eisenhower then went on to lead the newly formed North Atlantic Treaty Organization in protecting the world from the perceived threat of communism.

What made Eisenhower truly special was his dedication to his country. Through his exemplary military service he showed his determined sense of duty. He believed that he could better serve this duty by remaining in a position that benefit America’s security. However by 1951 in the light of the Korean War, the American public was losing faith in the President Truman’s leadership. America seemed to have a new calling for General Eisenhower: the presidency. Nonetheless, Eisenhower continued to insist that he did not feel he had the “duty to seek a political nomination” but would “respond if called to a higher duty.”

The public had created a “Draft Eisenhower” movement in attempts to persuade the General into running for office. In January 1952, leaders of the movement had entered Eisenhower into the New Hampshire primaries, an action which Eisenhower did not reject. In February, the Draft Eisenhower movement held a rally in Madison Square Garden, a film of which was then shown to Eisenhower. Following many displays of immense support from the American public and victory in the New Hampshire primary, Eisenhower decided to retire from the military and run for president.

“I Like Ike” became the phrase that the crowds gathered around. It truly represented the atmosphere surrounding the candidate. In fact, the early days of Draft Eisenhower Movement had both Democrats and Republicans trying to persuade him to run. Eisenhower transcended the party barrier and had achieved national popularity. “I Like Ike” resonated with many of the citizens of America leading to Eisenhower’s landslide victory in 1952.

“I Like Ike” was one of the first campaign slogans to find its way to the television screen. For a minute, a cartoon parade marched to Washington D.C. cheerfully singing “I Like Ike.” The advertisement was cute and catchy and certainly conveyed the popular opinion about Eisenhower.