Presidential Candidates and Their Slogans

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Presidential Candidates and Their Slogans

February 8th, 2016

Awake Goy

Presidential slogans can help candidates win the White House.

Presidential slogans have played key roles in past presidential campaigns, and some have left an indelible mark on history. The 1840 slogan of William Henry Harrison, Tippecanoe and Tyler too, is one such slogan. This slogan took on force because in 1811 Harrison had lead a contingency of some 1000 men in a successful battle against a confederacy of Native American warriors near the Tippecanoe River: John Tyler was Harrison’s running mate—thus Tippecanoe and Tyler too. In 1841, William Henry Harrison took office as the 9^th President of the U.S.

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s campaign slogan of 1932, Happy Days are Here Again, helped propel Roosevelt to the presidency in the midst of the Great Depression. Under the “New Deal” administration of Roosevelt, the country emerged out of the depression. Roosevelt would win an unprecedented four presidential elections, serving as president of the United States from 1933 to his death in 1945.

Upon Roosevelt’s untimely death, Harry S. Truman, the Vice President, became the 33^rd President of the United States. The Truman 1948 bid to continue in the presidency used the title of the 1921 popular song, I’m Just Wild about Harry, as an effective slogan. However, the 1948 slogan that really caught fire was one that was initially yelled out by a supporter on one of Truman’s whistle-stops: Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!

In 1956, capitalizing on the fame and “likeability” of Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Korean War (Conflict) General, the Eisenhower campaign adopted the winning slogan, I like Ike. They also used the less memorable slogan, Peace and Prosperity. Eisenhower became the 34^th President of the nation.

Lyndon B, Johnson, the 36^th President, had the potent “cheerleader” spirited slogan, All the Way with LBJ, during his 1964 presidential campaign. Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40^th President, in the 1980 presidential race, rode the slogan all the way to the White House that asked the question, Are You Better Off than You Were Four Years Ago? The 42^nd President Bill Clinton, hit the mark in 1992 with his economic focus slogan: It’s the Economy, Stupid. George W. Bush, the 43^rd President, effectively used the slogan, Compassionate Conservatism, in the 2000 election. And the current President, the 44^th, Barack Obama, successfully tapped into the spirit of the youth with his 2008 campaign slogan, Yes We Can.

Some of the more “forgettable” slogans used in recent campaigns are: Nixon Now (Richard M. Nixon 1972); Not Just Peanuts (Jimmy Carter, 1976); Ross for Boss (H. Ross Perot, 1992); Let America Be America Again (John Kerry, 2004); and Obama Isn’t Working (Mitt Romney, 2012).

In the current presidential competition, the campaign of the top democratic contender, Hillary Clinton, uses the slogans: Hillary for America, and, Fighting for Us. Apparently the intent is to project Hillary Clinton as a tenacious and effective pundit in battling for the rights and welfare of the people. The campaign of the second place democratic contender, Bernie Sanders, has adopted the slogans: A Future to Believe, and, as the campaign has gained momentum, Feel the Bern.

In his campaign, Donald Trump, the number one Republican candidate, has recycled Ronald Reagan’s 1980 election slogan: Make America Great Again—The slogan implies that America is no longer seen as a great nation, and that a Trump presidency will again restore America to a status of greatness in the eyes’ of the world. The campaign of Ted Cruz, the Republican candidate second to Trump in most national polls, employ the slogan Courageous Conservatives, reminiscent of Bush’s 2000 slogan, Compassionate Conservatism. The Republican campaigns of Marco Rubio, Ben Carson and Jeb Bush, respectively, have in use the following slogans: A New American Century; Heal. Inspire. Revive; and, Jeb Can Fix it.