Political slogans

I was watching a video game live stream from earlier this year, when the two hosts started talking about their student council experiences. One of the subjects they touched on that applies to politics in general was campaign slogans, and their effectiveness. That made me consider the campaign slogans we hear today, and ones from the past.

While they may not be the only thing necessary to win an election, campaign slogans can go a long way into subconsciously affecting people's support of a candidate. So a good slogan can be all that's needed to build an unshakable base of support for any kind of political candidate.

So what kind of slogans did we see in the past? Well, one of the most memorable ones is a very simple one: I Like Ike. Does the slogan really say anything about the candidate or what he wanted to accomplish? Not at all. But that simple, rhyming phrase is more than enough to keep the candidate in people's heads. And with Coolidge's "Keep Cool with Coolidge," we have a similar effect, and with Johnson's "All the way, with LBJ." Simple slogans designed to keep people thinking about that candidate with word play and rhymes.

And then there are slogans that actually resonate with what the electorate feels at the time. Like Bill Clinton's "It's the Economy, Stupid" in the 1992 campaign, when the effects of recession were still being felt. Or Obama's "Change We can Believe in" in 2008. They are slogans that reflected people's general feelings at the time.

What of the slogans we've seen from our two aspiring villains for this election cycle?
On Hellary's side, we have had two: Stronger Together, and I'm with Her. Neither of them really fit into either of the categories above all that well. People definitely aren't feeling a sort of "togetherness" that makes "Stronger Together" stick, and it doesn't have the same catchy feel as "I Like Ike." "I'm With Her" is also used more frequently it seems, but that fits the categories even less.

For Trump, the only slogan I know of is "Make America Great Again," which fits perfectly in the second category. The electorate feels that not only is the country not doing well, but that it's on a downward slide. Sure, there are differing views on what is actually the cause of this downward slide, but the general consensus is that things are bad, and are going to get worse. So I think between the two, Trump has a much stronger slogan, and as a result has an easier time gaining support in spite of the crude vulgarities and political inexperience that are associated with him.

So, what about third parties? With Johnson, we have "Our Best America Yet; Live Free; #TeamGov; Be Libertarian with me; You In?" Again, none of them really fit into the two categories I mentioned. If there was an general sense of patriotic pride in the country, "Our Best America Yet" would probably be enough to get past that idiotic polling percentage criteria.

And for Stein, the slogan is "#ItsInOurHands." Again, not a very good slogan, especially when the general feeling of the electorate is that things are definitely not in our hands.

So out of all the candidates, I think only Trump and Sanders had actual great slogans, and if the nomination process wasn't rigged, Sanders definitely would have come out on top thanks in part to the catchy and resonating slogans his campaign employed, which helped pull him out of obscurity.

Going forward, I'm hoping that we can capitalize on the effectiveness of slogans. With the Green party, I'd like to see the adoption of the slogan "Green Politics is Clean Politics," as that resonates strongly with the justifiable sense that our political system is corrupt and rigged against us. Or, if we manage to build a new, strong third party, I'd like to see something like "Bring Back our Democracy," for the same reasons.

Thoughts and opinions? Leave them below, as I'd like to hear them all.

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polkageist's picture

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-Greed is not a virtue.
-Socialism: the radical idea of sharing.
-Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy, In a speech at the White House, 1962

gulfgal98's picture

I also like Green Politics is Clean Politics of the suggested slogans for the Green party. It is timely and speaks to one of the big issues (corruption) the people see in our political system.

The problem I have with Clinton's "Stronger Together" is that it does not reflect what the candidate has actually been saying and doing. She has been slicing and dicing the electorate and actually insulting large segments of the voting population, such as Sanders supporters and millennials. It might have worked if she actually believed in bringing us together but her words and actions belie that fact. Her second slogan "I'm With Her" is incredibly egocentric. Neither slogan actually tells the electorate WHY they should vote for her or what she plans to do for the citizens. Bernie's slogan did put the citizens as its focus. Trump's slogan puts the country as its focus. This is why they are superior slogans.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

if all of us basement dwelling self-righteous ideologues would get behind her, she and her oligarch puppeteers would definitely be stronger. Us and her zombie supporters not so much...

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gulfgal98's picture

made me laugh out loud! Lol

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Thaumlord-Exelbirth's picture

but had slipped my mind by the time I got to the relevant sections. The "Stronger Together" being ironic, as she speaks in a way that might be as divisive as Trump (Basket of deplorables, basement dwelling youths, etc), and doesn't have any real meaning behind it.

I disagree with you on the "why" part of the other slogan though. "I'm with Her" does tell you why you should vote for her. It's that last word there, one of the foundational blocks of her campaign: HER. She's a woman, after all. What other reason does one need, when there's that imaginary glass ceiling that needs to be shattered into a fine powder?

I say imaginary, because we already have examples of women leading nations all around the world, and throughout history, many of which are much better examples for young girls to look to than this wretch.

But yes, it is definitely egocentric.

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Hawkfish's picture

Choose the Greater Good

It riffs off the almost ubiquitous "lesser Evil" meme and I think it fits in the second category. Which is why I didn't get a bumper sticker until that one came out.

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We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg

Thaumlord-Exelbirth's picture

Didn't find it when searching for specific campaign slogans for the different candidates. I'd consider it a good slogan for the 2nd category, but only because of how hated the two main candidates are. In a normal election, it likely would come across as fairly average and unremarkable.

I kinda want to get a big banner with Stein's face and that greater good slogan on it, and just hang it from an overpass on I-35. Wouldn't that be a great thing to see on all the major interstates?

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