Walter Mondale campaign pin
Object number2015.074.0002
Date1984
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectPin
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumMetal
Dimensions1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
Collections
DescriptionMetal campaign pin supporting Walter Mondale during the 1984 presidential election.
Under the title "Democratic Integrity" a portrait of Walter Mondale is surrounded by images of five other Democratic presidents: Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Andrew Jackson and John F. Kennedy.
The pin has a metal backing with a clasp pin. Text along the bottom edge reads: "Official Licensed Button 1984 Democratic National Convention."
Curatorial CommentaryPresident Lyndon Johnson recognized the power of the Kennedy legacy in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, and he used it to great political effect during the 1964 election. Virtually every Democratic presidential candidate since that time has included the image or the words of John F. Kennedy in their campaign materials, holding up the late president as a shining example of party leadership -- and also tapping into the unfulfilled hope and promise that Kennedy represents. Some candidates, including Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have been specifically compared to John F. Kennedy in terms of their optimism and soaring rhetoric. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
