Pin for Barack Obama that features a photograph of John F. Kennedy
Object number2015.068.0001
Date2008 - 2012
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectPin
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumMetal
DimensionsDiameter: 3 in. (7.6 cm)
Collections
DescriptionMetal pin supporting Barack Obama, either during or after his presidential campaigns in 2008 or 2012.
The pin has a red, white and blue striped background, with a color portrait of Barack Obama in front of a black and white portrait of John F. Kennedy in the center. White text at the top reads, "I Am Asking You To Believe." White and yellow text at the bottom read "President Obama."
The pin has a metal backing with a clasp pin. Text along the bottom edge reads: "N. G. Slater Corp. NYC 10018 800-848-4621" next to a union logo.
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
