Politics 2012 Through Commercial Art

2012-April-10

tags: 2012, art, Barack Obama, campaign buttons, commercial art, Mitt Romney, political buttons, political shirts, politics, Politics 2012, president 2012, presidential elections, vote 2012

By Martie Hevia | Blue Beach Song™

A long-standing tradition in American politics is for politicians to beg for ridiculous amounts of money so that their campaigns can spend ridiculous amounts of money on advertising and other promotional materials in the hopes of two things: swinging voters from the opposition candidate to their own and motivating their die-hard supporters to show up on election day and vote.

We can’t escape it. It’s everywhere.

As we approach the November elections, we will not be able to turn on the television without navigating through dozens of commercials that often have little respect for the truth and are paid for by not only the campaigns and the political parties, but by corporations that often disguise themselves as groups with benevolent names intentionally unrelated to them or the views they espouse, after all, how can you disagree with a commercial paid for by Americans for Motherhood and Apple Pie?

You won’t be able to walk out the door without stumbling over campaign lawn posters or sidewalk tents. You will not be able to avoid being affronted with campaign fliers shoved in your face by well-meaning campaign volunteers or stuffed in your mailbox by your neighborhood postman. And you won’t be able to drive without reading catchy campaign bumper stickers, or walk without bumping into someone wearing a campaign button or political shirt.

In fact, we are so bombarded by political commercial messaging, that we are forced to duck and dodge without really appreciating the art and wit that can often be found on the face of a campaign button or on the shirt of a political supporter.

This inspirational, informational, motivational, and sometimes annoying, tacky, distasteful, and truth-deficient art – disguised in the form of political campaign buttons, shirts, bumper stickers and posters – might be worth a second look.

After all, it is through this political art-form that we have an opportunity to express and define ourselves, convince others or incite discussion, show our support or disdain, or have a little fun while traversing the tense political issues on our way to the voting booth.

In the end, collectors can walk away with a memento of their candidate or perhaps an important historical artifact – only time will tell. In the meantime, the rest of us can enjoy some pretty talented artists who use wit and art to create some powerful, persuasive, political visual statements.