TURN on the TV, tune into the local radio station, fire up your preferred social media platform, and you’ll be inundated with political messages and promises about a better future for all.
It’s election season, a time of chaos and insanity, but after the year we’ve experienced, the insanity has somehow got …well even more insane.
Throw in a media owner and his editor claiming that 10 babies that were never born were also actually kidnapped in a government conspiracy that goes ‘all the way to the top’, and you find yourself desperately hunting for that line between fact and fiction.
Sometimes the best we can do in these moments of overwhelming insanity is to sit back and laugh at it all.
And to remember that we’re not alone in this!
The shenanigans of politicians can be found throughout the history books, particularly in America where political mudslinging can get particularly dirty.
So let’s take a look at some of the campaign lows which either cost a politician – or, as insanity would have it – got them elected.
1. We Polked You in ’44, We Shall Pierce You in ’52
Nothing is dirtier than American presidential politics, as you can tell from this 1852 slogan presidential hopeful Franklin Pierce. In an attempt to capitalise on 11th US president James Polk’s popularity, Pierce sought a bit of name recognition through wordplay – and it worked. Pierce went on to become the 14th American president when he defeated General Winfield Scott.
2. Cox and Cocktails
The prohibition era in the 1920s provided significant fodder for politicians looking to win some votes. Republican senator Warren G Harding was in favour of demolishing prohibition, unlike democratic governor James Cox. This catchy slogan worked, and Harding took 60% of the popular vote and 71% of the electoral vote.
3. Make Your Wet Dreams Come True
Yip, the innuendo continued in 1928 when anti-prohibition governor, Alfred E Smith started campaigning for presidency in the hopes that his very saucy, pro-alcohol slogan would resonate with the masses. Although he served four terms as governor of New York, he never did make his way to the Oval Office. An old campaign button with the slogan was sold on Heritage Auction in 2013 for $8 962.50 (around R130 000).
4. I’m Not a Witch, I’m You
In 2010, republican Christine O’Donnell ran for a Delaware seat (vacated by Joe Biden when he became vice president). Of all the political slogans brainstormed by her team, somehow the fact that she wasn’t a witch was the best they could come up with. This was after a 1999 admission that she had tried witchcraft…despite not being a witch. Well which is it?
5. In Your Heart You Know He’s Right
The biggest key to a good slogan is making sure it can’t be turned against you. This was something Republican Barry Goldwater discovered when he ran against Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 presidential race. Johnson’s team emerged with ‘In Your Guts, You Know He’s Nuts’ with other witty vandals adding ‘Yes, Extreme Right’ to the end of Goldwater’s slogan. Unsurprisingly, Goldwater lost.
6. He Kept Us Out of War
Look, if you think a politician is going to keep his promises, then you’re very new to the world of politics. But to go with the slogan ‘He Kept Us Out of War’ only to enter World War 1 shortly thereafter is quite something. But that’s how Woodrow Wilson was re-elected in 1916.
7. The ANC Called You Racists. The DA Calls You Heroes.
One can’t overlook our own current politics with this list and the DA’s epic fail in Phoenix will go down in history. An area that was hit by extremely violent clashes between Indian and black communities during the civil uprising. Instead of unifying, the posters sought to divide for political points. The posters were taken down, but the fail remains – and the upcoming elections will tell if they had any impact.
