Measuring campaign giveaways of elections past

The Barack Obama presidential campaign has probably one of the most clever pieces of merchandise I’ve seen in recent races for the Oval Office. That would be the “Made in the U.S.A.” coffee mug which features the president’s picture above “Made in the U.S.A. on one side and a copy of Obama’s Hawaiian birth certificate on the other. Says the Web introduction for the listing:

 “There’s really no way to make the birth certificate conspiracy completely go away, so we might as well laugh at it — and make sure as many people as possible are in on the joke. Get your Made In The USA mug today.”

At $20 a pop, the joke is certainly on the GOP whose mantra is “Obama is socialist.” Not at those prices. It might be considered a campaign contribution were I to buy one and I am unsure whether my part-time job allows it. It’s good excuse to not pay $20 for a coffee cup, anyway. My birthday is coming up on Oct. 28. Hint. Hint.

What kind of saddens me are my heart strings — cheap as they might be — being tugged from the previous century. I was born in the middle 20th century during a time which, no matter how fast man could fly or broadcast a radio show on TV or annihilate a city with a nuclear bomb, was still as steeped into the past than as in the future or even the present.

Local pols, where I was raised, in East Texas would give away nail files to the ladies and maybe a snort of whiskey for the men if no one was looking. After all, we didn’t have legal booze in our Bible-Belt town until alcoholic beverages were partially voted in when I was 18. My Dad was a very funny man whose profession, and or art, was painting signs. He made up a sign for the wall in my room that read: “Vote dry — For your bootlegger’s sake” when that “wet/dry” election campaign finally brought legal liquor, beer and wine to town.

Actually, I never knew any politicians who offered a drink in exchange for a vote but stranger things have happened.

Such were the times which brought simpler campaign trinkets and were given away to potential voters and were not sold to raise campaign funds. A county commissioner or county clerk might give away buttons, bumper stickers, yard signs, hand-propelled fans, pencils, fountain pens or just about anything which might or might not have been useful but visible.

I still have somewhere another very clever piece of campaign paraphernalia given to me by a very pleasant and interesting man about whom I wrote a story on his very long-shot candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination and the just as long-shot simultaneous candidacy for Congress. Fred Hudson Jr. was a Harvard-educated attorney who also happened to own a True Value Hardware store in Center, Texas. He was on the Texas ballot only, running both for the presidential nomination against Bill Clinton and for Congress against the legendary Charlie Wilson of “Charlie Wilson’s War” fame. Personally, I knew Mr. Hudson had a snowball’s chance in both candidacies but he had some interesting ideas and it kind of made me glad to know someone who wanted wanted their voices heard could run for president or congress. That is even if they only owned a hardware store and a small-town law firm.

Back to the campaign goodies, Mr. Hudson gave me a yardstick which advertised both his True Value store and his run for the White House. I value that stick as if it was given to me by Honest Abe or FDR.

Yes, I know that, technically, it might violate some journalists sense of “ethics” to accept such a gift as a reporter. But as I told a congressman who bought me a glass of tea in the cafeteria in the U.S. Capitol’s basement, if I could be bought for a glass of tea, I’m not worth very much myself. The same goes for taking a cheap yardstick with the True Value/presidential ad given by a really nice, older fellow.

Sometimes the best things in life are free, as well as inexpensive and useful.