Presidential Campaign Slogans

Why Bad Slogans Make for Bad Presidents - Like John Tyler

Feb 24, 2009

Presidential slogans in America have been a proud tradition - but, history hasn't been exactly kind to Presidents identified with slogans. Here's why.

"Tippecanoe and Tyler too" was one of the first major presidential campaign slogans, and it helped elect William Henry Harrison to the the office of President of the United States in 1840. Since then, politicians have looked for the perfect slogan - yet, often presidential campaign slogans are remembered poorly by history.

William Henry Harrison and John Tyler

The first presidential campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," will be remembered in infamy. William Henry Harrison (the hero of the battle of Tippecanoe) would die after just 30 days in office. His Vice President, John Tyler, then assumed office, the first Vice President ever to do so by means of succession. Tyler, who was elected Vice President on the Whig party platform, suddenly had a change of heart and decided to govern like a Democrat, vetoing much of Whig legislation passed on Congress. He was quickly disowned by his own party and also become distrusted by Democrats, and was not re-elected. During the Civil War, Tyler decided to support the Confederacy and was even elected to the Confederate Congress. He was the only President to ever formally turn his back on his country in this way. Thus, the slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," will ever remember a President who died in office 30 days in and perhaps the worst vice Presidential pick - and one of the worst Presidents -in American history.

Campaign Slogans Since Harrison

Presidents closely associated with slogans since William Henry Harrison have not fared well, either. Woodrow Wilson's re-election slogan "He kept us out of war," would later prove to be premature when Woodrow Wilson was re-elected and then entered the United States into World War One. Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" slogan was oddly ironic for a President who will was entering his personal twilight, and some have argued, the early stages of alzheimer's disease while in office. George H.W. Bush's slogan, "Read my lips: no new taxes," was to be remembered mainly because he broke that promise. Bill Clinton's slogan "I feel your pain," depicting him as honest and empathetic, was rendered a joke by his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Campaign Slogan Implications

This line of thinking leads one to ask an important question: What about President Obama? How could his slogan backfire? The most common slogan associated with Obama, "Yes we can," has perhaps already proved prophetic by the inflexibility and lack of bipartisanship from the Republicans in Congress. The "we" has been called into question, and perhaps Barack Obama will need to do things without bipartisan support.

Effective Presidential campaign slogans have been highly sought after, yet the original campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," resulted in a horrific outcome for William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and the United States. Presidential campaign slogans since have often become cruel parodies of their original intent.

The copyright of the article Presidential Campaign Slogans in Modern US History is owned by Jared Plotkin. Permission to republish Presidential Campaign Slogans in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Feb 24, 2009 9:22 AM

Guest :

Regarding President Tyler: He vetoed Whig legislation because he was a strict constructionist of the Constitution. Presidents early in the 19th Century saw part of their responsibility as preventing the Congress from enacting laws that might not be Constitutional. In terms of the Westward Movement, Tyler was instrumental in pushing for the annexation of Texas. In fact, he signed the joint resolution passed by the Congress in January 1845 to bring Texas into the Union. It was Tyler's choice of John C. Calhoun as Secretary of State that effectively crafted an annexation treaty. So don't be too harsh on the man.