It almost seems insulting for me to bring up the fact that this is an election year, but it’s really the best way for me to begin my blog– so! Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t seen all of the political ads polluting otherwise good television programming or even if you haven’t been bombarded with post mail fliers about why you should vote for him over him because of X amount of reasons, allow me to tell you that it is Election ‘08! All of that blabber aside about how annoying it is to basically watch ten minutes of back-and-forth ads that are messages approved by John or Barack, I actually don’t find it all that annoying at all…but then again, I’m a big political dork. I was never on the debate team, and I would never ever consider running for any sort of public office (let alone the presidency), but I do enjoy politics and well, the politics of politics. This election is especially interesting to me because it’s history in the making, and it’s also the first time we’ve seen candidates really utilize the social networking technology available, like YouTube and Myspace. I’m not going to tell you who I am voting for and I’m especially not going to tell you who you should vote for…I am just going to urge you to vote. No matter how many people tell you that your vote really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, you have the right to vote for a reason and I suggest that you use it wisely!
This blog also isn’t about why I think it’s important to vote (though I could do an entire blog dedicated to that), rather I am taking a different approach to the Great ‘08 Election by showing you how you can wear or show off your politics! I am going to try to be as equal opportunistic as I can by giving enough options for each candidate, and also a lot of different options on how to show some love for your chosen candidate!
The Cup of Joe: One of the most popular ways to show off your political affiliation is by displaying it proudly on your coffee cup! Actually, coffee mugs are sort of like personalized billboards that can expose many different things about a person from the fact that they “Hate Mondays” or even something as simple as their favorite sports team. This simple form of public display is especially popular with politics because just think of all of the different ways that you can tell someone you’re a Republican or Democrat, or even that you’re “Proud to be a Right Wing Nut Job” or “Proud to be a Bleeding Heart Democrat” in the case of these coffee mugs found at Perpetual Kid (which is a really fun website). The thing that I love about these mugs is that they have a bit of personality and use the opposite stereotype to show off the coffee drinkers true red, white, and blue colors. You can find these mugs and a whole lot of other exciting political stuff-including a Hilary nutcracker– at their website: perpetualkid.com.
The next way that you can show off some of your politics is by placing one of these note holders, of your chosen candidate of course, on your desk, around the house, somewhere at the office…pretty much anywhere you want. You can use these clothespin holders for notes, pencils, keys, and I’m sure you can think up some other creative purposes. I especially like in the description of these products that it says, “Now, we can finally put those talking heads to good use!” not to mention that they will be a great conversation starter. I should also note that they have a picture of a Hilary Clinton holder on their website, but they are no longer available and have been discontinued. Having said that, you can pick up your favorite “figurehead” at one of my favorite websites: uncommongoods.com.
Vote Soap: Now this is something that I didn’t expect to come across, but I am so glad that I did! This soap not only promotes the importance of voting, but it reminds you to do it as you take your morning shower! Aside from being a pleasant reminder, it’s also a great soap with a fresh olive branch fragrance and ultra mild. The soap is printed to say “Vote” on one side, “Feel Good” on the other and inside the packaging is a message to, “Take a Shower with this soap– it’s good for you– so is your vote– so do both!“. The Vote Soap is available in a limited supply and is also currently out of stock, though the website states that they should be receiving a shipment in a week…so order yours today! You can find this soap at the ever so wonderful Wishingfish website, so check it out at: wishingfish.com.
One Savvy Baby: I’m not really one for using your baby as a poster for your own personal beliefs, but…given the spirit of the election year and the fact that this onesie is just too damn cute– my reservations have been set aside and I am pleased to share with you this adorable “Tiny Democrat” snapsuit. This itsy symbolism of political affiliation can also be found for the Republican party, and also for Non-Partisan and all of them have the same design and price as this one. This snapsuit is brought to you by the good people at Wry Baby and they also have a lot of other adorable Election 08 clothing, but it is limited edition and supply so make sure you order yours a.s.a.p! You can check out this cute little snapsuit and a bunch of others at their website: wrybaby.com.
Barack Obama 6″ Action Figurebuy new: $14.99A Political Action Figure: It really shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that there are political action figures, especially in a world that is equipped with a Nancy Pearl the Librarian action figure and of course the Crazy Cat Lady action figure. In this case, the hero at hand (or in your hand, I guess), is either Barack Obama or John McCain. Not only is this a great gift for the political nut in your life…even if that individual happens to be none other than yourself…or if you are giving it as a gag gift to someone, nonetheless it is probably something to hold onto as a keepsake of this historic election. Some people have authentic buttons and shirts from the presidential elections of the past, but you will be much cooler than all of those vintage citizens when you break out your political action figure! Amazon has both Barack and John available and the readers reviews have actually said that children appreciate these dolls! I personally think it would be a good gift to your political nut kid or even just a good thing to have on your desk to show your support. Check out Amazon for a wide variety of political gifts and gadgets to get you prepared for Election ‘08!
Corkscrew Billbuy new: $22.47I wanted to try and showcase a whole bunch of different items from different websites with of course, different party affiliations…but as I was leaving Amazon’s action figures I noticed in the “You May Like These…” items that there was this, well, semi-gross salute to President Bill Clinton. Granted, he is not running for political office and Hil’ didn’t make the cut…but they are both still a big part of political history and are still active in the current campaign (rooting for Obama, of course). This item was paired up with the “Hillary Nut Cracker” for things that people bought together, and I think it’s disgusting and wonderful all at the same time. Aside from the fact that it’s suggestively displaying Bill, let’s get one thing straight…it’s a $23.00 corkscrew and it doesn’t even have any special little gadgets with it. I think the presentation and promised laughter from your guests might make up for the cost, but it’s still a little steep for the function (even though I’m sure a lot of people would have it more as a collector’s item than their go-to corkscrew). Again, this is available at Amazon.com along with many other politically inspired gifts!
Another gift that could be just great for the kids…assuming they understand what’s going on in the political world and don’t get really upset that you’ve given them two old men dressed in suits as paper dolls rather than the usual pretty princess. It’s also a good idea for a political gift, and of course– another dust collecting item to throw on your desk at work! These paper dolls, brought to you by Dover Publications, come in both the John McCain and Barack Obama style and are available on the website. These sets also include a doll of their wives and casual and formal outfits that they actually wore during their campaign– it’s kind of a neat concept, if you ask me. The set includes a brief biography, descriptive notes on the candidate, and a bonus election night score card. So! You can dress up your chosen candidate in all of their finest formal wear and perch them up on the coffee table to watch the decision pan out- or! You can just leave it in the packaging and show it off to people a few years from now…who knows, they may actually be worth something someday (maybe buy two just to serve both purposes).
Vote for Obama Cotton T-Shirtbuy new: $29.95Of course I couldn’t do this list without a political shirt! It’s practically the most noticeable way to show off your politics, unless you have a donkey or elephant tattooed on your forehead (and if so, I am not judging you!). Again, I went to one of my favorite websites for everything useful, Amazon, and came across a lot of different style shirts for both Obama and McCain. This one happened to be my favorite due to it’s blatant pop culture reference to the movie Napoleon Dynamite and his famous “Vote for Pedro” shirt. Sure, there are a lot of other iconic references like the ever so famous “Got Obama?” playing off of the milk slogan, and do not pass Amazon off as being pro one candidate or another because they have plenty of shirts available for both sides, no sides, and even some for the same side such as the “Bush’s Last Day” shirt that simply gives a haunting black and white date of 01.20.09.
Given the fact that the nature of this blog is rather light-hearted, I don’t want you to forget the important underlying message of why I swept across the Internet in search of ways to show off your politics: get out and vote! You have the right to vote, so why not use it wisely? I often tell people that I refuse to listen to them gripe about their political woes if they aren’t even registered to vote! If you missed the first debate between the two candidates…don’t worry, you can see many, many more as we further progress on the road to the presidency. It’s an exciting time and it’s history in the making, and you and I are apart of it– which is kinda cool if you think about it. 
Here’s to enjoying the election year and exercising your right to vote in ‘08!
-M.
Thanks for sharing! 
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