Politics brings out the best and the worst in people, whether it is the candidates grasping for votes or the electorate themselves, but in any event, there is a great deal of fun to be had from watching the great democratic process in action.

One of the funniest aspects of the political arena is the number of political bumper stickers which make their appearance, not just at election time but whenever a “popular” politician is in office.

We should all be grateful for free speech!

So here is a selection of vehicular commentary on the political scene for your enjoyment:

George “W” Bush

Love him or hate him, George gave us more fun than any president since the last one.  Bushism’s litter the modern lexicon and here are just a few to cause a smrik or two:

• Bush – End of an Error
• Bush – Like a Rock, Only Dumber
• If You Can Read This You Ain’t Our President
• We Need a President Who Is Fluent In At Least One Language

There are so many more, but it’s just not fair to concentrate on Ole’ George, so let’s take a look at someone else.

Hilary Clinton

We could have take a look at her husband, Bill Clinton and “W’s” predecessor, but Hilary provokes the kind of right-wing ire that liberals feel with Bush;

• “Run Hilary Run!” – this was the best-selling political bumper sticker in New York because Republicans adopted it too – the difference was, they put the sticker on the front fender;
• Monica’s X-Boyfriend’s Wife for President

Now we could go on for quite some time yet, but in the interests of political balance, it is only fair we make sure every political figure get’s the same exposure.

President Obama

President Obama is suffering from what many president’s before him have experienced – a turn in public acceptance and approval after they get elected.  President Obama is in the midst of major legislative efforts with the financial crisis and getting a healthcare system established, and both these areas are fertile ground for bumper sticker aficionados:

• Obamacare – 9 out of 10 Illegal Immigrants Prefer It;
• Nobama (the ubiquitous play on words);
• HONK! If I’m Paying Your Mortgage
• So, How’s That Hope and Change Working Out for You?

Not to worry, President Obama still has another three years of office to run, so there is plenty of time to iron out the kinks in any humor argument.  At the next election who do you think will be running against him – Sarah Palin perhaps?

Ex-Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin

Going rogue seems to be what Sarah is all about these days, after quitting as the Governor of Alaska, ostensibly to spend more time with her family (or plotting on the takeover of the free world by becoming the first female US President).

No stranger to controversy, Sarah provokes the best and worst in people:

• I Can See Russia from My House (no she couldn’t);
• Coldest State, Hottest Governor;
• I Wanna be Sarah’s Intern!;
• Pregnant Unwed High School Dropouts for Palin!

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Developed shortly after World War II, bumper stickers have been constant sites on American roadways since that time.  One use for bumper stickers for political campaigns.  We saw it in the last presidential election for sure, and even lesser elections promote their candidates with bumper stickers.  Call them “pieces of flair” for your car – but with a political message.

It is interesting to look at some political bumper stickers through the years.  It is not entirely accurate to say that the quality of bumper sticker determines the outcome of a presidential campaign (because that would be crazy!), we will let you draw your own assumptions.  It might be true that good bumper sticker doesn’t hurt.

The 1964 presidential election was a political showdown between Lyndon B. Johnson (with running mate Hubert Humphrey) on the Democrat side, and Barry Goldwater (with running mate William Miller) on the Republican side.  Johnson beat Goldwater by a good margin.  Johnson received 486 electoral votes to Goldwater’s 52, and he carried 44 states (plus Washington, D.C.) to Goldwater’s 6.  Just in case you’re concerned about popular vote, Johnson kind of swept that, too – winning 61.1% of the popular vote.

There are pros and cons to both of these bumper stickers.  Goldwater does a good thing by putting his picture on his – no matter what your mug looks like you want voters to know the faces of the guys they have to vote for.  LBJ does a good thing by putting a rhyming slogan on his bumper sticker.  “LBJ for the USA” has a nice ring to it.  They both use kind of icky colors, but color matching wasn’t invented yet, so we cannot be sure that these photos properly depict the actual shade of these pieces of political schwag.  The orangey-red is much more appealing than the goldish green, no matter which way you cut it.

The 1984 presidential election came down to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush versus Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.  The statistics for the election were similar in proportion to the 1964 election.  Reagan-Bush received 525 electoral votes to Mondale-Ferraro’s 13, carried 49 states to the opposition’s 1 (plus Washington, D.C.), and won 58.8% of the popular vote.

This was a ground-breaking election in that Geraldine Ferraro was the first female to run for Vice President.  Bumper sticker-wise, they were pretty cut-and-dry.

Obviously, it is easier to read the Reagan-Bush bumper sticker.  White text on a red background is hard to see from a car on the highway.  Also, Reagan and Bush’s names are on the same level on their bumper sticker, while Mondale’s name appears above Ferraro’s on their bumper sticker.  Sheer coincidence, or a strategic ploy to undermine Ferraro’s role in the campaign?  Probably the former, but we love a good conspiracy theory.

The 2008 presidential election was a little closer than the previous two, but since it was the most recent it is worth mentioning.  This election came down to the now-President Barack Obama (with running mate Joe Biden) and Republican candidate John McCain (with running mate Sarah Palin).  Obama won 365 electoral votes as opposed to McCain’s 173, 52.9% of the popular vote, and carried 28 states (plus Washington, D.C.).

These are the standard bumper stickers that floated around during the campaign.  This was also a ground-breaking election in that Barack Obama became the first African-American president in the history of the U.S.  Hence the “Yes We Can” bumper stickers that also made appearances during the election.  There is certainly something to be said for a catchy and emotionally compelling slogan.

With the increasing availability of custom-printed bumper stickers, there is the possibility of “rogue advertising” and you can order your own political message to put on a bumper sticker.  There is a world of possibility with custom labels these days, which should change the face of political advertising forever.

article provided by Mark Trumper

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If you are looking for a fun investment for the future, then a bumper sticker is probably one of the few collectibles you can focus on and which will cost you less than five bucks.  If you want a good example just try to find the all-time classic, “Honk if You Believe in Jesus!” – an original sticker was sold at a New York auction house for a cool, $1 million!  There is a rumor that the fortunate seller immediately bought a new bumper sticker -  “Laughing All the Way to the Bank”.

Sticking with the Christian theme – another bumper sticker fetched an even higher $1.2 million, the 1968 “Have You Prayed Today?”.  Bumper stickers started life as mobile advertizing gimmicks and rapidly gained traction in the political sphere, and like today, religion and politics are very much entwined despite separation of Church and State.  Many of the political bumper stickers of the Fifties were produced by religious supporters who also hopped on the popularity of the bumper sticker with their own religious message.

One aspect of collecting bumper stickers is that frequently, buying the sticker actually involves buying the car upon which it was stuck.  It’s not unusual for bumper sticker aficionados to be paying way over the odds for a classic automobile, not because the car has the value but because it is the bumper sticker!  A slight twist on this, is that some cars actually carry several bumper stickers and it is their combined value which makes buying the car worthwhile.  One vehicle fetched just over $700,000 at auction – the value being in the bumper stickers fixed to it and no the wheels. Next time you are buying a car, make sure you check out the bumper stickers on it and see if you are going to bag a nest egg!

Falling down from the dizzy heights of these numbers, the majority of bumper stickers coming to auction or market are fetching sums between $10,000 and $25,000.  This is still a very hefty increase on anyone’s investment when bumper stickers may have cost a few cents.  The market is actually quite active, though recently it has suffered a drop in both activity and average prices achieved because of the economic downturn.

One question is if you are buying a bumper sticker today, which one is most likely to be valuable in the future?

Good question, and the honest answer is we don’t know, but there are some tips which if you follow them, are likely to improve your chances of hitting the jackpot. Go for popular bumper stickers which are likely to be used, i.e. people are buying them and sticking them on their cars.  Though popular, most of these stickers will ultimately end up in a breaker’s yard.  Keep your collection in safe and protected conditions.  Don’t use them so they are in mint condition – sure, some collectors will buy the car if they are stuck on a fender, but a mint bumper sticker will be valued more highly and you will find that keeping a sticker on a car will cause you a headache when you want to get rid of the car!

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