Slogans May Not Tilt An Election

Hillary Clinton’s team considered more than 80 slogans before going with “Stronger Together.” Ones that didn’t make the cut: “Progress for the Rest of Us” and “Renewing Our Basic Bargain.”
Donald J. Trump famously opted for “Make America Great Again.”
Judging by modern presidential history, they were right to skip themes that incorporated their own names.
Richard M. Nixon’s successful 1972 re-election campaign with “Nixon Now” appears to be the last time a name slogan worked.
Ross Perot failed in 1992 with “Ross for Boss,” losing to Bill Clinton and his “Putting People First.”
The 1996 election featured “Bob Dole. A Better Man. For a Better America.” President Clinton won again.
The 21st century has spawned more self-referential slogans.
In 2004, there was Howard Dean’s “Dean for America.” This year, Jeb Bush couldn’t salvage his campaign with “Jeb Can Fix It.”
If the hopefuls of 2020 insist on using their names, history suggests they should also incorporate some wit.
Consider Calvin Coolidge’s 1924 bid, “Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge,” or Franklin Pierce in the mid-19th century, who managed to include a predecessor: “We Polked You in ’44, We Shall Pierce You in ’52.”
-Culled from The New York Times