1968 Nixon campaign ad

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

OK, so I go to Yahoo news and see a story about a peace organization that is doing a remake of the famous 1964 Lyndon Johnson for President ad. You know, the one with the little girl and the daisy that turns into a nuclear mushroom cloud?

Anyway, there was a link from the story to this website: http://www.ammi.org/livingroomcandidate/ which has old presidential campaign ads. So I go there and browse around, and end up on the 1968 page. I click on an ad for Nixon titled “Youth.” Tricky Dicky is spewing some inane babble about the youth of America and how they can change the world, blah blah blah.

There is some sort of generic psychedelic rock playing in the background, and quick cuts of young hippie types. One of them looks very familiar. He is wearing an Uncle Sam hat. Could it be…yes it is…a circa 1966, pre-glasses and beard picture of none other than Jerry Garcia! I have looked at it several times and I am absolutely sure that it is him.

Very strange indeed. I very much doubt that Jerry ever supported Nixon. I wonder if he ever knew that he was in one of the Trickster’s ads?

2

I was extremely dubious when I followed that link, but, sure enough that was Jerry all right. Ain’t irony grand?

My guess is that this was a file photo somewhere that the director found and stuck in because the beardless Jerry looked suitable.

Either that, or Jerry Garcia was really a republican all these years. I mean, he did have enough money to qualify and all…
Naaaah.

3

Now that’s where I’d expect to see a mushroom cloud.

4

Kinda off topic… A great way to make people wonder: put on nixon campaign pins (along with hoover, LBJ, Roosevelt) and act like it is normal. It’s fun to act as if you’re hoping one wins soon.

5

Or, how about a Eugene Debs for President button? He was the long-time Socialist Party candidate who once ran from prison (it having once been against the law to be a Socialist). His button had his prison serial number on it ("Vote for Prisoner #whatever the number was).