# Why does President Clinton use so many pens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927 "2000-05-19T00:52:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DAYIUZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DAYIUZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAYIUZ)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/1 "2000-05-19T00:52:02Z")
I was watching CNN the other day and saw President Clinton signing some treaty or something. I noticed that every time he went to sign his name he would put grab a new pen from a set that was right next to the document. If there was another line for him to sign, he would put down the pen he just used and grab a new one. WTF??? Does BiC® have some kinda government contract? Is this some front to aquire funds for a top secret project? I can just see it, some annomynous congressman,“Yes Mr. Speaker, we need to approve this years alotment of Bic® pens, does $40,000,000 sound ok?” I ask you, what is the Straight Dope??? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/2 "2000-05-19T01:04:21Z")
It’s traditional for the president to give a pen that he signed some legislation with to a representative or senator who sponsored the bill (or helped get a treaty passed in your example). Since there are multiple sponsors, he uses multiple pens. It’s been going on for a while. ---
**Author:** ![DAYIUZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DAYIUZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAYIUZ)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/3 "2000-05-19T01:07:52Z")
aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh… Thanks, that had been bugging me for a couple of days now. ---
**Author:** ![NewJive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@NewJive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NewJive)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/4 "2000-05-19T01:22:12Z")
Just be thankful he doesn’t use the PEN 15 more often… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/5 "2000-05-19T04:59:03Z")
There’s also a lot of symbolic value to the pens used in signing (supposedly) historic legislation. For example, if President Clinton were signing a piece of legislation pertaining to Social Security, he might sign the bill with a pen that had belonged to Franklin Roosevelt (father of Social Security). If he were signing a bill dealing with gun control, he might use a pen that had belonged to James Brady (or Abe Lincoln, or some other famous victim of gun violence). If the bill pertained to civil rights in some way, he might use the pen that Lyndon Johnson used to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964… and so on. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/6 "2000-05-19T05:33:38Z")
IIRC, there were about 2 or 3 dozen pens that Johnson used to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He used a different one for each stroke of his name. I don’t think all of them went to sponsors of the law. Some went to civil rights leaders and such. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/7 "2000-05-19T05:36:24Z")
And don’t overlook the desk that he’s signing on. The White House has a warehouse somewhere where all kinds of historic furniture is stored. “Yeah I’ll sign that bill. Hey Sammy! Break out the Camp David Accords desk and set it up in the Rose Garden!” ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/8 "2000-05-19T07:29:48Z")
Yes, I have noticed this and cannot help the feeling that it cheapens the entire thing greatly. It makes it all a farce and a show. Using several pens to write one or two words? Gimme a break! I hate it when the show takes over the substance of the acts. But I guess that’s politics: showbiz. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/9 "2000-05-19T07:59:41Z")
William Jefferson Clinton ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/10 "2000-05-19T08:17:21Z")
Well when you run out of cigars they’re the nearest thing he can grab when, umm, “polling the electorate.” ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2000, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-president-clinton-use-so-many-pens/19927/11 "2000-05-19T15:33:54Z")
I just wanted to point out that pen significance extends beyond the realm of politics. In the business world, it is common practice to present a pen as a gift when signing an important contract. Thus, when A signs a big deal at B’s request, B would supply the pen and A would keep it. If the deal was for a lot of money, the pen would have a corresponding worth. That is why you can buy pens that cost thousands of dollars. Seems stupid to me - you know how many, really nice Bic pens I can buy for a thousand dollars? Some pens cost upwards of $100,000. No joke. It’s sick.