Tuesday, March 12, 2024

What Is The Pin The Republicans Are Wearing

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Lapel Pins And Politics

History Wont Forget How Obama Was Treated

The flag lapel pin first reached its current prominence during the cultural wars between the ?counterculture’ and ?silent majority’ of the 1960s and ?70s. Some anti-Vietnam protestors adopted the use of the flag as an image, such as Abbie Hoffmann, who donned a shirt made out of an American flag, and other protestors who sewed the flag to the seat of their pants. As a response, many Republican politicians began wearing American flag lapels. It became ingrained in the public’s mind when Richard Nixon began wearing the flag lapel pin and demanded that all of his aides do so as well, inspired by the Robert Redford movie, The Candidate.

The lapel pin’s popularity has gone through a couple of spikes since. They sold very well during the Gulf War but then disappeared for a while. They are still important symbols of patriotism, as demonstrated by recent events. After 9/11, George W. Bush, probably inspired by Nixon, began wearing an American flag pin and requested all his aides do so also. A large number of Fox News anchors followed suit, along with politicians across the country . In a highly controversial move, ABC prohibited its reporters and anchors from wearing the flag lapel pins, citing a desire to maintain its perception as an objective source of information as well as concerns about the safety of its reporters . It should be noted that the ban on American flag lapel pins was already in place long before the sudden surge in the popularity of American flag lapel pins.

Minnesota Senate Democrats Asked Republicans To Remove Police Lapel Pins

According to Minnesota State Senator Gene Dornik, the Senate Democrats asked Republicans to remove their Thin Blue Line lapel pins that symbolized their support for police officers. The Democrats made the request under the Senate rule that prohibits advocacy. The Thin Blue Line symbol has been criticized in other public venues as well. In , a judge banned court employees from wearing Thin Blue Line face masks, citing bias.

Senate President Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, said that he had gotten complaints about the pins being worn. There is a long-standing custom of the Senate for members not to display visual advocacy while were on the Senate floor, he said when announcing that the pins needed to be removed.


Senator John Jasinski, R-Faribault, handed out the pins to the Senate members when they honored Officer Arik Matson. He said, All this was done on the day that I recognized Arik Matson and his wife Megan for Arik being named Minnesota Police Officer of the Year . Matson was shot in the line of duty and underwent 8 months of rehabilitation.

Jasinski said that he would remove the pin, but he would not apologize for handing them out.

Im just simply going to state, I gave out pins in respect for my law enforcement officer today when he was being recognized as the Minnesota Police Officer of the Year for 2020, he said.

The Black Dot Star Or Elephant On Republican Flag Pins:

The mystery dot on Mitt Romneys flag pin actually started back in January during the Republican debates. Both Romney and Ginrich modified their flag pins . The history professor Gingrich had the small blue flag of the George Washington campaign in his flag pin, while Mitt had a small elephant in the lower corner. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Now it looks like the elephant has changed to a star a star that is the flag pin that Secret Service agents wear.


So the basic boil-down of the dotted, starred, elephant flag pin mystery is:

The Romney campaign is either too cheap to buy their own flag pins, or has a tendency to forget that the candidates must wear one lest they be kicked out of the Republican Party for treason so they are taking them off of their Secret Service agents who always cary some spares. Maybe they just forgot theirs during the RNC and now are stuck wearing the star flag pin because people noticed it.

...or maybeRomney bought the Secret Service agency using a debt-leveraged loan, and is progressively liquidating its assets, starting with the flag pins.

Mystery of the black dots on Romneys flag pin solved?

Aliens controlling Romney thats my vote. Otherwise how can a man that out of touch become so damn wealthy?

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The Man Seen In Viral Photograph At Pelosis Desk Was Carrying A 950000 Volt Stun Gun

From CNNs Josiah Ryan

House impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett revealed today that the the man photographed sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosis desk on Jan. 6 was carrying a 950,000 volt stun gun walking stick.

The weapon could have caused serious pain and incapacitated anyone Barnett had used it against, said Plaskett, displaying a zoomed in photograph of the device, tucked into his pants.

Plaskett said the FBI had later identified the device from the photo.

Richard Barnett, who left a note for Pelosi, later appeared on social media to brag about desecrating Pelosis office. Plaskett also showed a photo of Barnetts note during her presentation. The note read: We will not back down.

Barnett, a resident of Alabama, has been charged with knowingly entering and remaining in restricted building ground without authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and the theft of public property, officials said early last month.


He was also charged in connection with the pipe bomb found on the south side of the Capitol building, 11 Molotov cocktails and military-style weapon found in his pickup truck.

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Gop Sources Say Managers Evidence Is Clearly Targeting Senate Republicans

What Is The Lapel Pin The Republicans Are Wearing

From CNNs Jamie Gangel

Evidence presented today was clearly targeted for Senate Republicans, including video of a crowd chanting Destroy the GOP and mentions of relentless attacks on Mike Pence, GOP sources said.

Two senior Republican Capitol Hill sources gave very different reactions to how GOP members are likely to vote that reflects the division in the party, but also the political realities.


Ill be shocked if anyone changed their vote from yesterday, one said.

Another said: I cannot imagine how any senator sits and listens to this and votes against conviction.

A former GOP Senate staffer believes that the GOP senators are either scared of Trumps base or were a party to what happened, and will never vote to convict.

What Ive heard from senate friends is similar that lots of their bosses would love to vote against him but dont want the fallout. Most of the folks at the lower level will grouse about it in the office, but its something that the top two-three aides will ultimately advise on, and they tend to be more cognizant of the political winds in the state.

So each time the state Republican parties put out a statement bashing a senator, it really dampens any desire to buck the party, the GOP Senate staff said.


One senior GOP former administration official questioned how anyone can vote to acquit.

How anybody could vote to acquit after watching that yesterday is just beyond, the official said.

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Evolution Of Flag Pins

Interestingly, the lapel pin came out around the same time that average citizens started flying the flag as a symbol of patriotism. Despite the proximity of the two developments, however, the lapel pin was not emblazoned with an image of the flag or used by ordinary citizens. The lapel pin was originally conceived during the Civil War as a means of distinguishing different units. This organizational marker had an unintended effect, though it increased solidarity among members of the same unit by outfitting them with a distinct symbol that represented only their unit.

Lapel pins were still in use during World War I, but their function changed. Rather than being given out to all military personnel as a means of identifying units, they were granted only to certain individuals as a means of distinguishing them for their service. This was the dawn of lapel pins being used as an award to honor those with distinguished records. This use of lapel pins is still practiced today.


Today lapel pins have been adopted by many types of organizations, inspired by the use of custom military pins. Fraternities and sororities use lapel pins as the main symbol for their groups. Schools hand out Custom American flag pins as an award to students for various categories, from academic achievements to extra-curricular activities. By far their most prominent use, however, is among politicians, which leads us to our next point.

Lawmakers Removed Their Congressional Pins To Hide From The Mob

Lawmakers removed their congressional pins as a mob of pro-Trump rioters moved into the Capitol building, House impeachment manager Rep. Eric Swalwell said in his remarks today.

Out of fear that they would be seen or taken by the mob, my colleagues were telling each other to take off their congressional pins, he said from the Senate floor.

A video from Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Michigan, showed lawmakers trapped inside the gallery. They can be heard telling each other, Take your pins off, and Pins off.

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House Manager Says Capitol Footage Shows Rioters Wanted To Execute Pence

New security footage showed how then-Vice President Mike Pence was evacuated on Jan. 6 as rioters breached the Capitol, looking for him.


During the assault on the Capitol, extremists reportedly coordinated online and discussed how they could hunt down the vice president. Journalists in the Capitol reported they heard rioters say they were looking for Pence in order to execute him, Stacey Plaskett, a House impeachment manager, said while presenting a series of new videos.

The security footage shows Pence and his family quickly moving down the stairs. The vice president turns around briefly in the video. During the same time frame, rioters were spreading throughout the building, Plaskett said.

As the rioters reached the top of the stairs, they were within 100 feet of where the vice president was sheltering with his family, and they were just feet away from one of the doors to this chamber, she said.

In one video shown, the crowd can be heard chanting hang Mike Pence as they stood in the open door of the Capitol building. A photo showed a gallow outside on the lawn.

After President Trump had primed his followers for months and inflamed the rally-goers that morning, it is no wonder that the Vice President of the United States was the target of their wrath, after Pence refused to overturn the election results, Plaskett said.

They were talking about assassinating the Vice President of the United States, she added during her arguments.


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Obama Returns To The Flag After Republicans Attack His Patriotism

Top 10 Obama Scandals | The Daily Show

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Battered in West Virginia by white, working-class voters, the almost nominee of the Democratic party, Barack Obama, wants to re-brand himself as a flag-waving American. Or at least as a flag-pin-wearing American.

Mr Obama had his worst primary performance of the campaign in West Virginia on Tuesday when even his most enthusiastic backers university educated young whites abandoned him. He received only 26 per cent of the overall vote, compared to 67 per cent for Hillary Clinton. Even John Edwards, who dropped out of the race months ago, managed to get seven per cent of the vote.

With a pool cue in one hand and a flag pin on his lapel, Mr Obama gamely tried to fight off his elitist image in West Virginia. Its the second time in as many weeks that he has sported one. On another occasion he wore a flag pin for a day after it had been presented to him by a veteran.

Yesterday, as he took his campaign to working-class districts of Michigan after picking up three more endorsements from superdelegates, who are crucial to winning the presidential nomination, he was sporting the lapel pin as he visited a car plant.

I decided I wont wear that pin on my chest, Mr Obama said back in October. Instead, Im going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testament to my patriotism.

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Presidential Flag Pins: Proving Patriotism

started the tradition offThe Candidate

The presidential tradition of wearing an American Flag lapel pin began with Richard Nixon #FlagDay

Richard Nixon Foundation

Caption: Nixon sports a flag lapel pin. The presidential flag pin went the way of Nixons ill-fated second term. No president would don a similar pin for 30 years. Then, the country was shaken by 9/11. On the morning of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush was not wearing a lapel flag pin. By the time he addressed the nation after the attack, he was. From then on, the flag lapel pin has been a mainstay on the lapels of politicians. The presence of a flag pin on a presidents lapel is so common that its noticed more when its absent. For example, Barack Obama caused a kerfuffle by leaving his lapel lacking. Obama put the pin back on soon after. But wearing a pin isnt always the safest option either. Governor and presidential candidate Chris Christie chose a pin shaped like his home state of New Jersey that almost got him sued by the New Jersey Bar Association.

Governor Chris Christie wears the lapel pin that almost got him sued. It turns out the New Jersey Bar Association held a copyright on the pin design, and they were none too happy when Christie sold the pins to raise funds to support his political ambitions. A word to the wise: if youre going to infringe on a copyright, make sure its not one held by a group of lawyers.

Unique Symbol A Common Bond In The House

Whats a surefire way to identify Members of the House amid the swarm of faces on Capitol Hill? Look at their lapel.

With each new Congress comes a new Congressional pin, and the pins are unique in that there are only 435 made one for each Member of the House.

We might have our differences, but the one similarity that we share is that weve all got the same pin, said Rep. Bob Ney . As House Administration chairman since 2001, when he replaced Rep. Bill Thomas , Ney is responsible for choosing the Congressional pin design.

When I first got elected, someone came up to me and said, Oh, I love that pin youre wearing, how do I get one? said Rep. Sam Farr . I said, Itll cost you about $1 million to get elected to Congress, and then youll get one.

The painstaking process of choosing the pins design usually takes about six months. Ney said it takes time to mold and develop prototypes, and he tries to choose a design that Members are going to want to wear on their clothing every day.

Its a process that we take very seriously, Ney said of choosing the design, which he has done for both the 108th and 109th Congress. Its kind of a big deal, you want to make sure you get it right the best you can.

I think its stunning, Rep. Mark Foley said of the latest pin. I didnt think much of the last pin and I didnt wear it often it looked like it was trying to accomplish too much. This years pin is much more attractive.

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In Stock And Ready To Ship

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We carry stock pins that are ready to ship to you the same day. Do you need a simple and quick holiday giveaway? Or perhaps you have just opened a business and need to promote it? Because they don’t require the services of our design team, these stock lapel pins have a minimal time investment and are ready to ship as soon as you place an order. This also means they fit into many budgets!

Do Congressmen Wear Their Official Pins

What are those pins the republicans are wearing?

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The U.S. Capitol Police referred the case of Rep. Cynthia McKinney to the Department of Justice on Monday. The congresswoman allegedly struck an officer last week after he stopped her and requested her credentials. McKinney and said the officers should recognize members of the House even if theyre not wearing their official lapel pins: It is true that at the time I was not wearing my pin. But many Members of Congress arent wearing their pins today. How many members of Congress actually wear their official pins?

Most of them doat least in the House. With 435 representatives walking around, it can be hard for staffers, lobbyists, and police officers to remember whos who. Even the members themselves sometimes rely on the pins to identify their colleagues. Each election cycle brings 30 or 40 new faces to the floor, and the pins help the veterans and the freshmen to get acquainted. The official Senate pin isnt as popular, since theres less turnover and fewer people to keep track of.

You dont have to wear your pin, but its the best way to get past the security lines if the guards dont know your face. In the Roll Call article, Foley declared himself not a big pin-wearer, I dont like to damage the suits. Cynthia McKinney has refused to wear her pin for more than 10 years.

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