Campaign Item

I thought I would take a break from the heavy stuff and share something from my hobby. This is a picture of one of my favorite campaign badges.

It's pretty rare--I am aware of only two or three like it. It is 7/8 inch in diameter. A 1.25-inch version also exists. The carpenter's square symbolizes Theodore Roosevelt's promise of a "square deal" for everyone.

Very few items from the 1912 campaign have the date on them. Theodore Roosevelt ran on the Progressive Party ticket that year, after being deprived by incumbant President Taft of the nomination from the Republican Party. A reporter asked T.R. if he were healthy enough to endure the rigors of a presidential campaign. T.R. replied, "I am as fit as a bull moose." The bull moose became the mascot of the Progressive Party.

I have a strong admiration for Theodore Roosevelt. That's why I decided to call my blog the Bullmoose Journal.