Voting Nobody as the president is one of the longest-running political jokes that remains relevant until now. With no choice but to be forced to pick among the lesser evils, many people began rallying in a cross-country tour in support of the Nobody for President campaign.
Popularized by political activists Wavy Gravy and Curtis Spangler, the Nobody for President campaign promoted Nobody as a presidential candidate. The idea seemed appealing to many people, as Nobody had any interest in the people’s demands.
The Best Presidential Candidate, Nobody
It’s long known among citizens that no matter what president takes hold of the state, the people’s demands remain unheard. One of the longest-running political jokes is the election of Nobody as a presidential candidate. Nobody listens to the people, Nobody cares for the people, and Nobody is concerned about the rights of the people; therefore, Nobody should be president.
One commonly recognized indicator for the Nobody for President campaign’s age dates back to 1940, when a political cartoon, published in the Indiana Evening Gazette, depicts protesters holding signs saying Nobody for President and We’re for the Man that Isn’t There!
It was during the early 1960s that the political joke became more widespread as counterculture dominated Western countries. Arthur Hoppe, an esteemed humor columnist, introduced the satirical Nobody for President electoral campaign in 1964. In numerous columns, Hoppe pretended to work at the Nobody for President‘s campaign office.
There’s not a dry eye to be seen today down at Nobody for President Headquarters. It’s the mail. Each new batch brings more moving and poignant letters from ordinary citizens everywhere. There can be no question that Nobody’s campaign has struck a responsive chord in the hearts of the American voters.
Arthur Hoppe
The Nobody for President campaign expanded. In a July 1964 issue of the Logansport Press, the Republican National Convention at the Cow Palace, located in San Francisco, stated that many individuals wore a blue-and-white colored button that supported the Nobody for President campaign. (Source: Museum of Hoaxes)
The Gravy and Spangler Duo
When political activist Wavy Gravy organized a mock campaign to make a rock a presidential candidate with a dinner roll as its running mate, the Nobody for President campaign rocketed to new heights with its new slogan Rock and Roll Forever.
They continued to promote Nobody in a cross-country tour in October 1976. With Nobody as the Birthday Party’s candidate, Curtis Spangler appointed himself as Nobody’s Campaign Manager, with Wavy Gravy given the role of Nobody’s Fool.
Beginning on October 12, 1976, a political rally marked the start of the cross-country tour. Numerous people crowded San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza, with its stage decorated with multiple banners that support the Nobody for President Campaign. The banners contained sayings such as Nobody loves the poor and Nobody will end the war. (
After the San Francisco rally, the Nobody supporters traveled across the country in a bus, protesting in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Austin, Washington, and New York, where they celebrated the election results. As more than 40% of eligible voters voted for Nobody, the campaigners proclaimed Nobody victorious.
With Curtis Spangler and Wavy Gravy, the Nobody for President campaign repeated in 1980 and 1984, encouraging the idea that voting ballots should include a None of the Above to avoid the idea of choosing among the lesser evils. (Source: Museum of Hoaxes)