Tonight’s presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama will be heavy on serious, significant topics. A very small, quite insignificant piece of the patriotic puzzle is the ongoing squabble over flag lapel pins.
Much has been made about the little bits of jacket jewelry - an old-school political tradition - during the campaigns. Obama wore a flag pin, then stopped, saying it was a hollow political statement. Then a veteran gave him a pin and he started wearing them again and was accused of flip-flopping. McCain has gotten attention also for not wearing a pin and the blog-o-sphere has railed against him. (Hillary Clinton sometimes skips the pin, Joe Biden usually has one on, and Rudy Guiliani never goes out without one.)
As we are neither pundits nor serious, we find the soundbites amusing. That’s because the candidates have missed the point. It is not whether to wear a flag pin, but how that matters. This is the USA, land of many retail choices, and politicians are taking the boring pin path.
On the traditional side of the flag pin aisle there is Pins Central’s popular die-struck metal pin, 1″ tall, with colored enamel fill and a delicate wave in the stripes for $2. Political Gifts’ flag pin is etched soft enamel plated in gold, with a more realistic wave ($2.50). The best wave of all is on the American flag pin at United-States-Flag, where you can actually see wrinkles in the faux fabric. Yes, wrinkles! In a ¾-inch pin! ($1.30, full disclosure: There are only 38 stars depicted. Nothing’s perfect, you know? )
Ready to break from the pack? Wear your heart on your lapel with Trophy Central’s heart flag pin; the stars and stripes never looked more sincere, ($13, minimum order 5). Double your symbolism in a single pin - the flag and the United States outline - with World Class Pins’ Pride in America, ideal for anyone except Alaskans (Sorry, Sarah) and Hawaiians (Sorry, Barack), for $1.65 each, minimum order 25.
Before ordering, you’re going to want to see these. Pin Mart’s silver-plated, 1¼-inch flag on a 2” flagpole is made with 24 red, white and blue rhinestones ($8, no minimum). Swarovski crystals cover a flag brooch at Jewelry Shopping ($30), and for even more shimmer per square inch, the workaholic Bon Fae crystal brooch actually depicts all 13 stripes and all 50 stars ($100). And when you’ve worked your way up the ladder to the Great American Dream, you might bump up to the Jewelry Castle’s flag pin, with its 14k yellow gold and ruby, sapphire and diamond stars and stripes ($575). We believe you could pledge allegiance to that.
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