8 Weird Things You Can Buy for the Republican or Democrat In Your Life This Holiday Season


With five shopping days left until Christmas—and four for Hanukkah, slacker—you might be feeling pressure to come through with some great gifts for friends and family. Not to worry: the Republican and Democratic parties are here to help! From decorative lapel-wear to straight-talkin’ tees, the parties’ respective online stores are offering a festive array of gift selections this holiday season. Here are some real winners, sure to please the partisan in your life. In no particular order:

1. Limited Edition American Eagle Brooch

National Republican Congressional Committee

From the National Republican Congressional Committee comes this “exquisite piece.” For the low price of $72—or $200 for three!—you can show off your American pride while helping “preserve our Conservative House Majority.”
 

2. ACTION Mugs

Organizing for Action

Take an executive action and order these mugs. Delicious-looking hot cocoa, shortbread cookies, and cozy blanket do not appear to be included.
 

3. George W. Bush Quote Mousepad

National Republican Congressional Committee

For that someone who could use a bit of W. wisdom with each click they make. At $15, it’s a steal from the NRCC—and it could appreciate in value with any additional Bush presidencies.
 

4. I Am Organizing For Action, Long-Sleeve-T Edition

Democrats.org

There’s no better way to communicate that you’re organizing for action than this handsome, olive long-sleeve tee that says, “I am organizing for action.” For $20, it’s a solid choice for that community organizer you know with a flair for subtlety.
 

5. George H.W. Bush Autograph Socks

Republican National Committee

From the color combo to the presidential signature, these socks are just beautiful. They were supposedly designed for H.W. himself—widely known to be a sock man—and for $41 (get it?!), this is the ideal gift for the boat-shoe-wearing College Republican in your life.
 

6. Very Blue Shirt

Democrats.org

Great gift! Unless you have trouble distinguishing between identical shades of blue, or if you have issues with the Democrats’ logo rebrand. But it’s $30, and the DNC says it can “withstand sports,” so it’s still an OK buy. It’ll really complement that sweet arm tat.
 

7. Anti-Tea Party Travel Mug

Democrats.org

There’s nothing quite like a good travel mug with a strong opinion. At $30, this is a certified “great gift.” The mug has even pissed off the Daily Caller—a priceless value-add.
 

8. “Official” Cheney GOP Cowboy Hat

Republican National Committee

The clear winner this holiday season: this limited-edition hat from the RNC, engraved with Dick’s signature, and lined with a gold Republican Party seal. For a cool $72, you can “help elect our next Republican president” while channeling America’s favorite Republican vice president. It’ll be sure to add that stylish touch to your enhanced cattle-rustlin’ techniques.

Disclaimer: Obviously, you should not buy any of these things. Nobody wants to talk politics at Christmas. Don’t make Mom get into this.

WE'LL BE BLUNT.

We have a considerable $390,000 gap in our online fundraising budget that we have to close by June 30. There is no wiggle room, we've already cut everything we can, and we urgently need more readers to pitch in—especially from this specific blurb you're reading right now.

We'll also be quite transparent and level-headed with you about this.

In "News Never Pays," our fearless CEO, Monika Bauerlein, connects the dots on several concerning media trends that, taken together, expose the fallacy behind the tragic state of journalism right now: That the marketplace will take care of providing the free and independent press citizens in a democracy need, and the Next New Thing to invest millions in will fix the problem. Bottom line: Journalism that serves the people needs the support of the people. That's the Next New Thing.

And it's what MoJo and our community of readers have been doing for 47 years now.

But staying afloat is harder than ever.

In "This Is Not a Crisis. It's The New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, why this moment is particularly urgent, and how we can best communicate that without screaming OMG PLEASE HELP over and over. We also touch on our history and how our nonprofit model makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there: Letting us go deep, focus on underreported beats, and bring unique perspectives to the day's news.

You're here for reporting like that, not fundraising, but one cannot exist without the other, and it's vitally important that we hit our intimidating $390,000 number in online donations by June 30.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. It's going to be a nail-biter, and we really need to see donations from this specific ask coming in strong if we're going to get there.

payment methods

WE'LL BE BLUNT.

We have a considerable $390,000 gap in our online fundraising budget that we have to close by June 30. There is no wiggle room, we've already cut everything we can, and we urgently need more readers to pitch in—especially from this specific blurb you're reading right now.

We'll also be quite transparent and level-headed with you about this.

In "News Never Pays," our fearless CEO, Monika Bauerlein, connects the dots on several concerning media trends that, taken together, expose the fallacy behind the tragic state of journalism right now: That the marketplace will take care of providing the free and independent press citizens in a democracy need, and the Next New Thing to invest millions in will fix the problem. Bottom line: Journalism that serves the people needs the support of the people. That's the Next New Thing.

And it's what MoJo and our community of readers have been doing for 47 years now.

But staying afloat is harder than ever.

In "This Is Not a Crisis. It's The New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, why this moment is particularly urgent, and how we can best communicate that without screaming OMG PLEASE HELP over and over. We also touch on our history and how our nonprofit model makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there: Letting us go deep, focus on underreported beats, and bring unique perspectives to the day's news.

You're here for reporting like that, not fundraising, but one cannot exist without the other, and it's vitally important that we hit our intimidating $390,000 number in online donations by June 30.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. It's going to be a nail-biter, and we really need to see donations from this specific ask coming in strong if we're going to get there.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate