The Bush store is the brainchild of Ted Jackson, a Kentucky Republican operative who got his start in 1984 when, as a law-school student, he began making shirts and buttons for Ronald Reagan’s re-election campaign. Since then, his company, the Spalding Group, has licensed and sold campaign material for every major Republican nominee. While Bush-Cheney officials gave Jackson’s group the go-ahead, their campaign receives no proceeds–and has no say over what’s sold. (Same deal for the Dems.) Five different design lines, each aimed at different voters, are on offer. NASCAR dads might like the “Across America” line, which includes racing-theme T shirts; urban sophisticates are targeted with the understated “W the President” line, which features discreet black T shirts with the “W” initial on one sleeve. But does any of this translate into votes? “Anybody who is going to invest in a $90 belt buckle is probably already a true believer,” says University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato. “Selling fancy cuff links won’t change anybody’s mind.”
