Madeleine Albright Takes Campaign Pins to the Next Level at the DNC

From Town & Country

The use of campaign buttons dates back to George Washington's inauguration, when supporters wore pins emblazoned with "Long live the president." And over time, the political pin has evolved to sport slogans, shade opponents, and highlight issues important to the time and place of the election.

Last night, Madeleine Albright took the tradition to the next level with a gold Hillary pin and a broken-glass brooch, representing Hillary's breaking of the proverbial glass ceiling. The former Secretary of State tweeted an image of her accessary:

Albright is known for her jewelry collection, having even written a book about her pins called Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box. When she spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, she sported a large gold eagle pin, which also drew praise from Twitter.

But Albright's pins weren't the only ones making a buzz at the DNC.

The official Twitter account of North Carolina's Republican Party mistook Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Kaine's Blue Star Service pin, in honor of his son who is serving in the Marines, for a Honduran flag. They quickly deleted their critical message, though not before New York reporter Ben Amey caught a screen grab. They have since apologized.

Bill Clinton also drew attention to his lapel by sporting a Hillary pin in Hebrew, a not-so-subtle nod to Jewish voters.

And finally, Hillary herself received some ire on Twitter for her lack of an American flag pin during her speech last night. She opted for a clean lapel, a choice that some people took issue with:

Her white suit may have been a symbolic act itself, though. White is the color that suffragettes traditionally wore when petitioning for women's right to vote.