In Slaughterhouse-Five, what made Kurt Vonnegut choose a "Reagan for President" sticker years before he was elected?

Good question! If Reagan served as president from 1981 to 1989, and if Slaughterhouse-Five was published in 1969 and takes place between the 1920s and 1976, with most of the action happening around 1968, then what's up with the apparently anachronistic Reagan sticker?

Well, by 1966, Reagan was already the governor of California. Even earlier, in 1964, his political career had begun (according to this timeline from NPR).So by the time the story...

Good question! If Reagan served as president from 1981 to 1989, and if Slaughterhouse-Five was published in 1969 and takes place between the 1920s and 1976, with most of the action happening around 1968, then what's up with the apparently anachronistic Reagan sticker?

Well, by 1966, Reagan was already the governor of California. Even earlier, in 1964, his political career had begun (according to this timeline from NPR). So by the time the story takes place, it's possible that people were already interested in Reagan making a run for the presidency. People do make stickers for the candidates they're rooting for even before those candidates officially run. 

Let's see how the Reagan sticker fits into the story to make sure the explanation makes sense. The sticker is on Valencia's Mercedes, which we find out when she's struck from behind by another car. It's just a fender bender, and Valencia drives away--but without her exhaust system. So she dies of carbon monoxide poisoning right after that. Anyway, the Mercedes with the Reagan sticker is described, hilariously, as:

"The gaping trunk looked like the mouth of a village idiot who was explaining that he didn't know anything about anything. The fenders shrugged. The bumper was at a high port arms. 'Reagan for President!' a sticker on the bumper said. The back window was veined with cracks."

What do we know about Valencia, other than the foolish way she died? We know she's a bit silly and superficial, she's overweight and loves to eat candy, and she's very rich. I'm not saying that these personality traits are necessarily Republican by nature, but knowing what we know about Valencia, it does make sense that she would throw her support behind a handsome movie star like Ronald Reagan for president, even before he officially began a campaign. Therefore, Vonnegut probably chose this sticker as a way of further characterizing Valencia as a bit silly.