George
McGovern died on Sunday. I’ve thought
about his candidacy for the presidency in 1972 often over the last 40 years. He spoke out against the Viet Nam War before
it was popular. He served in the military
during WWII as a bomber pilot but did not make his military experience a big
part of his campaign. He is quoted as
saying that he wanted to be President in the worst way and he succeeded.
I think he
was a populist and a liberal and while his political campaign in 1972 was
soundly rejected and the country voted overwhelmingly for Richard Nixon, I
think he spoke for many people who eventually understood and agreed with the
need to end the war.
One of the
more profound comments he made after losing the election and returning to the
Senate was the need for the campaign and the campaigning to end. This is something the current political class
has forgotten. Bob Dole and George
McGovern worked together on farm policy and trying to end hunger. They even did it publicly. I cannot think of a major piece
of bi-partisan legislation that did not include kicking the issue down the
road. The fiscal cliff being a prime example.
People need to elect legislators that will legislate, candidates that are nothing more than fund raising machines that represent the monied and special interests.
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