Despite a landslide loss to Nixon, McGovern's candidacy and particularly his opposition to the Vietnam War was embraced by the left. McGovern later described the loss as one of the most disheartening points in his life, as South Dakota Public Broadcasting's Charles Michael Rays reports for our Newscast desk.As I will go to my grave believing the country would have been better off. Remember, we voted in Tricky Dick and the Watergate gang again, and despite Kissinger's "Peace is at hand" announcement preceding the election, the war continued until our ignominious departure in 1975. Nixon was the first and only president in history to resign the office in disgrace.
"I thought the program I spelled out there was the truth," McGovern said. "I thought it was best for America and I'll go to my grave believing America would be better off had I been elected."
George McGovern was a brave man, an eloquent man, and a good man. I'm proud to say that I voted for him in 1972.
Isn't the picture splendid?
I was still too young to vote in 1972, or indeed to take a great interest in poliics, but I came to appreciate Mr. McGovern's character and what he stood for later on. I also very well remember that Nixon bamboozled the voters in 1968 as well as 1972 with promises of peace - but then the war just dragged on and on and on and on. And then the initially shocking, later mind-boggling revelations of the whole nasty Watergate affair.
ReplyDeleteBut in this world - you get what you pay for. And what you vote for. RIP George McGovern.
I had just begun to get fired up against the Vietnam war a year or so before the election, and I already did not like Nixon for other reasons, so I was one of the few who voted for McGovern. The Republicans did all that was possible to paint McGovern as a wimp because of his anti-war stance, but he flew 35 missions over enemy territory during WWII from a base in Italy and had nightmares about the flights for years afterward.
DeleteVietnam and Watergate undermined the trust Americans had in their government. I can't believe that we'd be in the terrible national mess we are in today if McGovern had been elected.... :-(
ReplyDeleteDoxy, I agree. Politicians decided to take a turn to the right after McGovern's lopsided defeat and have never turned back.
DeleteI'm proud to say I worked for him in '72, even when I was still 8 years away from being able to vote!
ReplyDelete"Come Home America": has there ever been a better campaign slogan? [With a little rainbow over a house: George knew the rainbow was the symbol of the good guys, even before Jesse Jackson OR we LGBTs did!]. I still have several McGovern buttons in storage, after all these years.
RIP, George.
Good for you, JCF. I'd forgotten about the slogan and the rainbow. How lovely that you still have the buttons.
DeleteMy husband and I both voted for McGovern. Nixon was such a liar. He won his first term by promising to get us out of Viet Nam. McGovern's defeat was absolutely crushing for many of us.
ReplyDeleteMay he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Amen, Bonnie.
Delete