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George McGovern, a political hero of my early adult years has passed away at age 90. It was obvious from news reports early last week of McGovern being admitted to hospice and being unresponsive that this was only a matter of time. Yet there is a pain to this.
I first became aware of Senator McGovern in 1968 when he entered the Democratic presidential race after the assassination of Bobby Kennedy in an attempt to assure that Kennedy’s legacy was kept in the light. By the time 1972 came around, I had been following Senator McGovern’s career closely. I forget the exact circumstance but as far as I can remember, I had signed up as a volunteer for McGovern at some point early in my sophomore year at Western Kentucky University. The information was shared with McGovern people around the state and one night in April ’72, I got a call from my mother. She had received a call from Steve Slade, a junior high classmate of mine who was attending Eastern Kentucky and was the McGovern coordinator for our home county of Harrison Co. Steve asked her if I would be willing to be a delegate on the McGovern slate at the county caucuses that weekend. She took his number and called me and passed along the request. I called Steve and said yes but that I would not be able to attend. Harrison Co was allotted 10 delegates to the District Convention but Steve and I were the only McGovern delegates running. The then governor of Kentucky (future Senator) Wendell Ford was a traditional Democrat and was supporting an “uncommitted” slate as part of the party apparatus moves to block McGovern. I was told later that I was matched against the wife of the local state senator and received 10 votes to her 30. Steve also lost by the same numbers. Steve appealed his loss to the District convention the next weekend and was eventually seated since he had received more than 20% of the vote (the threshold to trigger proportional representation that year). I elected to not appeal. My father had not been aware that I was on the McGovern slate and was a bit perturbed when he got to the caucus that Saturday morning to discover my name. As he was a state employee, he didn’t want to annoy the powers that be so left without voting but he let me know later his annoyance at not voting and not wanting to upset him further, I chose not to push the issue further.
While this was going on, I was volunteering at the McGovern offices at WKU while most of the rest of the folks were at the Warren County caucuses. IIRC, the McGovern slate in Warren Co took the majority of the caucus votes and delegates to the District convention so it balanced.
That fall, I continued to volunteer with the McGovern campaign doing some door-to-door canvassing. At the time, I was also a member of the WKU ROTC department, on an ROTC scholarship so that made for some interesting discussions in and out of the classes. Election day that year was a cold, rainy day in Bowling Green and I stood outside a voting location from 7AM until 4PM (polls were open 6AM to 6PM local time). I remember this one young woman campaigning with me who stated that she and her parents were all voting for McGovern because “Nixon had gone communist” by visiting “Red” China (as it was commonly known in those days). By 5PM, I was at the McGovern headquarters in Bowling Green and watched the networks call Kentucky for Nixon at 5:01 local (Central Standard) time when we still had an hour of voting. About the only election consolation we had was in the US Senate race, Democrat Dee Huddleston defeated former Governor Louie B. Nunn by nearly the same margin in the state that Nixon had defeated McGovern. Small comfort that as I wound up getting drunk that evening.
While George McGovern lost the Presidential race in 1972, his career encompassed so much more. One of the “pre-obits” I read this past week when his condition was first announced stated that he was one of the last of the “Prairie Populists.” He was a war hero, having been awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross during WWII, who championed peace. I was and am proud that I cast my first presidential vote for Senator McGovern.
Godspeed Senator. RIP
Cross posted from Just A Small Town Country Boy by Richard Taylor
26 Comments
Thanks for trying. Of course, I was also a supporter, made my first political contribution to his campaign. That there were so many who were willing to sacrifice their country’s best principles for questionable arguments against them hasn’t changed, yet, but maybe someday enough of us will push for decency and the popular interest.
After the election I tried to find a “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for George” bumper sticker but the best I could find was “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted Straight Democratic” but I slapped that sucker on my VW
That election was one of the first where the candidate’s personal history got flipped to the opposite of what it was. Many folks never did know of McGovern the war hero who came to oppose war. The spin cycle worked over time on that one
It was also a result of dissension among several factors in the Democratic party, sad to say. It took courage for anyone from the establishment to step out and outright declare McGovern as their leader and to campaign for him.
Great post, dakine. Sold the Senator a few antiques in the day.
Plus the disaster of Eagleton; a major set back.
Imagine the America he could have spawned if the democrats had the faith and the will. The fight and patience of our Progressive Elders always needs better backup from our Democratic strategists. May it not always be.
George McGovern, now there was a man.
Thanks for this personal write-up, Dakine. I too worked for his campaign, hand addressing envelopes to mail his campaign material out to voters. 40 years ago, my goodness.
I had some arguments with my dad, who at that time was a strict Republican, about Nixon. After Nixon quit, my dad apologized to me for not listening to what I had to say. Eventually, my sister and I turned him around. :)
Thank you for this post, dakine. I grew up in a family of supporters.
Politics aside, he wrote a heart-wrenching book about losing his 45-year-old daughter, Terry, to alcoholism. The book is called “Terry,” and I recommend it highly.
RIP George McGovern, and thanks again for posting.
The Nixon vote was a sin too great for a lot of former republicans, but reinforced the Otherness of too many others.
Thanks Dakine01. McGovern allowed me to consider that a politician could actually oppose the war in Vietnam. At last there was someone on my side who opposed the war and even though he was not a pacifist like me, he was on my side for wanting to end that incredibly bloody war. I was I-A in 70 and in 71 after three years of hearings, I became an official I-O, or conscientious objector. I don’t think I would have had the courage of my convictions without a leader like McGovern and the good people of the Philadelphia Quaker meeting. Godspeed McGovern!
My first Presidential election was in 1972, and I was happy to support McGovern.
I also lived in Madison and was so very sad when his daughter died. I felt such compassion for all the family at that time, and I could really appreciate that he said he could adjust to it, but he would never get over it. And of course he blamed himself, and his time away from his family, for her struggles.
In the Wiki of his life, it talks about his role in the Kennedy administration, and it brought to my mind that there was a long legacy of Kennedy people, like McGovern and Stewart Udall, who gave so much to our country. Now it is almost hard to remember a time when the ignominy of the entitled was not SOP “in service to our country.”
RIP George McGovern, a good man.
dakine01,
Way late here but just wanted to say thanks for the post.
RIP Senator McGovern, you were a very good man and served your country well.
Enough with the hagiography. Ridiculous.
I was wondering somebody would bring that up. Essentially McGovern didn’t get along with most old-line unions because their leaders backed Nixon and the Vietnam War — and the animosity was strong enough for him to take revenge nearly four decades later by siding with Rick Berman and Walmart:
Yet another reminder that there are social liberals and economic liberals, and the two are all too often at odds.
Amy Goodman did a great job with a tribute to McGovern last Fri 10/19 on Democracy Now. It’s worth watching.
omg! He was not perfect.
Big deal.
(second generation union member).
Thank you. He served the country from at least WWII through decades past his loss to Nixon.
History vindicated him.
i recommended; good one dakine
good work on your dad; gotta keep choppin’
RIP. My first political work was on his campaign, stuffing envelopes I believe. I was like 11 years old. I can remember a dinner party my parents brought me to, and where we kids were the waiters but got to sit in for dessert afterwards. The discussion at the table, covered with cake frosting daubed silver on fine china, turned to the election. Someone was talking about how Nixon was the man and McGovern a loser, but I piped up about Vietnam and everyone went silent. I thought I had done something bad and was a bit nervous on the way home, until my Dad said, “You know, what you said back there really needed to be said.” Thanks Mr. McGovern for helping to launch my consciousness.
Oh, he got real smart the last 20 years of his life. Started voting Dem., embraced gays (literally and figureatively) and didn’t much bat an I when my sister brought home a Muslim.
Never say never.
I’ve read a lot of folks say that McGovern was the first pol they worked for. I guess it makes sense, since a lot of us are similar in age. (hi hi)
Makes your heart glad to know he died with something to be proud of, an open mind. Nice ending.
And finally we can all meet, virtually, 40 years later at FDL! I hope old George knew the powerful influence he had on the youth of the past.
The 1972 election is a lesson in circular logic. George Meany, who supported the Vietnam War and hated the women’s movement, all but endorsed Nixon. Big-city bosses like Richard J. Daley sat on their hands. Predictably, McGovern was flattened, and people like Meany and Daley blamed the loss on McGovern’s stands on the issues–not the sabotage from within the party or McGovern’s fumbling of the Eagleton choice.