The 1972 campaign of George McGovern
was the first campaign that I was even marginally active in. Oh, I
was keenly interested in the 1968 campaign that saw the fiasco in
Chicago, the murder of Bobby Kennedy and the deep divisions over the
war in Vietnam. It was the Democratic Party that underwent a schism
over the war and other cultural issues. When the party convened in
Chicago the convergence of Mayor Daly's storm troopers and the
various protesters ripped the party apart. Up until then the
conventions were run much the same as they had always been with deals
being cut in smoke filled rooms and party bosses telling the
delegates they controlled how to vote. After the debacle in 1968 and
the narrow loss to Richard Nixon the Democratic party did some soul
searching and decided that the nomination process needed to be more
representative of the constituency and transparent in its operations.
The new party rules changed the whole
game. There was a concerted effort to involve more youth,
African-Americans and women in the process and a lot of the power was
removed from the party bosses. As a young man I was one of the
delegates to our state convention which was going to choose the
delegates to the national convention which means I was still a pretty
small fish. However, I was idealistic and active and believed that
right would always triumph and that the subject of my idealism was so
obvious that anyone should be able to appreciate my reasoning. Boy,
did I get my eyes opened. We ended up approving a slate of delegates
consisting of the same old party players committed to the leadership
of Governor Wendell Ford. We were allowed to come in, cast a vote
and thank you for your service, see you later.
But in other states that was not the
case and the new rules swayed the selection process and the
Democratic Party chose George McGovern of South Dakota as our
standard bearer. To me the right choice was so obvious I could not
fathom how anyone would not be eager to vote for this man. He was
against the war in Vietnam, for equal rights for African-Americans
and women and would lead the United States into a new progressive
utopian future. This was the election after which I began to doubt
my skills at prognostication and which saw the budding of an
alternate view of the American voter. Lo and behold, as unlikely as
it seemed the people elected Richard Nixon again and not by just a
little. It was a landslide of historic proportions and I had to
question my understanding of the political process.
McGovern was a remnant of that
progressive plains politician who came of age during the depression
and World War II and who believed that the common man was the just
recipient of the benefits of democracy. He held out against those
who would relegate us to the ash heap, struggling for a glimpse of
the top. He saw the injustice of the war in Vietnam that allowed the
wealthy to escape the bogs and jungles while the poor went out to
their deaths. 54,000 of them. He famously said that the Senate
chamber reeked of blood. One of the things I have always been most
proud of was our own Senator John Sherman Cooper who was an early
antagonist of the war. A Republican from Somerset who could never be
elected today with the sentiments of his party as they now exist.
But, McGovern was right. Only a year
or so later Richard Nixon would resign in disgrace and the United
States would begin the extraction of our forces from Vietnam. By
1975 the troops were home and the North Vietnamese Army swept over
South Vietnam. Oh sure, we could have defeated them just like we
could defeat the Iraqis, the Afghans or anyone else as long as we
could recognize who to fight but therein lies the problem. McGovern
saw that and recognized that there was no rationale for continuing to
fight an endless war to prop up a corrupt government. Familiar? He
saw that we were embroiled in a civil war that did not have a good
ending for us.
The country had gone through quite
enough with Johnson, Nixon and the war and elected an honest Sunday
School teacher from Plains, Georgia next time around. All he had to
do was promise never to lie to us. I don't think he did.
But my youthful idealism was crushed
and cynicism took over. Sure, I went on to study Political Science
but not with any idea of engaging in politics but rather as
preparation for law school. That didn't happen either. For years I
watched my party send up liberal Democrats only to have them slapped
down which only reinforced my cynicism and refusal to engage. Then,
of course, came Bill Clinton who showed the Democrats the way out of
the wilderness even though not a few of us weren't too excited over
it.
But my affection for public affairs and
political machinations stayed with me and finally I was given an
opportunity to write which gave me an outlet for my thoughts and
reason to stay engaged and informed. What I have learned is this.
Cynicism is no substitute for positive actions. It is only an excuse
to validate one's laziness and inertia and it defies the charter
given to us by the founders who knew the public would have to be
active for the experiment to work. Idealism should never be
forgotten even if it sometimes must be tempered with judgment.
Unlike me, George McGovern never gave
up. It just was not in him. He brought that same persistence and
tenacity to his love of country in the same way he earned all those
decorations for his service in combat. Yes, he lost an election
hugely but he never fell victim to cynicism. Whatever you may think
of the man you should respect him for his love of country and
selfless dedication. I will remember him and the lessons he taught
me fondly.
My take on a great American who gave
his all to the United States. Does finding out these things change
your view on anything? Let me know.
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