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Title: Election of 1972 echoes in presidential contests now
Source:
www.mcall.com
URL Source: http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/a ... .6356162apr12,0,1648777.column
Published: Apr 13, 2008
Author: Donald P. Russo
Post Date: 2008-04-13 03:21:38 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 86
Comments: 5
In the fall of 1972, I was a junior at Moravian College. Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota was the Democratic presidential nominee. Then, many college students looked like hippies. Everyone had long hair. Society was polarized, and mainstream Democrats were not very enamored of Sen. McGovern. I was a volunteer for the McGovern campaign that year, and we were not even allowed to use local Democratic Party offices. The Northampton County party boss at the time, Attorney Justin Jurolanio, disapproved of the McGovern candidacy, and he was not about to lend official party support to the McGovern volunteers. McGovern had wrested the nomination from Minnesota Sen. Hubert Humphrey that year, and it was a nasty fight. The decision went to the wire at the Democratic National Convention. Sen. Humphrey attempted to disqualify the California delegation from voting as a bloc. Had Humphrey been successful, he might have had enough votes to win, it was that close. That was 36 years ago. This year reminds me of that time. McGovern's supporters thought everyone loved George McGovern. However, President Richard Nixon was re-elected in a landslide. Most of us in our early 20s, the ''hippies'' of the time, thought McGovern's campaign was a sure thing. Nixon had been elected in 1968 due in part to his promise that he had a plan to end the war in Vietnam. Four years passed, and Nixon escalated the war. Nevertheless, McGovern could not find a way to capitalize on that fact. In 1972, we were told we had to fight communism. In retrospect, that was laughable. There are American fast food chains in Vietnam now, and communism reigns supreme in that land. We import Vietnamese goods, just as we import Chinese goods. Ironically, American businessmen seem to love communism, because communism guarantees a cheap labor force to manufacture low-cost goods. While I honor the bravery and the sacrifice of the 55,000 Americans who died in Vietnam, I continue to expect our leaders to explain why it was that we were in Vietnam in the first place. Moving forward 36 years, I cannot help but experience that old Yogi Berra adage of ''déjà vu all over again'' as I observe the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It's the McGovern-Humphrey fight redux. I am sure the Republicans love it. They have nominated a rather preposterous candidate, John McCain, who is talking about 100 years of war in Iraq and how he will hunt down Osama Bin Laden. Bush has had seven years to ''hunt down'' bin Laden, to no avail. McCain's 100 years of war talk should be enough to guarantee a Democratic landslide. Sadly, that will not happen. We do not have Democratic landslides in this country (at least not since Lyndon Johnson in 1964). I am fearful Democrats might be attempting to find a way to lose. Obama appears to have the upper hand right now, and his supporters seem confident. This hubris, however, brings back bad memories of 1972. Obama is a brilliant and articulate star. He just might prevail in the end. It appeared he was about to be ''swiftboated'' by the right-wing loonies when reports about his former minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, surfaced. However, Obama gave a great speech, and he did it quickly. His speech was lionized by the mainstream press. This guaranteed that right wing mud slinging would not become ''news.'' Granted, the right wing echo chamber (Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage) still rant about Rev. Wright. However, they were checkmated by Obama's masterful speech. In 2004, had Kerry used the mainstream press immediately to squelch the "swiftboaters" who were utilizing right wing media outlets to parlay their trash, he could have stopped the bleeding. He did not, and he paid the price. Is Barack Obama prepared to deal with the negative onslaught that will arise in a general election campaign? I am not sure he realizes how ugly this will get. I know the Clintons would hit the Republicans back twice as hard for every time they are hit. Nonetheless, Obama showed some finesse with the Jeremiah Wright problem. I only hope he is ready for the viciousness that the right wing is about to lay down at his doorstep. We will just have to wait and see. Donald P. Russo is an attorney in Bethlehem. His e-mail address is russolaw@verizon.net 'McGovern's supporters thought everyone loved George McGovern.'
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#1. To: All (#0)
I should mention George McGovern is a Clinton supporter, but he mentioned in an interview that all ten of his grand kids are working for Obama.
Sounds about right.
'Individuals should not take responsibility for their own defense. That’s what the police are for. ... If I oppose individuals defending themselves, I have to support police defending them. I have to support a police state.”' Alan Dershowitz
McGovern: 'Harder to elect woman than black man' The above link is to an interesting piece too. It sound almost like George might of been behind Hil 1000 percent as he was when Senator Thomas Eagleton became an embattled vice presidential nominee early on, but now might be feeling he should of chosen Obama to back. ;-)
http://i4.democracynow.org/2008/3/11/fmr_presidential_candidate_george_mcgovern_on OK, here is the quote on the grand kids.
I can see the parallels between 72 and 08 with Obama & McGovern. I am amazed that a lot of people are likely to vote for McCain after 2 republican terms of bush & mccain being a war-monger.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Obama for president 2008
#2. To: Ferret Mike (#1)
I should mention George McGovern is a Clinton supporter, but he mentioned in an interview that all ten of his grand kids are working for Obama.
#3. To: robin (#2)
Obama for president 2008
#4. To: robin (#2)
"Well, I endorsed Hillary last October. And I have to say that friendship had a lot to do with it. She and her then-boyfriend, a guy by the name of Bill Clinton, were the coordinators of the McGovern campaign in Texas in 1972. That was a brave undertaking. As Jim Hightower can testify, trying to sell George McGovern in Texas in 1972 was a daunting task. They worked their fannies off for me in ’72 all across that state. And so, when she decided to run for president, in a sense, it was kind of a “It’s my turn now.” I have to tell you this, Jim, that I have ten grandchildren. All ten of them are working for Barack Obama. That’s an indication of the influence I have in my own family. I’ve got three daughters and one son. They’re all working for Barack. So I’m the old fogey in the McGovern family this year, unlike ’72, when I was way out in front. But I agree with everything Jim Hightower said here, that Barack Obama has touched on a theme and a style and a content to his program that has brought millions of new people into the fold." -- George McGovern
Obama for president 2008
#5. To: Ferret Mike (#4)
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