Rethinking McGovern

[Rob]

Discuss.

[Verily]

He got crushed. You can't get crushed and have run a good campaign. No, there is nothing to say: McGovern was an awful candidate who ran an awful campaign.

(This is irrespective of whether he would have been a good President; I think most people here would agree that Adlai Stevenson would have been a great President, but he was really bad at campaigning.)

[Rob]

He got crushed. You can't get crushed and have run a good campaign. No, there is nothing to say: McGovern was an awful candidate who ran an awful campaign.

McGovern's primary campaign was brilliant, and imo is more relevant to today's situation than the bungled conduct of the general is. The coalition he put together to beat Humphrey, Muskie, et al was strikingly modern. In many ways, it's reminiscent of the coalition that chose Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton.

Really, he was a 21st century Democratic candidate stuck running with the Democratic Party of, well, 1972. His real problem was that he ran about 35 years too soon- just like Barry Goldwater.

[Scam of God]

I like McGovern and would have voted for him enthusiastically, as well as have volunteered for him. I don't care about his economic platform.