General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: We need a new Democratic Party [View all]Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)The tension between the liberals and the establishment party was still a significant factor, and The Party was determined to block any candidate that might not tow the party line.
Mondale came out of the Senate, was a conservative establishment Democrat dedicated to building the "center" of the party, and was known by both parties as not standing any chance at all against reagan, yet this is the guy they nominated.
Dukakis was a good guy that learned not to go up against The Party in the 70s and he never did again. He was a distant second choice and was handed the nomination because nobody wanted to see Jesse Jackson beaten like a rented mule. Had Gary Hart had a brain, I think he would have been the 41st President and we'd have a whole different world today.