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MADem

(135,425 posts)
76. My Navy family preferred the "courage under fire" guy to the "In the rear With The Gear" guy.
Sat Oct 26, 2013, 08:37 PM
Oct 2013

I'm not claiming it won him the election, but it helped. And every little bit helps--even giving a neighbor a ride to the polls.

Ike was courted by both parties--he was the genuine item, a non-partisan general officer. Of course, he presided during a period of relative calm--he could golf and have a heart attack, and the wheels kept churning.

Damn Oswald is right. I wonder what the world would be like if he'd lived...

I voted for McGovern, and would again. However, if Bobby wasn't killed, he would have been the lostincalifornia Oct 2013 #1
I guess that's the classic conundrum, how to overcome media bias steve2470 Oct 2013 #4
If Bobby hadn't been killed he would have been running for his 2nd term in '72 dflprincess Oct 2013 #24
You are correct lostincalifornia Oct 2013 #26
No, a myth. former9thward Oct 2013 #47
I absolutely agree. murielm99 Oct 2013 #52
Humphrey would have been the nominee regardless in 1968 book_worm Oct 2013 #78
That's a lot of alternative reality being posited there. WinkyDink Oct 2013 #82
Yep. RFK in '68 and '72 MinM Oct 2013 #90
You do realize these were different election years, 1968 vs. 1972? WinkyDink Oct 2013 #81
That was the first campaign I volunteered in LiberalEsto Oct 2013 #2
He did bring up Watergate. I remember the references in his speeches. GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #11
Not enough. He was too "polite" LiberalEsto Oct 2013 #13
His own polling had shown that the public didn't care about Watergate. GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #17
Watergate was not yet Watergate at the time of the election. former9thward Oct 2013 #48
We were in a war. Americans wanted a tough guy. N/T GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #72
I was a precinct delegate and worked for McGovern. longship Oct 2013 #3
i voted for him. spanone Oct 2013 #5
So did I. ANOIS Oct 2013 #87
We worked our asses off for McGovern Gman Oct 2013 #6
Goldwater was crushed in 64, the right reorganized and 16 years later won it all. Warren Stupidity Oct 2013 #7
Won it all? In 1980 Democrats still held the House. N/T GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #70
Sort of. Warren Stupidity Oct 2013 #75
He could easily have won the election... catnhatnh Oct 2013 #8
LBJ had too many skeltons in his closet to expose other people. former9thward Oct 2013 #49
You've forgotten Eagleton? WinkyDink Oct 2013 #83
I worked for Mc Govern and rang door bells and met people. Stuart G Oct 2013 #9
Me too and I gave more money than I could afford. broiles Oct 2013 #46
McGovern doomed himself. GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #10
It was my first campaign supporting a Democrat. grantcart Oct 2013 #55
I had forgotten about that. GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #71
Of all the things I have done in politics, the thing I am most proud of is working for McGovern. chieftain Oct 2013 #12
Historian Stephen Ambrose said McGovern didn't use his war record well OmahaBlueDog Oct 2013 #14
War records as a junior officer aren't much help. GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #18
Being a bomber pilot in WWII took several good qualities OmahaBlueDog Oct 2013 #21
My father was a WWII veteran (Army). GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #74
Air medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, 35 combat missions? He was a war hero (see post 27). MADem Oct 2013 #28
McGovern could have also used his bomber experience as an argument to end the war in Nam OmahaBlueDog Oct 2013 #31
Shrub could only beat Kerry by "swift boating" him--he had to tell lies about him. MADem Oct 2013 #33
Poppy Bush was an expert pilot, and a sorry president. GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #68
Expert? He panicked, he bailed out and left his CREW to die! MADem Oct 2013 #79
They show that you won't send the peons to do something you wouldn't do yourself Hippo_Tron Oct 2013 #51
JFK was a junior officer who showed courage under fire, and it helped him. MADem Oct 2013 #57
And the 1960 election was razor thin. GreenStormCloud Oct 2013 #69
My Navy family preferred the "courage under fire" guy to the "In the rear With The Gear" guy. MADem Oct 2013 #76
He didn't use it at ALL. And he wasn't just an excellent pilot! He was a war HERO. MADem Oct 2013 #27
Listen to MaDem ^^ OmahaBlueDog Oct 2013 #29
I'm proud to say that I campaigned and voted for him. scarletwoman Oct 2013 #15
Me too...my 1st vote. Old and In the Way Oct 2013 #62
I supported McCarthy in the primary but no nose holding was necessary for McGovern. Tierra_y_Libertad Oct 2013 #16
Gone back to the 1968 rules committee to not change voting rules so drasticlly CatholicEdHead Oct 2013 #19
THey should have leaked all the stuff about Watergate to the American public gopiscrap Oct 2013 #20
The Media covered up Watergate RobertEarl Oct 2013 #23
Watergate came about from the Media. former9thward Oct 2013 #50
I voted for George, lost because of Dem factualism, it was one nasty campaign. CK_John Oct 2013 #22
I will always be proud that the first vote I ever cast was for George McGovern. n/t dflprincess Oct 2013 #25
McGovern was my first presidential vote. Blue_In_AK Oct 2013 #30
Seems like only a few yrs. ago. Mailings. Door hangers, Eleanors38 Oct 2013 #32
Talk about his military record and not pull any punches. Deep13 Oct 2013 #34
McGovern was never going to win that election... Drunken Irishman Oct 2013 #35
I think that election, more than any election in the last 70 years, speaks to the issue of.......... steve2470 Oct 2013 #36
Yeah. I see it impossible unless Watergate blows up in '72 and even then... Drunken Irishman Oct 2013 #37
Ed Muskie wasn't going to beat Nixon, either though.... Hippo_Tron Oct 2013 #54
Democrats stood little chance in '72. Drunken Irishman Oct 2013 #59
Edmund Muskie and George Wallace were only candidates CREEP was worried about... MinM Oct 2013 #85
Nixon was a paranoid nutcase, his worries were over nothing... Hippo_Tron Oct 2013 #91
The Canuck Letter MinM Oct 2013 #95
McGovern had a path to 270, certainly, nyquil_man Oct 2013 #38
great post, thank you steve2470 Oct 2013 #39
This reminds me of something I saw years ago in a poli sci textbook. nyquil_man Oct 2013 #40
A lot of the Democratic establishment actively worked against him eridani Oct 2013 #41
National party types tend to be most concerned with keeping their own power. bemildred Oct 2013 #43
My point was that not all dissidents are treated equally eridani Oct 2013 #64
It's more of a threat. bemildred Oct 2013 #66
Greens, socialists and Democrats would have to be on the same side in order for eridani Oct 2013 #86
It depends on what your goals are. bemildred Oct 2013 #88
OK--not quite sure until now what point you were trying to make n/t eridani Oct 2013 #92
I am explaining why National Party types will NEVER support political insurgencies. bemildred Oct 2013 #93
I look at this in two ways... Hippo_Tron Oct 2013 #56
There's a degree of self-fulfilling prophecy in their actions. nyquil_man Oct 2013 #65
I voted for him, I still have buttons. I'd do it again. bemildred Oct 2013 #42
if America knew about the prairie populist, war hero, Methodist minister and history teacher that Douglas Carpenter Oct 2013 #44
I would have voted for McGovern in the general treestar Oct 2013 #45
Nixon was probably unbeatable Hippo_Tron Oct 2013 #53
Hunter Thompson said that McGovern lacked a "streak of Mick Jagger in his soul..." First Speaker Oct 2013 #58
Elections are too important to leave to the tepidness. Ask Dukakis... Drunken Irishman Oct 2013 #60
Well, I voted for him and campaigned for him in my MineralMan Oct 2013 #61
Ivoted for him(of course)but wrote him to drop out in primaries.A summary of the posts I agree with: UTUSN Oct 2013 #63
If I'd been American and old enough to vote, I'd have voted for McGovern - no doubt at all! LeftishBrit Oct 2013 #67
Don't know.... llmart Oct 2013 #73
He probably wouldn't have won anyway, but... book_worm Oct 2013 #77
I voted for him. There was no way in Hades he was going to win. I think the result evidences that. WinkyDink Oct 2013 #80
That is easy - worked a booth at the fair and voted for him. DURHAM D Oct 2013 #84
kick for more discussion nt steve2470 Oct 2013 #89
McGovern wanted to legalize marijuana and end the Vietnam War, B Calm Oct 2013 #94
The amount of crap pulled by the repugs in that election was staggering marym625 May 2015 #96
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