The last time my dad voted was for McGovern.....

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

in 1972. My dad was raised to always vote Democrat (my grandparents were Yellow Dogs and NOT Dixiecrats--they didn't ever leave the party up until their deaths in 92 and 99--they both voted for Clinton...).

I talked to my dad about this. He said he voted for McGovern when I was two years old and he LOVED McGovern. He said when the election came out the way it did, he was SO incredibly disgusted and pissed off he just dropped out of the system and never voted again. What happened after that with Nixon only made his disgust even more profound.

I have tried to get him to register to vote. I have offered to take him to the polls, but I think it's a lost cause. He says it doesn't make any difference. He doesn't even pay attention to the news or politics one bit. He'd vote Dem again if I could just get him to vote. I've given him information about Kerry, but he looked at it sadly and said if it happened again, it would just break his heart. Then he cussed out Republicans for about fifteen minutes.

Can someone be so incredibly disappointed in an electoral outcome that they give up forever?

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. A friend's brother-in-law....

...over 50, is voting for the first time in 20-odd years because he hates craphead so much.

There is hope.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

3. I just wish....

I can't believe my dad can't get over an election that was 32 years ago!!!!

[Indiana_Dem]

2. I think so. I know people, also, that campaigned for

McGovern and when he lost they were devastated for a long long time.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

4. My dad did a lot of volunteer work for his campaign

was quite the canvasser, apparently. He even put me in a baby backpack type thing at one point and went door to door with me on his back, sweating his ass off.

[Indiana_Dem]

7. I remember my mom taking me when I was little.

What year was that? She was doing lit drops for Humphrey in Indiana that time, too, if it was the same time.

[Catch22Dem]

5. My mom hasn't voted since McGovern either

Same story, just became completely disenfranchised. She voted in the primaries (for Kerry, my sister and I voted for Clark) and she's voting Nov. 2. Get to work on your dad! ;)

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

6. I have been working on him for over a year

Husband and I canvassed in Iowa for Dean and my dad kept saying "Don't get your hopes up, honey, politics are ruthless."

Sigh. I can't even get him to register and I'm running out of time.

[Bossy Monkey]

8. Upwards of 100 M people are that disappointed and have given up forever nt

[eileen from OH]

9. Yeah, I understand it. . .

McGovern was (is) a true hero to all that supported him and his defeat demoralized a lot of us, for a long time. But the choice is to remain disillusioned or to do what McGovern would do which is to keep up the good fight. I prefer the latter and I hope that, upon consideration, that your Dad will do the same.

eileen from OH

[Fuzzy LaRue]

10. With a track record like that,

maybe they should just not vote. Touch of death voters should vote for Bush! Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk!:silly:

[Book Lover]

11. Maybe a different tack?

Have you thought about talking to him about the local and county elections? The value of voting in those elections might be more clear to him, and open the door more to him voting at the federal level also.