George McGovern

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George Stanley McGovern
U.S. Senator, South Dakota
In office January 1963–January 1981
Preceded by	Joseph H. Bottum
Succeeded by	James Abdnor
Born	July 19, 1922 Avon, South Dakota
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Eleanor McGovern

Dr. George Stanley McGovern (born July 19, 1922) was a United States Congressman, Senator, and Democratic presidential nominee, who lost the 1972 presidential election in a landslide to incumbent Richard Nixon.

McGovern was most noted for his opposition to the Vietnam War. He is currently serving as the United Nations global ambassador on hunger.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Congressional career 3 1972 Presidential election 3.1 Democratic nomination 3.2 Prairie populist 3.3 Eagleton controversy 3.4 Landslide loss 4 Return to the Senate 5 Personal 6 Recent activities 7 Legacy 8 Multimedia 9 Further reading 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Early life and career

McGovern was born in Avon, South Dakota in 1922, and lived in nearby Mitchell, having moved there at the age of six.

McGovern married Eleanor Stegeberg of Woonsocket, South Dakota on October 31, 1943.

He volunteered for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and served as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot in the Fifteenth Air Force, flying 35 missions over enemy territory from bases in North Africa and later Italy, often against heavy anti-aircraft artillery. McGovern was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross; his wartime exploits were later at the center of Stephen Ambrose's book The Wild Blue. [1]

On return from the war, he earned a PhD in history from Northwestern University and became a professor at his alma mater, Dakota Wesleyan University.

Although he was raised by two Republican parents, he chose not to join any particular party until the 1948 presidential election, when he registered as an Independent and joined the newly-formed Progressive Party. During the campaign, he attended the party's first national convention as a delegate and volunteered for the eventually unsuccessful campaign of its presidential nominee, former Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Four years later, in 1952, he heard a radio broadcast of Governor Adlai Stevenson's speech accepting the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. He immediately went into town and registered as a Democrat, then volunteered for Stevenson's campaign the following day. Although Stevenson lost that election, McGovern remained active in Democratic politics. In 1956, he ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives.

[edit] Congressional career

After two terms in the House, he unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in 1960, losing to Republican incumbent Karl Mundt 52–48%. The election loss made him available for appointment as the first director of President John F. Kennedy's Food for Peace program. In 1962, he stood for election to South Dakota's other Senate seat and won, serving his first of three Senate terms.

Although he voted in favor of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, McGovern later became a strong critic of defense spending, and was an early and vocal opponent of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, often criticizing the policies of fellow Democrat, President Lyndon Johnson. And he was just as vocal with the Senate's "war hawks," such as when he assailed his colleagues for not supporting an amendment offered by Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield for a complete troop withdrawal from Vietnam, "Every Senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave . . ." he exhorted. "This chamber reeks of blood. . . . [I]t does not take any courage at all for a Congressman or a Senator or a President to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Viet Nam, because it is not our blood that is being shed," and he blamed his colleagues for having contributed to "that human wreckage all across our land -- young men without legs or arms or genitals or faces -- or hopes."[2] And he dismissed a suggestion by powerful Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Stennis, "I'm tired of old men dreaming up wars for young men to fight. If he wants to use American ground troops in Cambodia, let him lead the charge himself."[3]

At the 1968 Democratic National Convention, McGovern stood as the flagbearer for some of the supporters of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, losing the Presidential nomination to Hubert H. Humphrey, and coming in behind Minnesota Senator Eugene J. McCarthy as well.

However, during the convention, a motion was passed to establish a commission to reform the Democratic Party nomination process (White pp. 17-20). In 1969, McGovern was named chairman of this Reform Commission; due to the influence of former McCarthy and Kennedy supporters on the staff, the commission significantly reduced the role of party officials and insiders in the nomination process, increased the role of caucuses and primaries, and mandated quotas for proportional black, women, and youth delegate representation (White pp. 24-33).

These changes eventually facilitated McGovern's successful own nomination at the 1972 Convention. The fundamental principle of the McGovern Commission—that the Democratic primaries should determine the winner of the Democratic nomination—lasted throughout every subsequent nomination contest.

[edit] 1972 Presidential election

[edit] Democratic nomination

Frontrunner Edmund Muskie did worse than expected in the New Hampshire primary and McGovern came in a close second. McGovern picked up valuable momentum to win the rest of the needed primaries, and this momentum was put to good use by McGovern's effective campaign manager, Gary Hart, a presidential contender himself 12 years later.

[edit] Prairie populist

In the 1972 election, McGovern ran on a platform that advocated unilateral withdrawal from the Vietnam War in exchange for the return of American prisoners of war [White p. 122] and amnesty for draft evaders who had left the country [White p. 360], an "anti-war" platform that was presaged, in 1970, by McGovern's sponsorship of the McGovern-Hatfield amendment, seeking to end U.S. participation in the war by Congressional action.

Other planks of McGovern's platform included an across-the-board, 37% reduction in defense spending over three years [White p. 123], a "demogrant" program giving $1,000 to every citizen in America [White p. 125], that was later changed to creating a $6,500 guaranteed minimum income for Americans, and was later dropped from the platform [White p. 190]. In addition, McGovern supported ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

[edit] Eagleton controversy

Main article: Thomas Eagleton

Just over two weeks after his nomination, it was revealed that McGovern's running-mate, Thomas Eagleton, had received electroshock therapy for depression during the 1960s. Though many people still supported Eagleton's candidacy, an increasing number of influential politicians and columnists questioned his ability to handle the office of Vice-President. The resulting negative attention prompted McGovern to accept Eagleton's offer to withdraw from the ticket, replacing him with JFK in-law Sargent Shriver. This occurred after McGovern had stated publicly he was still "...behind Eagleton 1000 percent"; reneging on that statement a few days later made McGovern look indecisive. The Eagleton controversy also put the McGovern campaign off message and was speculated at the time to perhaps be a harbinger of what would become McGovern's subsequent landslide lose.^[1].

[edit] Landslide loss

Because his changes to the convention marginalized the influence of establishment Democratic figures (some who lost the nomination to McGovern), many of them refused to support him and some even switched their support to Nixon. McGovern was also viewed by many voters as too far to the left. McGovern was also repeatedly attacked by associates of incumbent President Richard Nixon, who used dirty tricks and illegal tactics during the campaign which included the infamous Watergate break-in, which eventually led to Nixon's resignation in 1974. [4] [5].

In the general election, the McGovern/Shriver ticket suffered a 60%–38% defeat to Nixon — at the time, the second biggest landslide in American history, with Electoral College totals of 520 to 17. McGovern's two electoral vote victories came in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia; McGovern failed to win his home state of South Dakota.

[edit] Return to the Senate

After this loss, McGovern returned to South Dakota, where he was re-elected to the Senate in 1974. During the Iran hostage crisis he was in agreement with conservative Republicans in authorizing military action to free the hostages. In 1980, he was defeated for re-election by U.S. Rep. James Abdnor amidst that year's Republican sweep, which became known as the "Reagan Revolution." In 1984, he sought his party's presidential nomination once again. Although he finished in third place in the Iowa caucus amidst a crowded field, his campaign eventually floundered and he withdrew soon after the New Hampshire primary.

[edit] Personal

Personal tragedy struck McGovern in 1994, when his daughter Teresa died of exposure while intoxicated. McGovern revealed his daughter had battled her alcohol addiction for years. He founded a non-profit organization in her name to help others suffering from alcoholism.

[edit] Recent activities

From 1981-1982, McGovern replaced historian Stephen Ambrose as a professor at the University of New Orleans.

McGovern hosted a 1984 Saturday Night Live episode and played a dull caricature of himself in a 1990 Newhart episode.

From 1998 to 2001, he served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Agencies, based in Rome, Italy (he was succeeded in this post by long-time Democratic Rep. Tony Hall). In 2001, he was appointed U.N. Global Ambassador on World Hunger.

He endorsed Democrat Wesley Clark's unsuccessful candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for the 2004 presidential election on January 18, 2004 (24 days before Clark's withdrawal from the race). McGovern continues to lecture and make public appearances. He previously owned a used book store in his summer home of Stevensville in Montana's Bitterroot Valley.

On June 2, 2005, McGovern stated "the US media needs a modern-day "Deep Throat" within the administration of President George W. Bush to reveal how America was "misled on Iraq." He is a member of the Middle East Policy Council.

On July 28, 2005, McGovern appeared on Idaho Public Television's "Dialogue" program [6] and discussed a variety of subjects including parallels between the Iraq war and Vietnam, and Vice-President Dick Cheney's assertions that Iraq was involved in the 9/11 tragedy.

On September 4, 2005, he appeared at the Houston Astrodome in support of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

On March 22, 2006 McGovern spoke at the University of Virginia, Miller Center of Public Affairs on the topic of world hunger. Fighting World Hunger, a 60 minute lecture, is available in streaming video and audio formats through the University Channel. During the lecture he discussed the history of U.S. hunger initiatives along with his own role in establishing programs such as WIC and the National School Lunch Program. He also expressed his views on the Iraq war and alcoholism as a social ill.

In 2006, the film One Bright Shining Moment — The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern [7] was released in the United States. Directed by Stephen Vittoria and narrated by Amy Goodman, the documentary chronicles the life and times of George McGovern, focusing on his 1972 bid for the presidency. The film features McGovern himself, along with Gloria Steinem, Gore Vidal, Warren Beatty, Howard Zinn, and Dick Gregory.

On October 3, 2006 a book written by McGovern and foreign policy analyst William R. Polk titled Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now was released by Simon & Schuster. In the book McGovern and Polk argue for an immediate withdrawl of U.S. military forces from Iraq. ^[2]

On October 5-October 7, 2006, the George and Eleanor McGovern Library and Center for Leadership and Public Service was dedicated at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota. Among the dedication's dignitaries were former President Bill Clinton and Allen Neuharth.

[edit] Legacy

George McGovern effected major changes in Democratic party rules that continue to this day, such as the requirements of diversity of the delegates to the party's nominating convention. He remains a symbol of the political left during the turbulent 1960s and early 1970s when the country was torn by U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and the corruption and abuse of power of the Nixon administration. McGovern recognized the mixed results of his 1972 candidacy, saying, "I opened the doors of the Democratic Party and 20 million people walked out". ^[3] McGovern's campaign also represented the last time a mostly grass roots candidacy was able to wrest control of either party's presidential nomination against the perceived will of a party's leadership - with perhaps the only recent parallel of national note being Ned Lamont's defeat of Joseph Lieberman in the 2006 Connecticut Senate Democratic Primary. McGovern has also become more forceful in recent years in drawing historical parallels between the Nixon and Bush-Cheney administrations and the Vietnam and Iraq wars.

[edit] Multimedia

• George McGovern on Idaho Public Television's "Dialogue" (2005)
• Hunter S. Thompson and George McGovern discuss American presidential campaigns
• McGovern Campaign Commercials from 1972 and 1984
• Trailer for the film "One Bright Shining Moment"
• 2006 McGovern lecture on fighting world hunger
• "Should the U.S. Get Out of Iraq?" October 18, 2006 The Brian Lehrer Show
• George McGovern advocating a position of a six-month withdrawal from Iraq on NPR, October 1, 2006

[edit] Further reading

• Ambrose, Stephen, The Wild Blue : The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45, Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-7432-0339-9.
• Clinton, Bill, My Life, Vintage, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-3003-X.
• Hart, Gary, Right from the Start: A Chronicle of the McGovern Campaign, Quadrangle, 1973. ISBN 0-8129-0372-2.
• Marano, Richard Michael, Vote Your Conscience: The Last Campaign of George McGovern, Praeger Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-275-97189-9.
• McGovern, George S., The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition, Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN 0-7432-6927-6.
• McGovern, George S., Grassroots: The Autobiography of George McGovern, Random House, 1977. ISBN 0-394-41941-3.
• McGovern, George S., Terry: My Daughter's Life-And-Death Struggle With Alcoholism, Plume Books, 1997. ISBN 0-452-27823-6.
• McGovern, George S., The Third Freedom: Ending Hunger in Our Time, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-7425-2125-7.
• McGovern, George S., A Time of War! A Time of Peace, Vintage Books, 1968. ISBN 0-394-70481-9.
• Thompson, Hunter S., Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72, Warner Books, 1973. ISBN 0-446-31364-5.
• White, Theodore H., The Making of the President 1972, Antheneum Publishers, 1973. ISBN 0-689-10553-3.
• "What Might Have Been", article from The Washington Post by Thomas Leahy, February 20, 2005.
• "Come Home, America: Liberals need another George McGovern—and perhaps conservatives do too.", article from The American Conservative by Bill Kauffman, January 30, 2006.
• "The Way Out of War" A blueprint for leaving Iraq now November 8, 2006

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Dakota Wesleyan University
• McGovern Library
• McGovern talks about his book, Social Security and the Golden Age

Preceded by: Harold O. Lovre	United States Representative for the 1st Congressional District of South Dakota 1957–1961	Succeeded by: Ben Reifel
Preceded by: Joseph H. Bottum	United States Senator (Class 3) from South Dakota 1963–1981	Succeeded by: James Abdnor
Preceded by: Hubert H. Humphrey	Democratic Party Presidential Nominee 1972 (lost)	Succeeded by: Jimmy Carter

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