One of the advantages of growing older is that you are a witness to lots of history. My recollections date back as far as the Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy days, when I was a history conscious student who paid rapt attention to political campaigns at every level of government. I got to know many long-deceased elected officials and observed many winning and losing campaigns.
Having been a state legislator, I had the chance to be on the ticket with a number of Democratic presidential candidates. I missed the Goldwater-Johnson battle but experienced running with Hubert Humphrey in 1968. One of the more memorable ones was the 1972 candidacy of former U.S. Senator George McGovern. That particular race is very much like the primary effort of Senator Bernie Sanders.
McGovern was the poster boy of the liberal Democratic wing. He stirred up a lot of passion as he traveled around the country. His positions were not as extreme or expensive as the Sanders agenda, but the most excited voters were the college students and the disaffected voters who craved for some form of political revolution in the country. I was the Long Island co-chair for the campaign along with the late North Hempstead Supervisor May Newburger.
Throughout the campaign, I had an eerie feeling that the Democrats had picked the wrong candidate as voter after voter told me that he was “too liberal to win.” Mc Govern was an accomplished U.S. Senator who was well respected for his progressive ideas, but somehow, he did not connect with the broad base of the party. He offered many new ideas, but his opponent President Richard Nixon was able to appeal to independent and conservative voters with his tough on crime programs and promises to keep America out of any foreign wars.
The year 1972 was a disaster for the Democrats. McGovern lost 49 states to Nixon and was almost 20 million votes behind in the popular vote. His fresh new ideas were too expensive, and his campaign approach was much too left of center. The similarities between McGovern and Sanders are frightening. Their appeal is to the same base that brought McGovern down. McGovern attracted millions of college-age students to the polls but he could not get blue-collar and middle-income people to relate to him. He had many of the same positions as Bernie Sanders.
Sanders has gone far beyond the McGovern agenda, promising a ton of programs that have to be paid for with increased taxes. His decision to label himself a “democratic socialist” will hurt his ability to attract independents and shaky Republicans. Many incumbents elected in purple states have sounded the alarm that Sanders will hurt their chances of being re-elected. Sanders claim that he is bringing out more new voters is untrue. Statistics from Iowa and New Hampshire show just average turnout.
If you took the time to watch any of the recent debates Sanders accepts no criticism and isn’t interested in any other opinion than his own. He has a similar companion in Elizabeth Warren, but there is no chance she will get the party’s nomination. Vice President Biden and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg have been able to utter the words “I apologize,” but not Bernie.
Whether you agree or not, every candidate for the White House should provide up to date and legitimate medical reports. Bernie has provided two letters from his doctors attesting to his health, which is the equivalent of President Trump’s doctor’s letter saying he would be “the healthiest president in American history.” Having a stent implanted in your body has become a normal experience these days. But anyone with a stent had some underlying blockage and may have an ongoing heart problem.
I have seen a lot of political events in my lifetime. The 1972 presidential race is a warning for all voters who care about the future of this country. The Sanders race is too similar to that electoral disaster.
