Sunday, October 21, 2012

To Absent Friends: George McGovern


1972 Presidential candidate George McGovern died yesterday at the age of 90.  McGovern was the man for whom I cast my first presidential vote back in 1972.  Sadly, this fact will no doubt elicit raised eyebrows and "tsk, tsks" from many of my friends and family, but I make no apologies for it, nor do I wish to make a political statement over McGovern's passing.  I will only note the following fact that I read recently.  During their days serving in the US Senate, there were no more closer friends that George McGovern and Barry Goldwater.  Two more political opposites you cannot imagine, yet they worked together, sought compromise among their factions, and always tried to do, in the end, what was best for the country.  

I suppose that I would be hopelessly naive to think that politics was not always the blood sport that it is in 2012, but think about an alliance as unlikely as McGovern-Goldwater working together for the common good as we watch the commercials barraging us in these days leading up to Election Day 2012.

RIP George McGovern.

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