His failed bid to unseat Tricky Dick happened when I was four yet it’s about the only thing the man is remembered for. Never mind his WWII record, his opposition to the Vietnam War (amongst many) and involvement with anti-hunger programs. Hard to believe this guy was from South Dakota with such a background. Today it’s more well-known for being a state filled with hateful GOP drones; you could call it the Oklahoma of the Great Plains alongside North Dakota.
From all the literature and hindsight regarding the 1972 campaign, McGovern could’ve won if it weren’t for the Watergate burglary, Tricky Dick’s racist Southern Strategy (which continues to this day for the GOP), people’s freak out over his veep Thomas Eagleton’s issues with depression and the rise of Idiot America. He managed to return to the Senate in 1974 but was unseated in 1980; there’s Idiot America again believing in St. Reagan’s Red Dawn scenarios. At least McGovern became part of the good Democratic tradition by working toward causes near his heart, promoting peace and fighting hunger unlike nouveau riche sleazebag Sarah Palin who does anything to get attention.