George McGovern: Voters, beware a bum's rush

[babylonsister]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcgovern-election-20101029,0,1247553.story

Voters, beware a bum's rush
Before voters decide whom to vote for on Tuesday, they should consider the sources of our soaring deficits and national debt.


By George McGovern

October 29, 2010

snip//

I would like to see the House and Senate remain in Democratic hands, because I think the Democrats are better equipped to address the country's most pressing national issues, including the economy and the wars. And I am still hopeful, despite prevailing opinion, that the party may prevail in Tuesday's election. I remember, after all, 1948, when most of the pundits, journalists and pollsters were predicting that President Truman would be defeated by Thomas E. Dewey. My wife, Eleanor, and I were living in Evanston, Ill., where I was pursuing a doctorate in history at Northwestern University. Very late on election night, I went down to Hoos Drug Store at the end of our block to pick up the early edition of the Chicago Tribune. There it was in the headline: "Dewey Defeats Truman." In short order, the second edition of the Tribune came out, and it informed us that Truman had won.

But putting who wins aside, what I most hope is that voters in this election will tune out the noise of the negative campaign ads and shrill pundits and instead focus on the issues. Let's not simply throw the bums out. Let's at least try to find out who the bums are and who they aren't. And above all, let's not inadvertently throw the bums in. We don't know them as well as the bums who are already there.


George McGovern served in the U.S. Senate from 1963 through 1980. He ran against Richard Nixon for president in 1972.

[tilsammans]

1. Words of wisdom from one of America's great public servants!

Thank you, Senator McGovern! :applause:

[Overseas]

2. K&R ! //nt

[Peacetrain]

3. K&R...

[flpoljunkie]

4. Sadly, looks like voters are going to put the 'corporate shill' bums back in charge

They got 'fooled again'--with the help of our corrupted corporate media Republican echo chamber, of course. Chuckie Todd was on MSNBC this morning with 'independent pollster' Stu Rothenberg and the perpetually goofy Chris 'The Fix' Cillizza--all three salivating about Republicans taking back the House.

[babylonsister]

5. m$nbc just marveled at the size of the crowd in DC, and it's

only 10:30am. Maybe this will grab some people's attention. We can hope!

[demodonkey]

7. And THAT is being told to you by the corporate media...

...working hard to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[immoderate]

6. Anybody as smart as George McGovern cannot be elected president here.

--imm

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. "Throw the bums in" good one. n/t

[Alexander]

9. Interesting trivia: McGovern supported Henry Wallace of the Progressive Party in 1948.

I think he's the last Democratic presidential nominee to have ever supported a third-party candidate for president.

[tilsammans]

10. Giving this another kick . . .

. . . because I think it's brilliant.

:kick:

[Stuart G]

11. K and R...McGovern originated and put into law, program for "food stamps"

to help the poor eat. Yes he did.