George McGovern was never my favorite politician- quite the opposite- but I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my admiration for the man if not the politician that was George McGovern. Intrinsically McGovern was as American as apple pie. He was the son of a Methodist minister and may have become a minister himself had not World War II come along. He served as a bomber pilot in an era when the death toll among training pilots was formidable in itself disregarding actual combat. Like many men in a hurry in those scary years he married his sweetheart while on leave. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Typical of many of his generation who grew up in rural prairie states with memories of the dust bowl, locust plagues, and poverty he adapted a form of rural populism. He was built along the lines of William Jennings Bryan or Eugene Debbs, who while distrustful of banks and economic power were libertarian enough to distrust government. Their politics were rooted in mainline American Protestantism with a tinge of Amish and Mennonite community collectivism, one hundred percent home grown Americanism.. As a presidential candidate his sense moral rectitude was overbearing and political skills were limited which naturally led to his defeat.
While I found his political thinking to be something scary I never doubted the sincerity of his convictions. He was genuine and real in an age of superficiality and contrived convictions. It's ironic that his honesty shortened his career but he would not compromise with his unique brand of Protestant populism and opposition to the Vietnam War even if it meant losing in a landslide. He was a very brave American and a honest and honorable man. He will be missed.
Hello, my American friend.
ReplyDeleteI am an English, Nu-Nationalist writer and artist.
I think you'll love my latest article. Entitled: America: the ultimate Western nation:
http://www.chrisfirestorm.com/35/
Nuff love.