something I heard about McGovern/Nixon

ButterflyBlood

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Tue Jul-22-03 06:39 PM
Original message

something I heard about McGovern/Nixon

Originally McGovern ran a campaign against not only the war, but the draft as well, promising to end it if elected. Nixon knew this was an effective wedge issue, so he stepped in and ended the draft himself, removing it from debate. McGovern had lost one of his primary issues and things attracting voters, and hence that hurting him resulting in the landslide that happened.

How true is that?

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Pepperbelly

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Tue Jul-22-03 06:41 PM
Response to Original message

1. I was 19 in '72 ...

and the draft was still going great guns.

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Dookus

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Tue Jul-22-03 06:43 PM
Response to Original message

2. Nixon...

won largely on his "secret plan" to end the war.

He had no such plan, of course, but it helped insulate him from the growing anti-war movement.

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JackSwift

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Tue Jul-22-03 07:14 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. The "secret plan" was in 1968

It was to send my friends to Viet Nam (I was too young). It didn't work.

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Dookus

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Tue Jul-22-03 07:36 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. You're right...

my bad.

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Clete

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Tue Jul-22-03 07:32 PM
Response to Original message

4. McGovern had become too associated with the

counter culture, which you have to remember back then was almost as bad as being a communist. He lost because the flakey hippie association resonated with older voters who were battling their children answering the siren call of "sex, drugs and rock and roll". This played right into Nixon's hands. Jerry Brown also got associated with the counter culture giving him the name of Governor Moonbeam.

The Republicans successfully used the same tactics in smearing Clinton and Gore by proximity as not to be trusted because their supporters are flakey, adulterous, liberals. IMHO.

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dflprincess

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Tue Jul-22-03 07:40 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Don't forget the brilliant help he got from the Democratic party

As I recall, they had him give his acceptance speech (which I though was brilliant, but I don't remember a word of the speech - was that when he came up with "come home America?") right after he was nominated. So the speech was on national television at about midnight or later depending on your time zone.

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Tue Jul-22-03 09:49 PM
Response to Original message

7. That's the problem when you attack the Commander-in-Chief

vis actions he can take as Commander-in-Chief. When the CiC totally controls the situation, the CiC can change policy if the challenger starts scoring points.

Nixon did start to talk like he was going to end the war before the election. Moderates had mixed feelings: don't change the horse in midstream, and it looks like he'll end the attrocities. After Nixon won, it was back to business as usual for two more years.

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bluestateguy

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Tue Jul-22-03 10:00 PM
Response to Original message

8. Indeed.

The huge groundswell of newly enfranchised 18-20 year old voters was supposed to put McGovern on top, but on election day young voters yawned; turnout was light and exit polls showed them voting 52%-48% for Nixon.

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