McGovernor Dean (9/9/03)
by Dean Hartwell
Recently, some political observers have compared presidential candidate Howard Dean to 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern. How valid a comparison is this one?
McGovern ran against the Vietnam War. He had opposed the war for years in the United States Senate, teaming up with Senator Mark Hatfield to call for an end to government financing of the war. In his campaign against then-President Nixon, he pledged to bring home the troops.
Dean has so far run against the war in Iraq. He claims repeatedly to be the only major candidate among the Democrats to oppose the war. However, he has not called for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
In other issues, McGovern pushed for the decriminalization of marijuana, amnesty for deserters to the war on a case-by-case basis and no federal interference in the state issue of abortion. (Nixon countered by falsely calling McGovern a candidate of “acid, amnesty and abortion.”) McGovern also wanted to abolish capital punishment and ban the sale of handguns. Many political analysts contend that McGovern ran the most liberal presidential campaign in modern United States history.
Opponents have already started to challenge Dean’s policies, some of which differ from McGovern’s. For example, some opponents point to the fact that he has changed his position on capital punishment, which he now favors. Others point to his high rating by the National Rifle Association, a traditional enemy of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
Even though he received only 37.5% of the vote and won but one state, McGovern eventually won a moral victory. Not long after the election, President Nixon called home all U.S. troops in Vietnam. Now, most people in the United States agree that U.S. involvement amounted to a big mistake.
What will be Dean’s fate in 2004?
He may fade away in the primaries. In that case, his contribution to politics might be his aggressive fundraising on the Internet.
He may capture the Democratic primary but lose the presidential election to President Bush. In that case, he may, like McGovern, be a prophet on the war issue.
He may go the distance and win the presidential election. Then he would have the opportunity that eluded George McGovern to set forth policies at home and abroad that would redefine the United States of America.