Embrance populism, even if not George McGovern

My attempt to gin up support for a George McGovern presidency has met with mixed results. My McGovern 2012 Facebook group is limited to people on my friends list. Some have been so excited as to brandish their original McGovern for President buttons, others have questioned why I would pick anyone over the age of 89 to mount a campaign for President and ultimately occupy the White House. Perhaps I should clarify.

In your heart, you know you're right.

The point wasn't necessarily to persuade the 89-year-old George McGovern to give up his Florida winter home and start making speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire. The point was the American public believes in the core issue of higher taxes for better government services. Don't believe me? Check out these polls in Utah, Nevada, and yes, even George McGovern's home state of South Dakota. Even in these so-called "red states," people want government to work for the people. Oh, and Paul Ryan's plan to virtually replace Medicare with private insurance? That's not going over so well.

Yes, Democratic presidential candidates lost badly in 1972, 1984, and 1988, and I'm well aware of who just took control of the House of Representatives. But that doesn't mean Barack Obama or any other elected Democrat should simply cede ground to extremist corporate interests. Doing so only serves to further alienate the general public and re-affirm the belief that government doesn't work for the people among skeptics.


The time to turn things around is now. This is not the time to apologize for Barack Obama's inability to provide sufficient assistance the millions of Americans who are struggling financially because we perceive it politically unfeasible. Rather, the only reason he isn't running away with a second term is because he fell into a self-fulfilling prophecy that Americans didn't want more government. I merely proposed that the man partly responsible for this timidity among progressives unseat Obama and smash the myth of a "conservative" America once and for all.

Well, it probably won't happen with another McGovern presidency. But if the "sensible liberal" can understand that Americans want health insurance instead of bailouts for corporations and tax cuts for millionaires, that's an important step in the right direction.

Oh yeah, and in case you haven't seen it already, a video about the ultra-liberal state of North Dakota. They have another bank besides Wells Fargo.

George McGovern--2012

That's right. George McGovern for President. Now.

Soldier, you country calls you yet again!!

Who cares if he'll be 90 years old on election day and currently lives part-year in sunny Florida. There are two very compelling reasons why George McGovern should run for president next year.

First of all, Barack Obama has made a terrible case for his re-election. With economic recovery on shaky grounds and no viable exit strategy from Afghanistan, he has left little room for daylight between him and his predecessor. Rather than run on his accomplishments or what he intends to do during his second term, he merely implores the public to re-elect him because he isn't crazy. That's a terrible metric for success.

Second of all, today's Republican Party is so extreme and frightening in their own policies that candidates like Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are deemed "too liberal" for the party base. Gallup notes that this is the first time in the history of their polling organization that no front-runner has emerged this late in the game, opening the door for a potential tea-party favorite to take the reigns. Should that happen, any Democrat--even Kucinich--would probably win in a landslide. Example: Barack Obama's approval rating is below 50 percent, and even he would defeat Sarah Palin by double digits.

Someone fix this with PhotoShop, please!

I say we take advantage of this opportunity by ending the myth of "conservative" America once and for all. Democrats have won the popular vote in four out of the last five presidential elections. McGovern and Mondale ran against popular incumbents and lost badly, and Michael Dukakis made several moronic decisions that doomed his candidacy. The Democratic Party has been scared of its own shadow ever since. What better time--and who a better person--to win the presidency and re-establish a government that actually works for the people than McGovern himself?

I say let's make this idea go viral as quickly as possible. We need a draft McGovern movement. Someone with access to FinalCutPro should put together some promo videos and post them on YouTube. McGovern may not ultimately run, but I sure would like to see his name come out on top against hypothetical opponents in public opinion polling. It would certainly send a powerful message to our flaccid leader on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Think about it: A president with the moral decency to end tax cuts for the super-wealthy and corporations, restore sanity to foreign policy, and reform our entitlement programs so that the reigns of populism are firmly rooted in the political left once and for all. If he wins, we all win! Sow how 'bout it! Tell your friends to spread the word! McGovern 2012!