Was McGovern right?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I don't see why so many people blast McGovern now. All he wanted to do was pull out of the biggest  up in American history that's practically universally agreed to be a  up now. It's practically impossible to defend Vietnam at this point. I also don't get how Republicans can both bash LBJ and McGovern.

[Keystone Phil]

NO! McGovern was not right, he was far far left!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

right, that's how he got elected in the far left state of South Dakota.

[Keystone Phil]

right, that's how he got elected in the far left state of South Dakota.

Yeah I don't understand that but are you actually going to deny that he's far left?

[??????????]

Nixon did a far better job at handling Vietnam then McGovern could have. Democrats had already shown how bumbling they did handling a war.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I don't see why so many people blast McGovern now.

It's mostly just the media that blasts him. People are influenced too much by the media.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

right, that's how he got elected in the far left state of South Dakota.

Yeah I don't understand that but are you actually going to deny that he's far left?

wanting to pull out of an utter disaster that we should've never been in is far far left?

His position on abortion was almost pro-life. come on.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Nixon did a far better job at handling Vietnam then McGovern could have. Democrats had already shown how bumbling they did handling a war.

how is just pulling out and not defending a corrupt regime bumbling? McGovern wouldn't have been like LBJ, who should've been executed for treason.

[??????????]

Nixon did a far better job at handling Vietnam then McGovern could have. Democrats had already shown how bumbling they did handling a war.

how is just pulling out and not defending a corrupt regime bumbling? McGovern wouldn't have been like LBJ, who should've been executed for treason.

I really don't know enough about McGovern to say what would have happened. BUT I must add I do not feel the nation needed a peace Democrat at that time. Just like in 2004. And BTW I agree w/you on LBJ.

[Keystone Phil]

right, that's how he got elected in the far left state of South Dakota.

Yeah I don't understand that but are you actually going to deny that he's far left?

wanting to pull out of an utter disaster that we should've never been in is far far left?

His position on abortion was almost pro-life. come on.

In 1973 his America Conservative Union rating was 4. In 1974 it jumped to 19. Then in 1975 his rating fell to 6. I'd say he's a far far left person, wouldn't you?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Nixon did a far better job at handling Vietnam then McGovern could have. Democrats had already shown how bumbling they did handling a war.

how is just pulling out and not defending a corrupt regime bumbling? McGovern wouldn't have been like LBJ, who should've been executed for treason.

I really don't know enough about McGovern to say what would have happened. BUT I must add I do not feel the nation needed a peace Democrat at that time. Just like in 2004. And BTW I agree w/you on LBJ.

so continuing the disaster in Vietnam that was gaining nothing was the better idea?

I don't see how can you blast both LBJ and McGovern.

LBJ = escalated Vietnam
McGovern = wanted to pull out

You're going to have to agree with one or the other.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

right, that's how he got elected in the far left state of South Dakota.

Yeah I don't understand that but are you actually going to deny that he's far left?

wanting to pull out of an utter disaster that we should've never been in is far far left?

His position on abortion was almost pro-life. come on.

In 1973 his America Conservative Union rating was 4. In 1974 it jumped to 19. Then in 1975 his rating fell to 6. I'd say he's a far far left person, wouldn't you?

that's not exactly "far far" left, but that isn't what he was blasted on. Rather than his voting record on a whole, he was written off as far far left because he wanted to quit having American kids die defending an evil regime.

[??????????]

Nixon did a far better job at handling Vietnam then McGovern could have. Democrats had already shown how bumbling they did handling a war.

how is just pulling out and not defending a corrupt regime bumbling? McGovern wouldn't have been like LBJ, who should've been executed for treason.

I really don't know enough about McGovern to say what would have happened. BUT I must add I do not feel the nation needed a peace Democrat at that time. Just like in 2004. And BTW I agree w/you on LBJ.

so continuing the disaster in Vietnam that was gaining nothing was the better idea?

I don't see how can you blast both LBJ and McGovern.

LBJ = escalated Vietnam
McGovern = wanted to pull out

You're going to have to agree with one or the other.

Nixon pulled us out the right way. To bad that BS Watergate got in the way.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What exactly is "the right way"? There's no really many different ways to pull out.

[??????????]

What exactly is "the right way"? There's no really many different ways to pull out.

An immediate overnight pullout would have been on the level of a disaster. Though I strongly disagree with that war Nixon did know what he was doing.

[minionofmidas]

NO! McGovern was not right, he was far far left!

Exactly my first thought.

[minionofmidas]

McGovern was seen as far left not just because of Vietnam, but because he was influenced by New Left ideas and had been shifting towards the left (from a much more moderate start in politics) recently.

[PBrunsel]

NO! McGovern was not right, he was far far left!

Actually Keystone Phil, he was not far far left. He was a Center-Leftist who was unfairly painted as an extremist by the Nixon Campaign. Nixon wanted to crush McGovern, so the best way to do that was to call him a far far Leftist who would bankrupt America.

His ideas on Welfare would have been a disaster. He wnated to put 1 out of 5 people on Welfare, but then again Nixon put 30,000 more people on Welfare from 1969-1972.

[The Duke]

If his position was, "You know, we made a mistake in this one isntance." he'd have been right.

But he went further.

He essentially took, and still takes, a pacifist position philosophically.  This is what makes him wrong.  He couldn't confine his pacifism to one spot on practical grounds, but indicted the whole Cold War idea.

[gorkay]

About what? He was right about some things and wrong about others.

[Dr. Cynic]

McGovern (Like William Jennigs Bryan) was too far ahead of the electorate in his policies. His Presidency would have been a disaster because of his own personality.

[The Duke]

BRTD,

Here's how I can dislike LBJ and McGovern.  Nuance, as John Kerry would say, matters.

I would not have gone into Vietnam, so I disagree with LBJ.  But once in, we couldn't just leave, and McGovern would have.  We had to win.  Becuase neither LBJ, McGovern, or Nixon ever showed the desire or ability to win, I oppose all three.

[minionofmidas]

BRTD,

Here's how I can dislike LBJ and McGovern.  Nuance, as John Kerry would say, matters.

I would not have gone into Vietnam, so I disagree with LBJ.  But once in, we couldn't just leave, and McGovern would have.  We had to win.

And that attitude is the root of all what's evil about the Vietnam war.
Note that Vietnam is not comparable to Iraq in this respect: an ordered opposition that had the support of (the majority of) the people existed in Viet Nam. The longer the US stayed in, the worse for everybody.
Iraq's more comparable with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan - wrong; created a bulk of problems; the damage can't be undone by withdrawing. Iraq will be in Chaos til our kids vote.