George McGovern, Liberal? It’s all your imagination…

Recalling for George McGovern how when he ran for President 32 years ago the Republicans called him “too liberal” and “they’re still accusing the Democratic Party of being too liberal” today, CNN’s Judy Woodruff suggested it was and is an unfair attack as she wanted to know if they’re “going to be able to get away with that argument this year?”

The MRC’s Brian Boyd tracked down the exchange from the 3:30pm EDT half hour of Wednesday’s Inside Politics. Woodruff asked McGovern, who was with her at CNN’s convention floor-side space:

“Senator, when you ran for President, we mentioned 32 years ago, the Republicans were criticizing you and the party of being too liberal. They’re still accusing the Democratic Party of being too liberal. Are they going to be able to get away with that argument this year?”

McGovern: “I don’t think so. John Kerry is a moderate liberal, he’s not way out in either right field or left field.”

Woodruff at least pressed: “Well, they say he’s got the most liberal record in the U.S. Senate.”

McGovern saw that as a good trait: “That’s not too bad. I think if I were in this present Senate, I’d want to be the most liberal member of the Senate…”

Get away with what? Calling McGovern the most liberal man ever to run for the Presidency in modern history a liberal? Horrors!

And John Kerry a moderate? I guess compared to McGovern, everyone is a moderate.

It amazes me, this convention. Prominent interviews and prime time speeches are being given McGovern and by:

Jimmy Carter: Lost his reelection bid in a landslide, destroyed the economy, referred to only as a Nobel Peace Price winner. What relevance does “The Great Malaise” king have to add to any gathering?

Al Sharpton: I think this speaks for itself. The man, in his speech, said that if President Bush were President 54 years ago, Clarence Thomas wouldn’t have been able to go into law school. The man defamed a NYC police officer for “raping” Tuwana Brawley, which never happened. He also was ordered to pay restitution to that police officer. He never has and the media still calls him an “activist.” The FEC has investigated his campaign on numerous occasions and found numerous instances of rule bending. Finally, he never garnered more than 1% of the vote in any primary he ran in. What relevance does he have?

That represents the Democratic party these days.

Just don’t call ‘em liberals because, for whatever reason, those “centrists/progressives/buzzword of the week” folks don’t like it.

Think about that if you want to pull the lever for a donkey this year.

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  • http://therapysessions.blogspot.com John Rogers

    The Democrats are going to get killed. Karl Rove has the camera running, and a lot of the things that they are saying now are going to come back to haunt them.

  • http://pam pam

    John- that is very true indeed! I was interested to hear the commentary after Sharpton last night…When asked amongst the panel on Hardball why he would be given prime speaking time, the general concensous was he was told he could speak but then he must go away…HUH? go away? That doesnt seem right, but nothing this party does surprises me. I listened to Jesse for a bit go on and on about John Edwards working class background,a life of working for his education, nothing was handed to him, everything he owns he worked for, but he could not touch Kerry in that speech..I really have no idea what these people stand for other than to have the government pay for everything. Is that what McGovern means?

  • pete from astoria

    True! People who don’t live in New York may not know about the true history of Al Sharpton. He is nothing but a racial hustler. The damage that he has done to race relations in New York is profound and on going. The fact that he can be a serious national figure is outrageous! Can anyone imagine if the republican party took David Duke under it’s wing and pandered to him like the democrats do to Sharpton? That’s right Mr. Sharpton is the black David Duke! The only difference is that the republican party told Mr. Duke to take a hike when he tried to join and speak for the party.

  • retired military

    My dad loved McGovern due to his hatred of african americans. Luckily that is one thing that I didnt pick up from my father.

    You have to wonder who else remembers things like that from their childhood.

  • Joe Dokes

    I dont know where you people are comming from but i do know youre thread is lacking some perspective

    For more than my 50 years our system of politics have done nothing
    but perpetuate lies. It is the establishment at work. it is a 2% elite controlling 48%, the 5% having 60%
    it is good at what it does, which is repressing the masses when they wont stay asleep.
    Does this describe you all?

    Theres more to these times than the politics we-the-people are being served.
    The Dems lost bec they spoke truthfully, the Reps got found their strengths thru lies and deceptions.

    McGov lost trying to withdraw from nam
    declare victory from that piece of work and go home. So i presume this
    readership is prowar;
    since what we got were the condor years of genocide in SEAsia, massacres in Timor, Columbia, Chile, Mexico and Argentina in the name of resource defence and control. We can thank Kissinger and the Skulls for causing that piece of misery. Its about oil because we depend on it, what the powerful enrich themselves by. Next
    it will be water itself.

    Carter lost cuz the establishment, thru intelligece and foreign service struck a deal with Ayatollah that altered the elections. so i guess this readership is a regan repub. crowd. So what did you gain from 80′s? What most people got
    (you may know some of them) was greater
    debt and more taxes (just as Mondale promised).
    GHWB/Casey/Rummy shed blood up and down LatinMerica in all our names.
    P2, BCCI, a pardon here and hanging
    there. ’88 was an interesting year.
    You all must have been caught up in
    growing your portfolio of LBOs.

    Sharpton is a long way from the worst of the bunch. Is he relevant? Never as much as ACPowell but hey Astoria, are you some kind of narrow-minded supremist? It that what youre all about? (no minority
    aquaintences). Al is getting better, he’s growing into the position more.
    Whoever wrote is speech did a great job.

    It says (honestly) that a vote for W is a vote for more repression and dis-enfranchisement. (on the plus side, we’ll get more and cheaper drugs) Not just for niggers and spics and chinks
    (and women and kids) but for all us
    wops, kikes, polaks, frogs
    and limeys too.

    ‘The Democrats are going to get killed’
    Wishful thinking, john? pretty descriptive. death by percentages.
    50% dont bother the rest are divided
    by the product of smoke and mirrors
    That is what the establishment does,
    subvert democracy whenever and wherever possible. US policy reflecting corporate interests have consistantly been doing this since the spanish-american war.

    We’ve endorsed and allied ourselves with leaders who eagerly abuse human rights, who make people suffer. Is this what you all happily to endorse from the comfort of you heights?

    The neocons, KRove and the PNAC folks might have lost standing with the powers that be. Are the Skulls’ interests any safer, is the public still willing to buy and consume? Are their shelters preserved?
    I wonder if you all have hummers, spend your days at the mall and all night in fashionable clubs worring about your image your toys and your.

    And Pam, what McGovern means is a govt that holds corporate greed in check and
    has everyone pay their FAIR share. It means greater integrity and honesty
    than we got with Nixon and Henry.
    It means protecting our backyard garden
    from companies who pull up stakes on a dime; leaving a hole in its wake.

    But then, at least there was investment. once. I understand the NYC sentiment over Al’s background but it shouldnt cloud his message. We’re all becomming
    niggerized. The trains are leaving most of us behind in a self-righteous world at war with itself and environmentally ruined for all who follow.

    This election may prove little different from those past, if W loses power is xfered peacefully and little else is different.
    But if W wins/steals another term
    he’ll see it as a mandate to grow the
    war his daddy’s started.
    Negroponte will put the mid-east to flames as more of us find our names on a list if not dissappeared completely and as our sons/daughters/fathers/mothers find them on another line, in blood, mud and body parts.

    The best messages are in the street
    and proof is always waiting to be found.

    This is fun. i cant wait to see the next thread. Peace to you all and god bless.

  • http://www.wild-heart.net Chelle

    Joe Dokes- You use the word “enlightened” to describe yourself, don’t you?

  • http://www.insignificantthoughts.com Vinny

    It really does take all kinds.

  • http://therapysessions.blogspot.com/ John Rogers

    The Democrats are going to get killed. Karl Rove has the camera running, and a lot of the things that they are saying now are going to come back to haunt them.

  • pam

    John- that is very true indeed! I was interested to hear the commentary after Sharpton last night…When asked amongst the panel on Hardball why he would be given prime speaking time, the general concensous was he was told he could speak but then he must go away…HUH? go away? That doesnt seem right, but nothing this party does surprises me. I listened to Jesse for a bit go on and on about John Edwards working class background,a life of working for his education, nothing was handed to him, everything he owns he worked for, but he could not touch Kerry in that speech..I really have no idea what these people stand for other than to have the government pay for everything. Is that what McGovern means?

  • pete from astoria

    True! People who don’t live in New York may not know about the true history of Al Sharpton. He is nothing but a racial hustler. The damage that he has done to race relations in New York is profound and on going. The fact that he can be a serious national figure is outrageous! Can anyone imagine if the republican party took David Duke under it’s wing and pandered to him like the democrats do to Sharpton? That’s right Mr. Sharpton is the black David Duke! The only difference is that the republican party told Mr. Duke to take a hike when he tried to join and speak for the party.

  • retired military

    My dad loved McGovern due to his hatred of african americans. Luckily that is one thing that I didnt pick up from my father.

    You have to wonder who else remembers things like that from their childhood.

  • Joe Dokes

    I dont know where you people are comming from but i do know youre thread is lacking some perspective

    For more than my 50 years our system of politics have done nothing
    but perpetuate lies. It is the establishment at work. it is a 2% elite controlling 48%, the 5% having 60%
    it is good at what it does, which is repressing the masses when they wont stay asleep.
    Does this describe you all?

    Theres more to these times than the politics we-the-people are being served.
    The Dems lost bec they spoke truthfully, the Reps got found their strengths thru lies and deceptions.

    McGov lost trying to withdraw from nam
    declare victory from that piece of work and go home. So i presume this
    readership is prowar;
    since what we got were the condor years of genocide in SEAsia, massacres in Timor, Columbia, Chile, Mexico and Argentina in the name of resource defence and control. We can thank Kissinger and the Skulls for causing that piece of misery. Its about oil because we depend on it, what the powerful enrich themselves by. Next
    it will be water itself.

    Carter lost cuz the establishment, thru intelligece and foreign service struck a deal with Ayatollah that altered the elections. so i guess this readership is a regan repub. crowd. So what did you gain from 80′s? What most people got
    (you may know some of them) was greater
    debt and more taxes (just as Mondale promised).
    GHWB/Casey/Rummy shed blood up and down LatinMerica in all our names.
    P2, BCCI, a pardon here and hanging
    there. ’88 was an interesting year.
    You all must have been caught up in
    growing your portfolio of LBOs.

    Sharpton is a long way from the worst of the bunch. Is he relevant? Never as much as ACPowell but hey Astoria, are you some kind of narrow-minded supremist? It that what youre all about? (no minority
    aquaintences). Al is getting better, he’s growing into the position more.
    Whoever wrote is speech did a great job.

    It says (honestly) that a vote for W is a vote for more repression and dis-enfranchisement. (on the plus side, we’ll get more and cheaper drugs) Not just for niggers and spics and chinks
    (and women and kids) but for all us
    wops, kikes, polaks, frogs
    and limeys too.

    ‘The Democrats are going to get killed’
    Wishful thinking, john? pretty descriptive. death by percentages.
    50% dont bother the rest are divided
    by the product of smoke and mirrors
    That is what the establishment does,
    subvert democracy whenever and wherever possible. US policy reflecting corporate interests have consistantly been doing this since the spanish-american war.

    We’ve endorsed and allied ourselves with leaders who eagerly abuse human rights, who make people suffer. Is this what you all happily to endorse from the comfort of you heights?

    The neocons, KRove and the PNAC folks might have lost standing with the powers that be. Are the Skulls’ interests any safer, is the public still willing to buy and consume? Are their shelters preserved?
    I wonder if you all have hummers, spend your days at the mall and all night in fashionable clubs worring about your image your toys and your.

    And Pam, what McGovern means is a govt that holds corporate greed in check and
    has everyone pay their FAIR share. It means greater integrity and honesty
    than we got with Nixon and Henry.
    It means protecting our backyard garden
    from companies who pull up stakes on a dime; leaving a hole in its wake.

    But then, at least there was investment. once. I understand the NYC sentiment over Al’s background but it shouldnt cloud his message. We’re all becomming
    niggerized. The trains are leaving most of us behind in a self-righteous world at war with itself and environmentally ruined for all who follow.

    This election may prove little different from those past, if W loses power is xfered peacefully and little else is different.
    But if W wins/steals another term
    he’ll see it as a mandate to grow the
    war his daddy’s started.
    Negroponte will put the mid-east to flames as more of us find our names on a list if not dissappeared completely and as our sons/daughters/fathers/mothers find them on another line, in blood, mud and body parts.

    The best messages are in the street
    and proof is always waiting to be found.

    This is fun. i cant wait to see the next thread. Peace to you all and god bless.

  • http://wild-heart.net Chelle

    Joe Dokes- You use the word “enlightened” to describe yourself, don’t you?

  • http://www.insignificantthoughts.com/ Vinny

    It really does take all kinds.