My First Election

It was 1972, I was a first-quarter college freshman, and I was also part of the under-21 youth segment that was voting for the first time ever in a presidential election.  (The law had changed in 1971.)

I was pretty fired up about my first vote and was solidly in the George McGovern camp.  My adolescent years corresponded with the social upheaval of the 1960's -- Viet Nam, rock music, assassinations, race riots, student protests, black power, flower power, hair, hippies, drugs, men on the moon, Woodstock, Kent State (1970, but close enough), and on and on.  A heady mix, to be sure.

For me, the major attraction to McGovern was that he was strongly opposed to the Viet Nam war, and strongly in favor of bringing home all American troops immediately, no matter what.  His opponent, the incumbent Richard Nixon, was espousing what he called "Peace With Honor."  This meant we'd stay there indefinitely and try to help the South hold off  the North Vietnamese while trying to negotiate an end to hostilities.  Maybe we'd even get lucky and "win".  Oh boy.

In 1972, the Paris Peace Talks were ongoing, but were going nowhere.  Many tens of thousands of Americans had already been killed in Viet Nam, and although we had reduced the number of our troops on the ground, there were still plenty of us over there and the place was still plenty hot.  In newspapers, magazines, and on TV, we saw unfiltered images of war not often made public in previous wars.  It looked gruesome.  It looked frightening beyond words.  I did not want to go there.

Deep down, my attitude was like Muhammad Ali's, who, while refusing military induction, famously quipped, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong!"  Me neither, champ!  To hell with Nixon's "honor" -- the Commies want that godforsaken jungle so fuckin' bad, let 'em have it!

Like all my male friends of that era, I had a draft card and a lottery number.  I also had a student deferment, so the chances of me actually being drafted and winding up in Nam were very slim.  But not zero.  We all knew somebody over there.  And what if there was some crazy, late-game escalation, and suddenly all bets were off?  What would we do then?  What would I do? 

So, largely out of self-interest and self-preservation, I was a McGovern man, and so were most that I knew.  It was hard for us to be enthused about Nixon, who, despite his words, continued to prosecute the war, and American soldiers continued to die.

You can imagine my surprise then, to encounter organized groups of cheerful, clean-cut college students handing out Nixon paraphernalia right in the middle of campus.  They stood out in their pseudo-uniforms of striped shirts, bow ties and straw hats.  (Like a friggin' barbershop quartet.)  Who the hell were these odd-balls?  They were, I learned, the "Young Republicans".  They were a minority on campus, and we made fun of them behind their backs.  Inconsequential, misguided dorks.  

In those days, there was not the constant polling, or the advertising blitz, or the media frenzy that goes along with today's campaigns.  And what little there was, I ignored.   On that first Tuesday in November, my mother picked me up and drove me an hour north back home for my first vote.  Inside the booth, I proudly pulled that lever for McGovern-Shriver (Eagleton had issues, as you may recall) and walked out of there satisfied that I had done the right thing, confident that millions of others had done the same, and that we'd made history.  I was also aware that my parents had almost certainly voted for the other ticket.  On the ride back, I didn't say who I voted for and my mom, to her credit, didn't ask me.

And in those days, there was no exit polling, no quick predictions, no instant results.  It was many hours later that I learned that McGovern, the white knight of my very first election, had been crushed like a grape.  History was made, alright -- the most lop-sided loss ever.  How could this happen?  I was stunned.  So much for my youthful idealism.

I bring this up now because the bell is tolling for George McGovern and his time is very short.  For all his life, he was a diligent, honest, well-liked public servant.  He should be appreciated not only for that, but also for his courage in standing strong for his beliefs.  And even though he was an historic loser, he was ultimately the winner -- because, ultimately, he was right.