The 1972 prez election was the first one I ever remember getting excited about. All through the primary season, everybody I knew* was certain McGovern was going to be the guy, and McGovern was the only anti-war candidate.
He got the nomination! And we were all so very excited. Everybody I knew* loved McGovern and hated Nixon. Hated him in really heartfelt and sometimes vile ways, we did. Clearly McGovern was going to win. The wonder would be if anybody even bothered to vote for Nixon at all.
Of course the result was one of the biggest landslides in American electoral history. In favor of Nixon. Because only students worried about getting drafted and other negligible moonbats thought McGovern would be a good idea.
Fast forward 44 years, and take a look around. In this corner, Donald Trump – supported by every republican angry with the GOP. From my vantage point, that appears to be every republican not actually in congress or directly employed by the GOP. And in this corner, Bernie (yes, he really is a Socialist) Sanders – supported by every democrat who throws up in his mouth a little at the thought of President Hillary. Which is starting to look like a shockingly large number of democrats.
In a sane election, neither of these people would have a chance in hell of actually being elected. In this one, they may end up being the only choices.
I will refrain from predictions because I am virtually always wrong**. But this election is beginning to look as if it could actually be entertaining.
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*of course, “everybody I knew” was still in high school in 1972.
**I did call Reagan 1980, but so did Carter’s dog Grits.
