George McGovern dies

Sorry to report the death of George McGovern - the Democratic nominee for President in 1972.

The former South Dakota senator died this morning at the age of 90. McGovern was widely known as an antiwar liberal, but lost the presidential race to Richard Nixon in a landslide - winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. McGovern's defeat inspired the bumper sticker slogan "Don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts" - which became popular as the Nixon legacy was shattered by the Watergate scandal.

I wasn't born yet in 1972, but I was perplexed for a long time when I read that McGovern had lost by such a wide margin. Granted, America had nowhere near the political civil war in 1972 that it does now, but that year's blowout always struck me as odd - especially considering all of McGovern's positive characteristics.

McGovern also worked to remedy world hunger.

George McGovern's accomplishments will be remembered for a long time to come.