By George Hunt
As I sat and watched the March 15, Democratic Presidential debate on CNN between Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice President Joseph Biden, I couldn’t help but start to make some comparisons to the 1972 Presidential Election debates between Senator George McGovern and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. And no, I don’t just mean because one is a senator and the other is a former vice president.
In thinking about the background of each of these men there are a couple similarities that I cannot help but seeing in their campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination. Let’s take a look at Hubert Humphrey really quick. He was elected as Senator of Minnesota in 1948, the first Democrat to be elected to the Senate in that state since 1901. In the early days of his senatorial career he was a fiery and fierce proponent of civil rights and other cutting-edge liberal ideas. Over the years, under the guidance of Lyndon B. Johnson, he calmed down a bit and became a run of the mill moderate Democrat. In fact, “By the mid-1950s, Humphrey had moved into the ranks of the Senate’s ‘Inner Club.’”[1] When Lyndon B. Johnson took the office of President following the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, he went his first two years in office without a Vice President, but that void needed to be filled. His protégé Humphrey threw his hat in the race for the position and in 1965, he won. During his time as Vice President, he continued his trend of continuous moderation of his views, for example, he started off opposing the war in Vietnam but eventually became a public supporter of the conflict even if his private views were still against it. He did what it took to have the party’s support behind him. It comes as no surprise then that when he ran for a second time for President in 1972 (following a failed attempt in 1968), he was the party favorite and was all but guaranteed the nomination.
Now let us turn our attention to his opponent in the 1972 race, George McGovern. McGovern, a WWII veteran, was elected to the Senate in 1962 and again in 1968 by which time, he had become a leading figure in opposing the Vietnam War.[2] In 1972, McGovern decided to make a bid for the presidency. In the debates between McGovern and Humphrey, most of their time was taken up discussing the war in Vietnam, the two men were decisively against each other in their plans for the future of the conflict. Unlike Humphrey, he did not have the support of the Democratic Party seeing as he was too liberal, and the party elites feared he was too radical and wouldn’t be electable. However, his anti-war stance and strong support for minorities within the party gained him a lot of support and he was able to grab the Democratic nomination through a grassroots campaign. Despite his surprise success in the primaries, he was unable to unite the Democratic party as a whole and the party’s fears were confirmed, he lost the election to Richard Nixon.
Does any of this sound familiar to you? Let’s take a look at Joe Biden. In 1972, the same year of the race between Humphrey and McGovern, Joe Biden was elected to the Senate in the state of Delaware at age 29, making him the fifth youngest senator in the nation’s history. Biden served in the senate as a moderate Democrat until 2007, working with both Democrats and Republicans on things such as relations with the Soviet Union, expansion of NATO, and other areas of foreign policy. His moderate views are well displayed in his strong opposition to the Gulf War and Iraq War and then his support of stricter crime laws. After a second unsuccessful run for president in 2007, he joined Senator Obama’s ticket as Vice President, they won against Senator McCain in 2008. He served as Vice President for two terms with President Obama and served as a behind the scenes advisor as well as played an important role in working on foreign policy. Now in 2020, Biden is currently leading in delegate count in the presidential election. Many consider him to be the most electable option on the Democratic ticket due to his moderate politics and calming personality. In my political science classes, professors have been pointing out that, like Humphrey in 1972, Biden appears to be the Democratic party’s first choice.
The other main candidate being considered for the Democratic nomination in 2020 is Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders was elected to the Senate in New Hampshire in 2007 and has for most of his political career not affiliated with any party but has described himself as democratic socialist. Like him or hate him, Senator Sanders is one of the most consistent politicians I have ever seen. Throughout his career, he has been a strong advocate for socialized programs such as universal healthcare, free education, and the opposition of tax cuts that benefit wealthy individuals and corporations in favor for boosting welfare funding to help disadvantaged citizens. He has been against every major U.S. foreign conflict since Vietnam and is a strong supporter of switching to renewable energy, fighting climate change, and providing aid to veterans. In 2016, Sanders ran a grassroots campaign and gained support, especially among the youth of America, who are ready to see real, and possibly revolutionary change. Despite gaining much attention, he lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton who was seen to be the party favorite. Now in 2020, Bernie seems like he could be the favorite of the people, primarily the youth in America. Despite what Biden said in the recent debate, I think many Americans actually do want a revolution of sorts. Like McGovern, Sanders is picking up the support of the more radical and liberal Democrats who are ready for change.
In both the 1972 and 2020 elections, we see a moderate party Democrat going head to head with a far more radical, liberal opponent. Granted, Bernie Sanders is much more leftist and radical than even McGovern was, however, I still feel there is a similar correlation with the support of the youth who are hungry for change. McGovern managed to steal the nomination from the party favorite, will Sanders be able to pull off the same feat against Biden? Only time will tell. One important similarity I feel is necessary to point out in concluding, is the Republican side of these battles. In 1972, both candidates agreed that the most important thing was stopping the reelection of President Nixon, however due to the strong division the Democrats had over these two candidates, they were unable to come together and defeat him in the general election. Today, every Democratic candidate, including Biden and Sanders, has acknowledged that they share a common goal of preventing another four years of President Donald Trump. In order to achieve that, the party will have to come together to rally around its eventual nominee, no matter who that is. Arguments about who is more electable aside, the greatest concern Democrats should have at the moment, is seeing a repeat of 1972. This has been a divisive campaign, and Biden supporters strongly dislike Sanders, and Sanders supporters strongly dislike Biden. At this point, who wins the nomination is not as consequential in my opinion. I am more curious to see if the party can put aside its differences and rally together around a candidate to accomplish the goal of defeating President Trump or if they will remain so divided that they end up sabotaging their chances and lose once again.
[1] U.S. Senate: Hubert H. Humphrey, 38th Vice President, Senate.gov. https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Hubert_Humphrey.htm
[2] Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, George McGovern, EncyclopaediaBritannia.com https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-McGovern.
Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. “Joe Biden Biography.” The Biography.com Website. A&E Television Networks, April 2, 2014. https://www.biography.com/political-figure/joe-biden.
CNN Debate March 15
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “George McGovern.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., October 17, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-McGovern.
Hains, Tim. “Biden And Sanders Debate: Political Revolution vs. Improving the System.” RealClear Politics. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/03/15/biden_and_sanders_debate_politcal_revolution_vs_improving_the_system.html.
“Hubert H. Humphrey, 38th Vice President (1965-1969).” United States Senate. https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/VP_Hubert_Humphrey.htm.
McNamee, Gregory Lewis. “Bernie Sanders.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica inc., March 16, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bernie-Sanders.
Turner, Wallace. “McGovern and Humphrey Clash on War and Relief.” The New York Times. May 29, 1972. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/29/archives/mcgovern-and-humphrey-clash-on-war-and-relief-rivals-in-debate.html.
Transcript of “Face the Nation” May 28, 1972. Minnesota Historical Society. http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00442/pdfa/00442-03499.pdf.
Wagner, John and Felicia Sonmez. “Election highlights: Ohio judge rejects governor’s efforts to postpone Tuesday’s vote; Biden wins Washington primary.” The Washington Post. March 16, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/15/democratic-debate/.
History Lab 
Oof, 2020 is eerily similar 1972 and even 2016. The Bernie supporters who were unwilling to support Hilary after her nomination were likely the deciding factor in Trump’s election and it seems all to possible that it’ll happen again. I mentioned this after reading Ryan’s post about voter suppression, but it seems like the Democratic party on the whole has a history of being divided within themselves over how progressive is too progressive. I knew about this divide in the context of the 2016 election, but it’s eye-opening to see the same pattern almost fifty years ago. Of course this also conjures up fears about Russia sowing seeds of division within the democratic party, but by seeing that the same division has existed for such a long time really makes it obvious that Russia doesn’t have to do much to upset an already tenuous balance. This is a good case against two party politics because clearly there are more than two lines of thinking among American voters. I am curious where the divisions of values are within the Republican party and why they seem to be better able to find consensus.
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The similarities between the elections is indeed eerily similar; great job pointing out an excellent example of how history repeats itself. I agree with how you said the challenge appears to be where democrats draw the line between progressive and too progressive. The major divide that I see between the two current candidates is where the two men receive their funding for their campaign. If people really want someone who is different from Trump, then one would think that they’d be more inclined to support a man who is not affiliated with the notorious corporations that have a hand in our government system. Then again, that begs the question: do they want someone different from Trump, or is it that anyone is better than Trump? It is interesting how personality also plays a role in this; and I wonder if Americans feel more of a sense of safety in Biden that things will not radically change too much; but perhaps that is what’s needed. Very interesting blog post that leads me to questions that leads to more questions!
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This idea that Biden and Burnie are like Humphrey and McGovern seems a lot like this election and has scared me on how divided the two parties are at each other. It seems to me that I was hoping that Burnie Sanders wouldn’t run for that happened in the last election and needs to stop. Trump has held office long enough for him being rude to the general public alone is just wrong and needs to go away. People need to vote more as it is that has been shown that people think because of voter suppression or how hard voting supposedly has become. To me people need to just see what the other side of the coin is doing like the Republicans who are still sticking with someone just because Trump is represented as a Republican. Some divide on any subject should come with some understanding even though it’s from someone like Trump and the Republicans listening should be easy as you want to come together and talk. I do agree that both sides no matter who wins Biden or Burnie should just come together to take down Trump and we all win in the end.
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While also looking very similar to the election of 1972, it is also looking very similar to the last election in 2016. Where Hilary was eventually chosen to be the nominee, and I believe that it was like that due to her politics being less radical than Sanders. Which will win the votes of the more older voters, which seem to be the highest population of people voting in the elections in comparison to the young people who want to see some change. I just do not know what is up with the Democratic party and dividing up the party to eventually lose to the Republican party. As you pointed out I do believe that they need to come together to have a chance at beating Trump and preventing another four years of his presidency.
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