Guest post by Grey
Former Sen. George McGovern, who had endorsed Sen. Clinton for the nomination, has shifted his support to Sen. Obama and is now calling on Sen. Clinton to drop out of the race:
McGovern said he had no regrets about endorsing Hillary Clinton months ago, even before the Iowa caucuses. “She has run a valiant campaign. And she will remain an influential voice in the American future,” he said.
But Obama has won the nomination “by any practical test” and is very close to a majority of the pledged delegates, said McGovern, who is 85. Obama moved within 200 delegates of clinching the nomination with his split decision on Tuesday of a win in North Carolina and a narrow loss in Indiana.
It’s time to unite the Democratic Party, he said.
“Hillary, of course, will make the decision as to if and when she ends her campaign. But I hope that she reaches that decision soon so that we can concentrate on a unified party capable of winning the White House next November,” he said.
Today’s words of wisdom, courtesy of George “I lost 49 states” McGovern. Because no one knows more about winning. Take a good look at that map. By and large, the “McGovern coalition” was rather similar to the one Sen. Obama has put together; that may prove to be the winning bloc in the primaries but, in the general election, Democrats don’t get to the Oval Office with the support of liberals and minorities alone. Sen. Obama has yet to prove he can put together seniors, white women and blue-collar workers in any significant way, or that he will be able to attract them in numbers large enough to make a difference in the Fall (Scan will have more on this tomorrow). For all of McGovern’s exhortations to try and come together in a big, happy Kumbaya circle, in November of 1972, the only people he was able to unite were the millions that chose Nixon.
Taylor Marsh gets the last word on this:
“I respect Mr. McGovern’s service to our country, but he proved today why he lost the presidency. When it comes to politics, he doesn’t know how to fight.”
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