I met him at a birthday party last year

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

This year, I went to the birthday party for the same person and there he was again. I walked up and introduced myself and he kissed me on the cheek while clasping both my hands, for I had just told him he had always been one of my heroes. I told him I had always wondered what the country would be like if things had gone the other way all those years ago. He smiled, and said, "Well, I like to think it would have been better for everybody, that's what I was trying to do." He asked me if I'd like to dance and I smiled and said oh yes please. (Jeepers, this was like something from my bucket list).

So there I was, with a fairly decent rock band playing classic rock. A fifty-five year-old, fat, gray-haired nobody, dancing with George McGovern.

Sunday Night
11/28/10

[Little Star]

1. That is so nice. k&r

[handmade34]

2. such things are memories made from

and dreams dreamt... I tried, I voted... so nice for you :-)

[MadHound]

3. Lucky for you,

I admire McGovern greatly, and cut my political teeth working for his campaign when I was a kid. I learned a lot working that campaign, including how the Democratic party is more than willing to kill its own if they don't like what that person stands for. McGovern had his campaign sabotaged by his own party.

Glad that you had such a great personal encounter with the man. A shame we don't have more like him in politics today.

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

8. That's great, I was pretty young, maybe 14

When McGovern ran, but I do remember thinking he was what the country needed. I worked on the Carter campaign as a "wide-eyed" innocent and got my education during that campaign.

[RufusTFirefly]

19. I cut my teeth on the McGovern campaign, too.

He really inspired me and set the tone for my teenage years (I was only 13 at the time). Amazing to think that even though he was a decorated bomber pilot, he was still accused of being unpatriotic. Early Swift Boating.

Highly recommend the documentary, One Bright Shining Moment. It brought back bittersweet memories.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTM3Mzc4NzkwNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTQxNzIzMQ@@._V1._SY314_CR10,0,214,314_.jpg

[TheUnspeakable]

4. AWESOME

Thanks for the smile-I just loved that post-(from another 55 year-old nobody- but I dye my hair!)

[remember2000forever]

5. Many Years Back....

I was a flight attendant and had him on my plane. First class was full so he was bumped to tourist class the back. No muss...no fuss. He was so gracious and insisted he did not recieve any special treatment (such as champagne or an upgraded meal). It was very special to have him onboard. What a gentleman!

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

6. Yes, he's exactly that way

This was no high-brow birthday party, it was a jeans and t-shirt affair of rather ordinary folk (although he wore a suit and tie). He danced maybe 3 times over the course of the party. He used a cane when he was just walking around, but when he was going to the dance floor, he'd just walk very straight and very slowly without using the cane. He's definitely getting frail, but I'm smitten.

[xchrom]

7. awesome! great story! nt

[PufPuf23]

9. Sweet. You danced with my first POTUS vote.. nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. Thank you for this lovely story...

He will always be a class act...

Recommended...

[Mimosa]

11. Wow. Thank you for this post, iwillalwayswonderwhy. n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

12. George McGovern was my first presidential vote.

I could have voted in 1968 but I didn't because I was so disgusted by the Chicago convention. In retrospect, of course, Humphrey would have been much better than Nixon, but I was young and full of convictions.

[librechik]

13. wow. Dreams do come true! n/t

[laughingliberal]

14. Brought me to tears. I worked for McGovern when still too young to vote (17). What might have been..

:cry:

[musette_sf]

15. Dear George, I will never forget

that speech in, I think it was Brighton Beach, just before the election... my heart and soul cried out that we COULD do it... but I felt the dread that we couldn't stop the CREEP*.

* CREEP: Committee to RE-Elect the President, for those who weren't around then.

[mmonk]

16. Cool.

[glitch]

17. JEALOUS!

You bet I am. :)

Here's my little story: I was a kid when he was running for president and he came to our little town and gave a speech. As he walked through the crowd to his car he walked right past me and I reach out a finger to touch him. I guess I wanted to have touched a future president (yeah yeah I know, but kids will hope).
A secret service agent stopped me, but very nicely.

[Capitalocracy]

18. I'm a bit younger than you, but he's been one of my heroes...

since reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72

[slay]

20. After reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail `72 by Hunter Thompson

i had huge respect for McGovern - even after his campaign tried to seclude him more and more - he could have been our best president - we got Nixon. Bummer. do people really not know their history and how bad republicans have been over time?

anyways, that's awesome. the man who should have been president. :patriot:

[renate]

21. oh gosh, what a wonderful guy

I was too young to vote for him--in grade school--but that was the first presidential election I was aware of. One of my earliest memories is of being in the hallway after school, chanting (for some reason) "McGovern! McGovern! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!"

My parents had excellent taste in presidential candidates. :)

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

22. Thank you DU

When I went to work on Monday and mentioned my Sunday night fantastic experience, all I got were kind of blank stares.

I knew DU would understand what a personal momentous occasion this was for me.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

23. My first presidential vote

You will probably remember that the voting age was changed to eighteen that year. Maybe you didnt quite make the cut off you youngster.