Vice President Walter Cronkite? Frank Mankiewicz, director of Sen. George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, writes in the Washington Post that the idea was discussed but rejected, on the assumption that the CBS newsman would decline. (McGovern eventually went with Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton, who withdrew after revelations of his hospitalizations and shock treatments for depression.) According to Mankiewicz, Cronkite told McGovern decades later, “I’d have accepted in a minute; anything to help end that dreadful war.” But would it have mattered? The ticket of McGovern and replacement running mate Sargent Shriver lost to President Nixon 61 to 37 percent.
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13 Comments
That would have made for a very interesting campaign. Cronkite’s turn against the war was IMO a watershed event – he had been a ‘rah-rah’ sort for America before that. This turn also came at a time when even the architects of the war were realizing its futility. Even Nixon CLAIMED that we were getting out – he had his “secret plan”.
Used to be a joke about someone making a Cronkite. That is, an unnecessarily long-winded speech.
A George McGovern-Michael Jackson ticket would have been a winner for sure.
MJ’s death is STILL in the news, and rec’d 100 times the press of Conkrite’s passing.
I guess MJ will go down as a much more important figure in History.
I suppose if Walter was still reporting the news today, he’d be crying over all the needless deaths still occuring in Iraq and Afghanistan today.
But let’s see what Michael Jackson’s autopsy results show…..
At least Cronkite would have mentioned the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. If left up to Bush, Cheney and the rest of the lockstepping Republicans, each one of those coffins would have been shipped during the dead of night without even a mention unless there was an opportunity to use it as a backdrop for Bush and Cheney to score political points!
Regular complainig about long-winded speechs is priceless.
Better get some new pencils, huh?
It’s been said the only reason Nixon got caught was because G. Gordin Liddy put the tape on the door lock horizontally and not vertically and a passerby noticed it.
Now, wasn’t Liddy a genius? And to think, Conservatives still worship Liddy today. Go figure.
JJ – Iraq yes, Afghanistan I doubt it. He was always supportive of US interests. He just understood that Nam did not serve those interests. Even McNamara admitted that.
“Regular
Posted July 29, 2009 at 9:48 am | Permalink
Used to be a joke about someone making a Cronkite. That is, an unnecessarily long-winded speech.”
Gee, that’s funny. I lived that era and never remember such a joke.
#
bth
Posted July 29, 2009 at 11:16 am | Permalink
“Regular
Posted July 29, 2009 at 9:48 am | Permalink
Used to be a joke about someone making a Cronkite. That is, an unnecessarily long-winded speech.”
Gee, that’s funny. I lived that era and never remember such a joke.
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It was short-lived, had popular use in late night comedy skits and comedians wanting to use the Cronkite style to deliver a joke.
“comedians wanting to use the Cronkite style to deliver a joke”
That was the problem. Cronkite’s style was good for real stuff – not jokes.
“JimJohnson
Posted July 29, 2009 at 10:05 am | Permalink
A George McGovern-Michael Jackson ticket would have been a winner for sure.”
You might have voted for that but I doubt that I would have.
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bth
Posted July 29, 2009 at 12:12 pm | Permalink
“comedians wanting to use the Cronkite style to deliver a joke”
That was the problem. Cronkite’s style was good for real stuff – not jokes.
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Lighten up hippie. :)
lighten up – of course. I like a good joke as much as anyone. But get a Limbotomy like you? NOT!