-
McGovern: It Was Personal
George McGovern isn’t a superdelegate, but his switch to Obama
is still important, because it creates a model for other flip-flopping Clinton loyalists to
imitate. Notice his rationale to MSNBC, where he professed “great affection”
for the Clintons:
“They were battling for me 36 years ago when I won the
presidential nomination and that’s why I supported Hillary in considerable part
this time.”
The implication here is that McGovern endorsed Clinton largely for
personal reasons. He never thought she’d make a better president than Obama. He
just owed her. But now that her chances are below zero, he’s shifting
allegiance to the guy who’s going to win, and who he really likes just as much
as Clinton.
That’s actually pretty similar to what
he said back in October, when he first endorsed Hillary: “We are very
fortunate that we have a marvelous collection of candidates, any one of whom I
would be happy to support for the highest office,” he said, but added that “we
have an old rule of currency in the United States: Ladies first.” That
didn’t make much sense at the time, but it makes backing out now a lot easier.
This rationale—I supported Hillary because we’re friends,
but Obama will make a smashing president—is something we’re likely to hear more
in the coming days. It lets supers switch sides without undermining their newfound
commitment to Obama.
Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum
What did you think of this article?