Nixon’s landslide should have surprised no one. McGovern’s campaign was a mess almost from the start of the Democratic National Convention when he gave his acceptance speech so late that almost no one watched it. He was forced to ditch his first running mate, Senate colleague Thomas Eagleton (D-MO), over psychiatric treatment (electric shock) reasons for Kennedy family icon and our nation’s first Peace Corps director, Sargent Shriver. That didn’t help.

And that was just for starters. McGovern’s far-left positions over the Vietnam War (immediate withdrawal) and welfare (a guaranteed annual income) were radical at the time. Polling never had it close. Nixon carried every state except Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, capturing 520 electoral votes – even McGovern’s home state of South Dakota. Nixon won the popular vote by over 23 percentage points, even as his party lost two Senate seats (okay, 1966 was a GREAT year for the GOP) and gained only 12 House seats. Voters didn’t like McGovern, but they didn’t trust Nixon, either. Americans like their checks and balances (see: 2020 election, a Biden “win” with a 14-seat GOP House pickup). …

A course correction would require a spoonful of reality medicine sans sugar and humility not often found in Democratic leadership circles (or many Republican ones, for that matter). The more likely reaction, especially from progressives, is to blame their leaders for not more aggressively pursuing their agenda. The recriminations will be delicious, and watch for progressive Democrats to double down and shout out their more based colleagues, many of whom will be seeking new jobs after November 8th.