My father is about the same age and we are now just asking that he be kept comfortable. My last good memory of him was when I visited in August and conducted a communion service at his bedside. I am an elder in my church and that is part of what we do.
Sen. McGovern, a misguided unabashed liberal while in office saw the light of the dangers of an overbearing, over-legislating government following his foray into the business world.
I must admit that as a youth I cast my first vote for him in 1972. It was too obvious to me that Richard, I am not....in fact, was !
Five years after his crushing defeat, while walking down Powell Street in San Francisco, crossing the street, I came face-to-face with him as he was crossing in the opposite direction. Our eyes met as we approached each other and I can say that up until that point in my life I don’t think I had ever looked into eyes that vacuous, that sad, that forlorned. Subsequently, after additional medical training with considerable psychiatry instruction I came to realize the depths of depression I was staring into that brief moment. I found out later about his families struggles, that too many of us share, of substance abuse and estrangement etc. and understood the stresses he may have been under that day.
This man, who was one election away from being the leader of the free-world, and a man who had vowed to end a war that took too many of our brothers (that by that time was a futile effort) appeared to be a broken man, spirit-less and all alone - no aides, no hangers-on, no friends.
I hope I was wrong - I hope he was just having a “bad day” I hope the rest of his life was more joyous. And now that his days are few, may God smile upon him and call him home in His Grace.
No matter his politics, he was an honorable man. If only it was possible to feel that way about the current members of his once honorable party.