George McGovern: Obama and Clinton have forever broken barriers

DENVER -- Former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, talked about the historic nature of this year's Democratic National Convention and the barriers that U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have broken in his address to the Massachusetts Democratic delegation Thursday.

McGovern, speaking at the Massachusetts delegation's breakfast, said that, at 86 years old, he never thought he'd see two candidates like Obama (Ill.), an African American, and Clinton (N.Y.), a woman, get as close to the presidency as they have.

"I frankly can't claim that I foresaw in my lifetime the day when this country would finally break the barrier to a woman or a black person reaching the White House," he said. "Hillary Clinton, who worked hard for me along with her young boyfriend, Bill Clinton, came within a step of winning the nomination. Barack Obama, is our nominee, a black man."

"That's the first time in the 230 year history of this country that either a women or a black person has been at the edge of the White House."

Obama and Clinton's candidacies, McGovern said, indicate that "those barriers now are broken forever."

Although he is from South Dakota, McGovern has a special affinity for the Bay State (he opened his remarks by saying he welcome the "opportunity to talk to the smartest voters"). When he was the nominee in 1972, Massachusetts was the only state he carried against President Richard Nixon.

That significance of that wasn't lost on Lieutenant Gov. Tim Murray (D-Worcester), who spoke before McGovern.

"One of my first recollections of politics and how elections matter was taught to me by my father," Murray said. When he was six years old, Murray said, his dad took him to their old Ford and put a sticker on its bumper.

"The bumper said, ‘Don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts'" Murray recalled to laughter from the delegation. The sticker referred to the mistakes Nixon made in the White House since his election in 1972 that led to his impeachment and resignation and the Bay State's going for McGovern.

His father, Murray said, "told me what a different place and a different country we'd be and he told me about George McGovern."

McGovern said that at the beginning of the presidential campaign that he didn't know much about Obama and so he endorsed Clinton, who he called his friend. "I don't regret that," he said, to loud applause from the crowd.

"I thought she was terrific in that speech the other night and so was President Bill Clinton," he said. "They hit the nail right on the head and we can be grateful for those two wonderful people."

But in the last few months, as McGovern said he has learned more about Obama, he has found an interesting parallel. McGovern said he is also working on a book about Abraham Lincoln's presidency and has plunged into researching the former president.

"I kept seeing similarities between Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama," he said. "He's got some maturing to do but I think he's on the same track."

"So," McGovern said, "I'm very proud to be one of the supporters of the man I'm convinced will be the next president of the United States."