--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: George McGovern and his supporters…" description: "\"George McGovern and his supporters committed what, in a two-party system, are capital crimes: they did not compromise, they took hard ideological posit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/elliott-abrams-1577_alienated_george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-commi_2635810.jpg" --- # George McGovern and his supporters committed what, in a… ![“George McGovern and his supporters committed what, in a two-party system, are capital crimes: they did not compromise, they took hard ideological positions, they alienated a large portion of their party's traditional supporters, and they lost - very, very badly.” quote by Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/elliott-abrams-1577_alienated_george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-commi_2635810.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/elliott-abrams-1577_alienated_george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-commi_2635810.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/elliott-abrams-1577_alienated_george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-commi_2635810.jpg) > “George McGovern and his supporters committed what, in a two-party system, are capital crimes: they did not compromise, they took hard ideological positions, they alienated a large portion of their party's traditional supporters, and they lost - very, very badly.” [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rigid ideological stances alienate supporters and lead to electoral defeat. **In simple terms:** Hardline politics can backfire. Key Takeaway Balance conviction with compromise. Themes politics ideology electoral strategy Mood critical strategic Type political analytical When to use this quote - campaign planning - policy negotiation - grassroots organizing Key Concepts polarization party unity Questions to Reflect On - When is compromise necessary? - How to maintain principles while appealing broadly? A Different Perspective Compromise may dilute core values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alienated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alienated/) [Badly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/badly/) [Capital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital/) [Capital Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-crimes-242555/) [Committed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed/) [Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) [Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes/) [Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did/) [George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george/) [George Mcgovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-mcgovern-1020251/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Ideological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-ideological-2226951/) [His](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his/) [Ideological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideological/) [Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Mcgovern Supporters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcgovern-supporters-2226949/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Portion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portion/) [Positions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positions/) [Supporters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supporters/) [Supporters Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supporters-lost-2226950/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took/) [Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) ## Related quotes > [ It would be one thing if we could say the system works \[in Illinois\], and that individuals followed procedures and were found innocent, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-schakowsky/it-would-be-one-thing-if-we-could-say-the-system-works-in-illinois/) [Jan Schakowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-schakowsky/) > [There has never been any evidence that the death penalty reduces capital crimes or that crimes increased when executions stopped. Tragic mistakes are prevalent...It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/there-has-never-been-any-evidence-that-the-death-penalty-reduces/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [If little faults proceeding on distemper Shall not be winked at, how shall we stretch our eye When capital crimes, chewed, swallowed, and digested,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-little-faults-proceeding-on-distemper-shall-not-be-winked-at-how/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [George McGovern - and I campaigned very hard for his election - was not, in the summer of 1971, a strong feminist ally. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/george-mcgovern-and-i-campaigned-very-hard-for-his-election-was-not/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [“I cannot believe we want our great nation to become a land where our personal privacy and our personal freedom are jeopardized by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-summers/i-cannot-believe-we-want-our-great-nation-to-become-a-land-where-our/) [Anthony Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-summers/) > [I don't listen to the news or read newspapers. I don't know what's going on in this world, or why I should vote for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cassidy/i-don-t-listen-to-the-news-or-read-newspapers-i-don-t-know-what-s/) [David Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cassidy/) > [Government is the reimplementation of the public good. - George McGovern ( On Charlie Rose, Jan 6, 2011 telecast Charlotte NC)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/government-is-the-reimplementation-of-the-public-good-george-mcgovern/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Of all the men that have run for president in the twentieth century, only George McGovern truly understood what a monument America could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/of-all-the-men-that-have-run-for-president-in-the-twentieth-century/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [A Democrat who had been JFK's Secretary of the Navy, Connally believed that as many as 20 million Democrats would cross over to vote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-gallagher/a-democrat-who-had-been-jfk-s-secretary-of-the-navy-connally-believed/) [Mike Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-gallagher/) > [Reagan is both too fatalistic and too modest to be a crudaser. He doesn't have that darkness around the eyes of a George McGovern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/reagan-is-both-too-fatalistic-and-too-modest-to-be-a-crudaser-he/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [George McGovern, for all his mistakes... understands what a fantastic monument to all the best instincts of the human race this country might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/george-mcgovern-for-all-his-mistakes-understands-what-a-fantastic/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I've put out a lot of stuff that just confused and alienated people: a huge chunk of songs that were verbal and musical challenges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-ve-put-out-a-lot-of-stuff-that-just-confused-and-alienated-people-a/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [“A consequence of this alienation of humans from their own nature is that they are also alienated from each other. Productive activity becomes ‘activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/a-consequence-of-this-alienation-of-humans-from-their-own-nature-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [It took me a long time to realize that being alienated and not fitting in is not only OK, it's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realize-that-being-alienated-and-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I alienated myself from the academic world almost entirely because it's a left-wing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/i-alienated-myself-from-the-academic-world-almost-entirely-because-it/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) ## More by Elliott Abrams > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The story of the Jews in the Bible is replete with incidents of their ingratitude to God for His gifts to them: incidents that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-story-of-the-jews-in-the-bible-is-replete-with-incidents-of-their/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [History may someday record that the Arab awakening that began with the Arab revolt of 1916 against the Ottomans ended about a century later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/history-may-someday-record-that-the-arab-awakening-that-began-with/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [From its earliest days in the nineteenth century, and until the Holocaust, the Orthodox rabbinate in eastern Europe was not enthusiastic about the Zionist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/from-its-earliest-days-in-the-nineteenth-century-and-until-the/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The Pope is not a political figure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-pope-is-not-a-political-figure/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Israel and the Palestinians had been at the table together for decades until the Obama/Mitchell/Rahm Emanuel decision to demand a total end to Israeli…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-and-the-palestinians-had-been-at-the-table-together-for/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Pundits are used to analyzing the gap between what our ideals suggest and what our security interests require.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/pundits-are-used-to-analyzing-the-gap-between-what-our-ideals-suggest/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The Egyptian military and the government of Israel have long had a common interest in maintaining order and fighting terrorism in Sinai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-egyptian-military-and-the-government-of-israel-have-long-had-a/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [In 2007, early in the improbable presidential candidacy of Barack Obama, the young first-term senator began a series of foreign-policy speeches that seemed too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/in-2007-early-in-the-improbable-presidential-candidacy-of-barack/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Terrorists that kill Americans don't get released.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/terrorists-that-kill-americans-don-t-get-released/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Refusing to lift sanctions and adopting tougher rhetoric toward Iran would not be partisan issues. Plenty of Democrats think that those actions are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/refusing-to-lift-sanctions-and-adopting-tougher-rhetoric-toward-iran/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [At the height of the Cold War, when Ronald Reagan was president, the Soviets and their allies and satellites did not shirk human rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/at-the-height-of-the-cold-war-when-ronald-reagan-was-president-the/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [I personally would not talk to a Jew for Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/i-personally-would-not-talk-to-a-jew-for-jesus/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [When freedom of the press is threatened, the United States should be leading efforts to protect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/when-freedom-of-the-press-is-threatened-the-united-states-should-be/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Israel bombed the Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007. What the Syrians did in response, nothing. Israel has killed a number of terrorist leaders in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-bombed-the-syrian-nuclear-reactor-in-2007-what-the-syrians-did/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) [Explore all 226 Elliott Abrams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## More Alienated quotes > [I alienated myself from the academic world almost entirely because it's a left-wing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/i-alienated-myself-from-the-academic-world-almost-entirely-because-it/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [It took me a long time to realize that being alienated and not fitting in is not only OK, it's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realize-that-being-alienated-and-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A consequence of this alienation of humans from their own nature is that they are also alienated from each other. Productive activity becomes ‘activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/a-consequence-of-this-alienation-of-humans-from-their-own-nature-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I've put out a lot of stuff that just confused and alienated people: a huge chunk of songs that were verbal and musical challenges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-ve-put-out-a-lot-of-stuff-that-just-confused-and-alienated-people-a/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [“Of course I alienate myself from society. It's the only way I know of not being constantly reminded of all the ways I'm alienated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/of-course-i-alienate-myself-from-society-it-s-the-only-way-i-know-of/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [Almost every truly creative being alienated & expatriated in his own country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/almost-every-truly-creative-being-alienated-expatriated-in-his-own/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [“The alienated audiences was one that was aware of the performance as an arbitrary construction of the real, of the difference between players and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fiske/the-alienated-audiences-was-one-that-was-aware-of-the-performance-as/) [John Fiske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fiske/) > [I had no work after 'Gangster' for two years, and my sister Rangoli met with an accident that destroyed her looks. My struggle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangna-ranaut/i-had-no-work-after-gangster-for-two-years-and-my-sister-rangoli-met/) [Kangna Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangna-ranaut/) > [I've always felt alienated. I realized that I've been terrified my entire life. So I can identify that fear which drives so many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-ve-always-felt-alienated-i-realized-that-i-ve-been-terrified-my/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I think I felt pretty alienated, being bigger, being mixed race, being of lower socioeconomic standing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paloma-elsesser/i-think-i-felt-pretty-alienated-being-bigger-being-mixed-race-being/) [Paloma Elsesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paloma-elsesser/) > [“Indeed, a great deal of pathological drug use is driven by unmet social needs, by being alienated and having difficulty connecting with others. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/indeed-a-great-deal-of-pathological-drug-use-is-driven-by-unmet/) [Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/) > [I think a lot of us feel, when we look at the Dow Jones plunging, alienated - you do feel as if we're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/i-think-a-lot-of-us-feel-when-we-look-at-the-dow-jones-plunging/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“He never cared too much for parties or people, but misanthropy could easily be cured by several alcoholic drinks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-rice/he-never-cared-too-much-for-parties-or-people-but-misanthropy-could/) [Daniel J. Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-rice/) > [When you stop to think about it, so many films today where we don't have that kind of contact are films about alienation. About…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmer-bernstein/when-you-stop-to-think-about-it-so-many-films-today-where-we-don-t/) [Elmer Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmer-bernstein/) > [“I was not descending in a plane, coming Home. I was watching an alien world as it ascended towards me - and one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/i-was-not-descending-in-a-plane-coming-home-i-was-watching-an-alien/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) [Browse all 78 Alienated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alienated/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "George McGovern and his supporters committed what, in a two-party system, are capital crimes: they did not compromise, they took hard ideological positions, they alienated a large portion of their party's traditional supporters, and they lost - very, very badly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elliott Abrams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-committed-what-in-a-two-party/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alienated" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-committed-what-in-a-two-party/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/elliott-abrams-1577_alienated_george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-commi_2635810.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/elliott-abrams-1577_alienated_george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-commi_2635810.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/elliott-abrams-1577_alienated_george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-commi_2635810.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“George McGovern and his supporters committed what, in a two-party system, are capital crimes: they did not…” — Elliott Abrams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elliott Abrams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "George McGovern and his supporters committed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-committed-what-in-a-two-party/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/george-mcgovern-and-his-supporters-committed-what-in-a-two-party/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```