--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hope Howard Dean is like George…" description: "\"I hope Howard Dean is like George McGovern. I thought I was a pretty good candidate in 1972. It's true that I lost to Richard Nixon in the general elec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/george-mcgovern-3955_elections_i-hope-howard-dean-is-like-george-mcgove_1686375.png" --- # I hope Howard Dean is like George McGovern. I thought I… ![“I hope Howard Dean is like George McGovern. I thought I was a pretty good candidate in 1972. It's true that I lost to Richard Nixon in the general election by a big margin. But that wasn't my mistake. That was the mistake of the voters” quote by George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/george-mcgovern-3955_elections_i-hope-howard-dean-is-like-george-mcgove_1686375.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/george-mcgovern-3955_elections_i-hope-howard-dean-is-like-george-mcgove_1686375.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/george-mcgovern-3955_elections_i-hope-howard-dean-is-like-george-mcgove_1686375.png) > “I hope Howard Dean is like George McGovern. I thought I was a pretty good candidate in 1972. It's true that I lost to Richard Nixon in the general election by a big margin. But that wasn't my mistake. That was the mistake of the voters” [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker blames voters for his electoral loss, reflecting on past political aspirations. **In simple terms:** He sees voters as responsible for his defeat. Key Takeaway Consider the role of public choice. Themes politics accountability election outcomes historical reflection Mood critical reflective Type historical analytical When to use this quote - election analysis - political memoir - public policy debates - campaign planning Key Concepts democratic theory campaign strategy voter behavior Questions to Reflect On - How do voters influence political change? - What lessons can be learned from past campaigns? A Different Perspective Assigning blame may overlook systemic factors and personal responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elections/) ## Related quotes > [My daughter had a Howard Dean Beanie Baby and that didn't help him. T-shirts don't win elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-wiley/my-daughter-had-a-howard-dean-beanie-baby-and-that-didn-t-help-him-t/) [Maya Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-wiley/) > [ You can't be what you can't see, so it's harder for women to say, "I'm going to be a \[presidential\] candidate," so we need… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/you-can-t-be-what-you-can-t-see-so-it-s-harder-for-women-to-say-i-m/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“When our embarrassment level is exceeded by our desperation level, we are a good candidate for God's grace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lord/when-our-embarrassment-level-is-exceeded-by-our-desperation-level-we/) Peter Lord > [I don't think I would get married again; I don't know if I'm a very good candidate because of all the touring I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brightman/i-don-t-think-i-would-get-married-again-i-don-t-know-if-i-m-a-very/) [Sarah Brightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brightman/) > [You can have all the money in the world, but if you're not a good candidate, it doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-trump/you-can-have-all-the-money-in-the-world-but-if-you-re-not-a-good/) [Lara Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-trump/) > [I guess if you're independent, not afraid of much, and extremely stylish, that makes you a pretty good candidate for being a New Yorker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-indelicato/i-guess-if-you-re-independent-not-afraid-of-much-and-extremely/) [Mark Indelicato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-indelicato/) > [I'll tell you, Liz Cheney is going to be a very good candidate. I worked with her during the Bush campaigns. She's smart, she's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/i-ll-tell-you-liz-cheney-is-going-to-be-a-very-good-candidate-i/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [Despite my excellent mood, I don't have any sympathy for Romney. If he'd been a good candidate he wouldn't have had a different campaign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/despite-my-excellent-mood-i-don-t-have-any-sympathy-for-romney-if-he/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [I think if you're looking for a pure expression of evil, torture is pretty - is a pretty good candidate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-danner/i-think-if-you-re-looking-for-a-pure-expression-of-evil-torture-is/) [Mark Danner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-danner/) > [“One rule of thumb is to keep searching for options until you fall in love at least twice. If you’ve only identified one good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/one-rule-of-thumb-is-to-keep-searching-for-options-until-you-fall-in/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [I am not a fan of Mitt Romney, but I admit that he is, politically speaking, a good candidate for president. He has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/i-am-not-a-fan-of-mitt-romney-but-i-admit-that-he-is-politically/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [Howard Dean was endorsed by former Vice President Al Gore and now he is getting advice from Al Gore. And I'm thinking, who better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/howard-dean-was-endorsed-by-former-vice-president-al-gore-and-now-he/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [Earlier today former Vermont Governor Howard Dean became the new head of the Democratic National Committee -- no word on who will be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/earlier-today-former-vermont-governor-howard-dean-became-the-new-head/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [When Howard Dean started saying some honest things, they hung him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/when-howard-dean-started-saying-some-honest-things-they-hung-him/) [Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/) > [While opponents label (Howard) Dean a throwback liberal, The New York Times recently noted that as governor, Dean cut income taxes, reformed welfare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/while-opponents-label-howard-dean-a-throwback-liberal-the-new-york/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) ## More by George McGovern > [Every Senator in this Chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This Chamber reeks of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly-responsible-for-sending-50/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a moderate liberal, a fighter for peace and justice. I never thought of myself as being all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-moderate-liberal-a-fighter-for-peace/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I was tired. I hadn't slept eight hours in two, three years. I lived on four, five hours of sleep. You can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-was-tired-i-hadn-t-slept-eight-hours-in-two-three-years-i-lived-on/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-did-frequently-refer-to-my-war-record-in-world-war-ii-but-not-in/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [It's a tough thing, to know what to do about a war that deep in your gut you feel is wrong and yet watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/it-s-a-tough-thing-to-know-what-to-do-about-a-war-that-deep-in-your/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I'm what a normal, healthy, ideal American should be like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-m-what-a-normal-healthy-ideal-american-should-be-like/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-m-fed-up-to-the-ears-with-old-men-dreaming-up-wars-for-young-men-to/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-good-old-south-dakota-boy-who-grew-up/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie. My dad was a Methodist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-good-old-south-dakota-boy-who-grew-up-2/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Above all, being a Democrat means having compassion for others. ... It means standing up for people who have been kept down ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/above-all-being-a-democrat-means-having-compassion-for-others-it/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I am fed up with a system which busts the pot smoker and lets the big dope racketeer go free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-am-fed-up-with-a-system-which-busts-the-pot-smoker-and-lets-the-big/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [To those who charge that liberalism has been tried and found wanting, I answer that the failure is not in the idea, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/to-those-who-charge-that-liberalism-has-been-tried-and-found-wanting/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [When I was a youngster growing up in South Dakota, we never referred to the national debt, it was always referred to as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/when-i-was-a-youngster-growing-up-in-south-dakota-we-never-referred/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [ I still love to go back to Mitchell \[his home town\] and wander up and down those streets. It just kind of reassures me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-still-love-to-go-back-to-mitchell-his-home-town-and-wander-up-and/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Truth is a habit of integrity, not a strategy of politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/truth-is-a-habit-of-integrity-not-a-strategy-of-politics/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) [Explore all 118 George McGovern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) ## More Elections quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Patriotism is a fierce love for the nation’s soul - its land, its people, its core, coupled with a burning contempt for a government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/njau-kihia/patriotism-is-a-fierce-love-for-the-nation-s-soul-its-land-its-people/) Njau Kihia > [Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/do-you-ever-get-the-feeling-that-the-only-reason-we-have-elections-is/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/while-not-widely-reported-our-victories-in-iraq-are-plentiful/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [Elections are not a beauty contest. It is all about tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-franz/elections-are-not-a-beauty-contest-it-is-all-about-tolerance/) Vladimir Franz > [Global poverty is the product of reversible policy failures overseen by politicians, past and present. The poorest of the poor don't vote in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/global-poverty-is-the-product-of-reversible-policy-failures-overseen/) [Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/) > [Midterms behave very differently than presidential elections. Midterms, for a federal candidate, often times are a referendum on the president, where in presidential years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/midterms-behave-very-differently-than-presidential-elections-midterms/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [In India, elections happen every year in at least a few states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-sitharaman/in-india-elections-happen-every-year-in-at-least-a-few-states/) [Nirmala Sitharaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-sitharaman/) > [Congress needs to toughen the laws protecting elections and make clear that anyone interfering with democracy will pay a stiff price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cohen/congress-needs-to-toughen-the-laws-protecting-elections-and-make/) [Adam Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cohen/) > [“Eschew evil and it's machinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/eschew-evil-and-it-s-machinations/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [President Trump used the office of the Presidency to solicit foreign interference in our elections for his own personal, political benefit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/president-trump-used-the-office-of-the-presidency-to-solicit-foreign/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [If you look back through history in the United States, there have been very few landslide elections. Half the country always voted for someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/if-you-look-back-through-history-in-the-united-states-there-have-been/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [“The Nazi salute was performed by public officials in the USA from 1892 through 1942. The researcher Dr. Rex Curry asks 'What happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micky-barnetti/the-nazi-salute-was-performed-by-public-officials-in-the-usa-from/) Micky Barnetti > [Political analysts tend to overinterpret the results of isolated elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/political-analysts-tend-to-overinterpret-the-results-of-isolated/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [If the elections are a mere fraud, why are terrorists being trained and infiltrated into India at the command of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atal-bihari-vajpayee/if-the-elections-are-a-mere-fraud-why-are-terrorists-being-trained/) [Atal Bihari Vajpayee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atal-bihari-vajpayee/) [Browse all 762 Elections quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elections/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I hope Howard Dean is like George McGovern. 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