For whatever reason, last night was an unusually good one!

I did nothing special. Started out as usual at the Chart Room. Sat and passed the time away with friends at the round table. Then to La Trattoria with Marty for dinner at the bar. Kathy bartending. A special personality. She recently had to put her dog/best friend of many years down. Sad.

Marty and I talked like two old farts. We were reminiscing of our early New York and Miami days. 1960-1970s. At one point Marty said we were beginning to sound like old men. I said no, not like. We are!

I was home early again to watch the second half of the basketball game. Again, I fell asleep! There is a pattern developing here.

George McGovern visited Key West this past week. He is the former US Senator from South Dakota and the Democratic Presidential candidate in 1972.

He was here to speak at a special event at the Little White House.

An interesting background. Bomber pilot in World War II. 35 missions. College professor. Senator. Presidential candidate. Icon.

He ran very poorly in 1972. Nixon defeated him soundly! I think McGovern only carried one state. He did not even carry his home state.

Interestingly, Nixon soon after came under scrutiny for Watergate and had to resign from office. As McGovern stated while here in Key West, had he, McGovern, been elected, the country would have been sparred the Nixon debacle.

I remember the Mc Govern/Nixon race in 1972. I did not think Mc Govern stood a chance. He was the nominee of the new Democratic Party. The one formed after the Humphrey loss to Nixon in 1968. Humprey, too, never stood a chance. He was nominated in Chicago. Protestors and demonstrators were jammed outside the convention hall. TV carried it all live. Even the brutality of the Chicago police. This was Vietnam time. Everything and everyone was on edge!

Following Humprey’s loss, the Democratic Party developed new rules for how its Presidential candidate was to be picked. It opened the process. Widely I thought. McGovern was the first candidate under the new rules. He paid the price! The country was not yet ready for dramatic change. Or a Presidental candidate chosen by the masses rather than the political bosses.

McGovern was a step too soon.

It is interesting how Key West continuues to attract national figures. It is generally the Little White House and/or Harry Truman that bring them here.

Another nice day in the making. Enjoy!