![]() |
Mondale in his hometown, 1984 Photo: Thomas Arndt/Minneapolis Institute of Arts |
Mondale, then Minnesota attorney general, was appointed senator to succeed Hubert Humphrey when the ex-mayor of Minneapolis was elected Lyndon Johnson's vice president in 1964. Mondale's roots were different. He was the son of "a poor farmer who had become a Methodist clergyman," frequently reassigned by his denomination, reports Bart Barnes of The Washington Post.
"Winters in the country towns and villages of his boyhood were desolate and lonely, and the Scandinavian culture pervasive," Barnes writes." It was a culture that left a lasting imprint on the young Mr. Mondale, who learned the value of restraint and self-control. Years later, as a nationally known politician, he would recall only two acts that during his growing-up years were certain to result in a whipping: lying and boasting. The reserved youth grew into a low-key politician, never much good as a backslapper or a special pleader. He hated plastic smiles, and he was uncomfortable using the personal pronoun 'I'."
Mondale was credited with helping Southern ruralite Carter win the 1976 election by carrying Northern states, but Reagan and George W. Bush swamped them in 1980. As the 1984 Democratic nominee, he told voters that he or Reagan would have to raise taxes, but “He won't tell you. I just did.” Later, he said, “While my opponent was handing out rose petals, I was handing out coal. . . . I’m not trying to excuse what happened in 1984 on the basis of television technique, even though I think Reagan’s a genius and I’m not very good at it.”
Barnes concludes, "In 2002, Mr. Mondale was drafted into one more campaign, for him a sad last hurrah. He agreed to run for his former Senate seat after the incumbent, Democrat Paul Wellstone, was killed in a plane crash within a couple of weeks of the election. He was narrowly defeated by Republican Norm Coleman, a former mayor of St. Paul and a former Democrat. Years later, in an interview with the University of Minnesota Foundation, he begged off reflecting on his legacy. 'Well, you know, Minnesota doesn’t believe much in bragging. I did the best I could.'"
from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/3dzly3m Walter Mondale, whose rural roots helped make him a success in Minnesota but a flub for president, dies at 93 - Entrepreneur Generations
0 Response to "Walter Mondale, whose rural roots helped make him a success in Minnesota but a flub for president, dies at 93 - Entrepreneur Generations"
Post a Comment