Who here remembers Hubert Humphrey?

[book_worm]

and if so what did you think of him.

Here's his speech on civil rights at the 1948 Democratic convention:



Mr. Chairman, fellow Democrats, fellow Americans:

I realize that in speaking in behalf of the minority report on civil rights as presented by Congressman DeMiller of Wisconsin that I'm dealing with a charged issue -- with an issue which has been confused by emotionalism on all sides of the fence. I realize that there are here today friends and colleagues of mine, many of them, who feel just as deeply and keenly as I do about this issue and who are yet in complete disagreement with me.

My respect and admiration for these men and their views was great when I came to this convention. It is now far greater because of the sincerity, the courtesy, and the forthrightness with which many of them have argued in our prolonged discussions in the platform committee.

Because of this very great respect -- and because of my profound belief that we have a challenging task to do here -- because good conscience, decent morality, demands it -- I feel I must rise at this time to support a report -- the minority report -- a report that spells out our democracy, a report that the people of this country can and will understand, and a report that they will enthusiastically acclaim on the great issue of civil rights.

Now let me say this at the outset that this proposal is made for no single region. Our proposal is made for no single class, for no single racial or religious group in mind. All of the regions of this country, all of the states have shared in our precious heritage of American freedom. All the states and all the regions have seen at least some of the infringements of that freedom -- all people -- get this -- all people, white and black, all groups, all racial groups have been the victims at time in this nation of -- let me say -- vicious discrimination.


http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/huberthumphey1948dnc.html

[benddem]

1. I loved him

he was a great liberal.

[Speck Tater]

2. Are you kidding? That was the stoned 70's

All I remember about Humphrey is the button "Hump free with Humphrey".

[speedoo]

3. Nice man who lacked courage and vision.

Probably deserved a much better fate than to be stuck as LBJ's VP during the Vietnam era.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Yes, a good man. But caved to the 'loyalty oath' for govt. employees crap in the early '50s.

Eleanor Roosevelt refused to sign hers while a US delegate to the UN.

[Historic NY]

4. He had a twangy accent, ran and lost against Nixon went back to Senate

until his death....I think he was known as the "Happy Warrior".

[dflprincess]

9. When he ran for the Senate after he left the vice presidency

his slogan was "Humphrey - you know he cares". Six years later when he ran for reelection and anyone with half a brain knew the odds of his finishing the next term were non-existent, his slogan was "Humphrey - show him you care". I've often thought that there are damn few politicians who could have gotton by with a slogan like that, but none of us questioned Humphrey using it.

He was a true New Deal liberal on domestic issues, I could never quite forgive him for selling out to Johnson on Vietnam.

[nevergiveup]

5. I remember being angry at him

because of the war but I still voted for him against Nixon. They called him the "happy warrior". Here is one of his quotes "It was once said that the moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped".

[petersjo02]

6. Great guy

Probably never was given the credit and recognition he was due. Met one of his sons at a horse camp in Arizona a couple winters ago.

[rwenos]

7. Domestic Liberal; Cold Warrior

Humphrey (who certainly got tagged with the back-end of Johnson's abortion in Vietnam), was probably the most committed liberal in the United States, from Franklin Roosevelt's death in 1945 until Humphrey's death.

Nobody every gave Hubert any shit about being soft on the Commies, man. He and Scoop Jackson and Jack Kennedy and Alan Cranston -- and even Adlai Stevenson -- had the balls to confront the Communists, call the Soviets what they truly were -- i.e., totalitarians.

Humphrey came from a political tradition when being a Democrat didn't mean having to listen to the "soft on bad guys" shit we have to listen to now.

A domestic liberal. A dedicated cold warrior. A great Democrat.

[femmocrat]

10. We would have a different country today, if he had won in 1968.

I saw him speak when he ran for VP in 1964. I had a huge Humphrey poster in my room. He was an inspiration to me as a young democrat.

[mn9driver]

11. He's buried right down the street from me.

Lakewood Cemetery, here in Minneapolis. He is remembered around here as the "Happy Warrior" and a great '60's liberal back when it wasn't a dirty word. Paul Wellstone is there, too.

[EbenezerMcIntosh]

12. He was a good man.

But was caught up in the evolving politics of power-shifting in the 60's.

Great guy.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

13. That's it exactly

He'd have beaten the Trickster if the campaign had been a week longer.

Had the privilege to shake HHH's hand at a county fair in rural MN in 1970 when he was running for the Senate once again. A flawed person, (aren't all of us?) but a man who did much good for many people. Proud to say he was a Minnesotan.