The New McGovern Liberal

At one time, the most damaging label a conservative or Republican could hurl was to call an opponent a “McGovern liberal.”

That’s because George McGovern, former U.S. senator from South Dakota and the Democratic Party’s 1972 nominee for U.S. president, was as liberal as they came. Indeed, he might just have been the most left-wing presidential candidate in our nation’s history.

But George McGovern has changed, and we sure could use some more of this new kind of McGovern liberalism.

Just check out an op-ed written by McGovern that ran in the March 7 Wall Street Journal titled “Freedom Means Responsibility.”

McGovern made a well-reasoned, pro-free market case against both the left and right moving to impose increased regulation on subprime mortgages. Similarly, he noted that politicians that want to ban payday lending would generate all kinds of negative “unintended consequences.”

And finally, McGovern addresses a critical issue when it comes making health care more affordable. The former senator wrote:

Health-care paternalism creates another problem that's rarely mentioned: Many people can't afford the gold-plated health plans that are the only options available in their states. Buying health insurance on the Internet and across state lines, where less expensive plans may be available, is prohibited by many state insurance commissions. Despite being able to buy car or home insurance with a mouse click, some state governments require their approved plans for purchase or none at all. It's as if states dictated that you had to buy a Mercedes or no car at all.

Hooray for the McGovern liberal!