November 7, 1972: President Richard Nixon Is Re-Elected

November 7, 1972: President Richard Nixon is re-elected in one of the biggest landslides ever. He wins 60.7 percent of the vote to the 37.5, a record low for Democratic nominees in 2-horse races, of Senator George McGovern of South Dakota. Nixon wins 49 States for 520 Electoral Votes, McGovern just 17, winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

If McGovern had taken every State in which he had at least 47 percent, he still would have lost 520-17. Counting every State where he won at least 45 percent would add only Rhode Island, Minnesota and South Dakota, making it 502-35.

But it was a personal landslide: The Republicans only gained 12 seats in the House of Representatives, and 2 in the Senate, not nearly enough to challenge the Democrats for control of either. Among the new Senators elected were Democrats Joe Biden of Delaware and Sam Nunn of Georgia; and Republicans William L. Scott of Virginia (a far-right fanatic who quickly gained a reputation as the dumbest U.S. Senator, and was defeated after 1 term) and Jesse Helms of North Carolina (a far-right fanatic who quickly gained a reputation as the most racist U.S. Senator, and was elected to 5 terms).  

McGovern ran a great campaign in the primaries, but was a disaster in the general election, making all kinds of mistakes. When Nixon's campaign announced a peace deal in Vietnam 3 weeks before the election, it removed the biggest argument in McGovern's favor. Watergate? The Washington Post was investigating it, but most people didn't yet realize how big that would become.

In 1971, Time magazine named Nixon its Man of the Year. For 1972, it split the distinction -- not an award, just a recognition that this was the person, or these were the people, who had most affected the news during the calendar year -- between Nixon and Henry Kissinger, his National Security Adviser, who was doing America's negotiating at the peace talks in Paris. Nixon had been practically bypassing his Secretary of State, William P. Rogers. The next year, Rogers had had enough, and resigned, and Nixon had Kissinger officially doing both jobs.

Comedian Mort Sahl, who had been at this for over 20 years, before Nixon had even been Vice President, said, "Nixon's the kind of guy that, if you were drowning 50 feet offshore, he'd throw you a 30-foot rope. Then Kissinger would go on TV the next night, and say that the President had met you more than halfway."

On October 26, 12 days before the election. Kissinger had announced, "Peace is at hand." On December 18, 41 days after the election, Nixon began "Operation Linebacker II," which the media dubbed "The Christmas Bombing." Peace was not at hand. Not yet.

On January 23, 1973, Nixon announced that peace had happened -- 3 days after he was inaugurated for a 2nd term, when his winning of a 1st term implied that he was obligated to end the war during that 1st term; and 1 day after the death of his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, who bet his legacy on getting a peace deal in Vietnam, and failed -- or was sabotaged by Nixon aides.

On August 9, 1974, just 21 months after being re-elected, Nixon resigned due to his role in Watergate. Someone took a poll, asking how people would have voted in 1972, had they known then what they know now. McGovern got 56 percent in that poll. Begging the question, What were the other 44 percent waiting for?

UPDATE: It took me until 2024 to think of this, but the 1970s were Schrödinger's Decade. There was too much Republican competence, and too much crimefighting; and, at the same time, not enough of it.

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November 7, 1972, like all modern U.S. Election Days, was a Tuesday. The baseball season was over. Football was in midweek. There were 3 games played in the NBA that day:

* The Golden State Warriors beat the Buffalo Braves, 105-91 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Baltimore Bullets, 109-107 in overtime at The Omni in Atlanta.

* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets, 122-109 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

There were 2 games played in the American Basketball Association:

* The New York Nets lost to the San Diego Conquistadors, 116-108 at the San Diego Sports Arena. (It's now named the Pechanga Arena.)

* And the Indiana Pacers beat the Memphis Tams, 124-116 at the Mid-South Coliseum. This team was founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967, and moved to become the Memphis Pros in 1970. Charlie Finley, owner of MLB's Oakland Athletics and the NHL's California Golden Seals, bought them in 1972, outfitted them in the same green and gold color scheme, and renamed them the Memphis Tams, in honor of the 3 States in the Memphis metropolitan area: Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. He sold them in 1974, and they became the Memphis Sounds. They moved in 1975, becoming the Baltimore Claws, but folded before playing a game.

Only 1 game was played in the NHL: The Los Angeles Kings beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-2 at the St. Louis Arena. There were 2 played in the newly-launched World Hockey Association. The New York Raiders lost to the Alberta Oilers, 4-2 at the Edmonton Gardens. And the Houston Aeros beat the Chicago Cougars, 3-2 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago.