Eagleton for VP: Could It Be Done Today?

In the summer of 1972, a seismic political scandal erupted as the country approached a consequential national election. Senator Thomas Eagleton, the vice presidential nominee for the Democratic party, was revealed to have been treated at a mental hospital on three prior occasions. And awkwardly enough, it was unbeknownst to the main man on the ticket, Senator George McGovern, and his entire campaign staff. A truly unprecedented political conundrum, the public was forced to consider the idea of a man with a history of mental illness becoming second-in-line for the presidency. Although it was deemed a gross failure in campaign operations at the time, there is good reason to believe it could have fared much differently today. With the strides that our society has made in destigmatizing mental health, a thought-provoking question arises: would a Tom Eagleton be welcomed on a major party ticket today?

As examined in Giglio’s article, “The Eagleton Affair”, the McGovern-Eagleton ticket was brought into this world out of a desperate situation. The Missourian senator sat at the bottom of McGovern’s shortlist, one that was concocted hastily by his aides at the Democratic National Convention itself. (Giglio 649) This last-minute scrambling was blamed on both outside forces and internal inaction. Two weeks before the convention, a controversial ruling was made concerning the California primary, which had been won by McGovern, catapulting him to the nomination. This ruling threw out the primary’s winner-take-all format and redistributed delegates once in McGovern’s possession to his competitors instead.

Although it was eventually overturned at the convention, it riddled his campaign with worry and preoccupation, distracting them from properly researching and vetting potential running mates. Without the California delegates, McGovern would fall short of the nomination and be rewarded with an early trip home. (Giglio 648-649) There was also the Ted Kennedy question. McGovern’s deepest desire was for the Senate giant to join his bid, a desire he had a difficult time releasing from the clutches of his subconscious, even up until the first day of the convention. Mr. Kennedy, in turn, declined the offer, which haunted the McGovern campaign, turning his wish into a true waste of time. (Giglio 649) As it were, South Dakota’s favorite son arrived at the convention in dire straits.

So, with McGovern’s hopes of oval office glory turning into a dumpster fire, his team reached out to Eagleton on the fourth day of the convention in a true “at the buzzer” moment. Luckily for them, Tom Eagleton was a rising star in the party. He represented views more left of McGovern, but this was seen as a plus. He was recommended to McGovern by not only his aides but elected officials too. They were keeping in mind the votes that McGovern was failing to secure; this included the Catholic vote and support from organized labor, both of which Eagleton would attract. (Giglio 650-651)  

But due to the virus of chaos infecting the McGovern camp, when the call was made to ask upon the services of Eagleton, who accepted graciously, a soon to be notorious, inadequate inquest was made over the phone. When a McGovern aide asked Eagleton to speak to any possible skeletons in his closet, Eagleton, unashamed of what was later revealed, spoke nothing of it. The line of questioning didn’t go on much further and he was cleared to join the ticket. (Giglio 653) Later on, in the early hours of the next morning, McGovern and Eagleton were nominated by their party to battle for the White House that coming November.

But before those patriotically colored balloons cascaded down towards the convention floor, many rumors had begun floating around about McGovern’s haphazard pick, even prior to the announcement. Dismissed as baseless by the McGovern entourage, there were tales of Eagleton’s supposed alcoholism, accounts of public intoxication, as well as drunk-driving incidents. (Giglio 651-652, 664) But out of the muck, a bona fide skeleton fell out of Tom Eagleton’s closet. The senator was hospitalized on three occasions for nervous exhaustion, fatigue, and depression in 1960, 1964, and 1966; two of his stays included electroshock therapy. (Giglio 658-661) The findings painted a picture of a man incapable of serving as vice president, causing the McGovern campaign to spiral off its axis. And to the presidential-hopeful’s dismay, once his team caught wind of the issue, it was already in the hands of the press. What commenced was a nineteen-day media frenzy that enveloped the Democratic Party.

The question immediately posed by talking heads on TV screens across the country, and consequently by McGovern’s enemies, was “would you want his finger on the button?”. (Giglio 671) The finger in question was Eagleton’s, of course, should McGovern be rendered temporarily or permanently unfit for office. Since a vice president’s most important role is to serve as an immediate replacement for POTUS, this question was obsessed over by political pundits and journalists alike. But not all of the media coverage was damning. Some journalists pointed to historically celebrated figures such as Lincoln and Churchill, who proved themselves as effective and successful leaders despite both suffering from mental illness. (Giglio 671) And even though a Newsweek poll had indicated that over half the country expressed no issue with Eagleton’s past hospitalizations (Giglio 670), at the end of those nineteen-days, the Missourian senator took himself off the ticket.

 Now, a lot of “goings-on” went on behind the scenes that lead to Eagleton’s resignation. McGovern met with psychologists who gave either stark prognoses or ones that were restrained, leaning on the side of caution. (Giglio 669-670) There was also pressure from the McGovern campaign and McGovern himself. But the senator grappled with the issue severely, having a daughter who suffered from mental illness as well. There’s an eerie yet touching scene in this real-life Shakespearean drama where Eagleton finally confides in McGovern, revealing the full story of his bouts with what was later diagnosed as bipolar disorder. It took place in a meeting they had over breakfast, accompanied by their wives, at a lodge beside Lake Sylvan within the Black Hills of South Dakota. While Eagleton struggled through his words, McGovern noticed the shadow of pain held behind the man’s eyes and couldn’t help but see the face of his own daughter sitting across from him. (Giglio 660-661) How could he throw him out?

Well, there was a significant motivator to do just that. He was already struggling in polls against the popular incumbency of Richard Nixon before this raucous stir took to his electability. (Giglio 674) And although Eagleton received support from the public to continue on the ticket, McGovern’s political ambitions eventually won over his inherent empathy. It also didn’t help that McGovern’s own advisors caught on to the suspicion that Eagleton would relapse in office. (Giglio 670) Thus, McGovern settled on asking Eagleton for his resignation, which the latter honored. They appeared side by side before the media and announced the withdrawal. McGovern outlined that it was imperative for the sake of maintaining harmony within the party, and not because of Eagleton’s health history. This was at the request of Eagleton, who wanted to retain somewhat of a fighting chance in rectifying his political career. (Giglio 670-671) McGovern ended up with Kennedy on his ticket after all, sort of, choosing Sargent Shriver as his new running mate. Later on that November, they went on suffer one of the worst defeats in American political history, winning just seventeen electoral votes. Conversely, Eagleton was greeted a hero’s welcome upon returning home to Missouri, serving as senator for the next fifteen years. (Giglio 648, 673)

There is still no consensus among political scholars on how much those nineteen-days affected the outcome of the election. It is mentioned in Giglio’s article that some believed the situation a catch-22; no matter the fate McGovern decided for Eagleton, the damage was already done. (Giglio 669) In truth, a consensus will probably never be attained. But one can still wonder, would this scandal have unfolded differently in our current times? More importantly, would one of the major parties embrace such a candidate?

From the lived experience of the past two election cycles, some may immediately write off a candidate with a history of mental illness as inadequate for the role. Trump, a man unqualified to take office for many reasons, touted himself as a “very stable genius” when questions of his mental stability arouse (Drash & Tinker), which subsequently revealed the lackluster presidential mental acuity test, making a mockery of the office. Being twice impeached also didn’t help. And now during the presidency of Joe Biden, the worry has persisted and become the subject of partisan attacks. (Caputo) Albeit these concerns are mostly about age-related mental deterioration, it still doesn’t help the prospects of a politician like Tom Eagleton running on a national ticket.

On the contrary, it is evident that recent presidents have shown an increased comfort in revealing the bumpy patches of their personal lives; surprisingly on their own accord and without significant backlash. Although no member of the executive branch or party nominee has spoken publicly about struggles with mental illness, besides Tom Eagleton in his precarious situation, other topics once held as beneath the office have been broached candidly by sitting presidents. Barack Obama spoke about his past marijuana use as an adolescent, a topic that would’ve been impossible in the times of the Eagleton affair. (BBC News) And former president George W. Bush took the opportunity to discuss his troubled past as well. The oat-sowing days of his youth are no secret to many in the political sphere, but Bush made a public acknowledgement of his struggles with drugs and alcohol at the end of his presidency. (Koch)

So, it’s not unreasonable to believe that the issue of mental health could soon join in this trend. It may even make a wise move politically. Like drug abuse and alcoholism, mental illness has been steadily destigmatized in the past couple of decades, due in part by committed advocacy from health care professionals to draw focus on the important issue. And nowadays, people, especially young men, proudly cherish their therapy milestones as boy scouts do with merit badges. It is seen as strong, not weak, to seek out mental health treatment. This shift in society has been gradual and certainly not overnight, but it wasn’t a far-away opinion in the 1970s. Tom Eagleton had received some 80,000 letters of support, mostly from women, with one sharing a sentiment that’s held as mainstream today, “I feel it far more intelligent to seek psychiatric care if it is necessary than to suffer.” (Giglio 671)

The McGovern campaign dropped Eagleton back in 1972, not the American people. It’s up to the parties to decide if this sort of candidate would be politically viable for them. But what is campaigning if not seeking the mass approval of the voters? If we in our everyday lives applaud those around us who have taken steps in overcoming their depression, anxiety, etc., wouldn’t we hold the same level of reverence for a presidential or vice-presidential nominee? I think there’s a good chance.

Sources 

Giglio, James N. “The Eagleton Affair: Thomas Eagleton, George McGovern, and the 1972 Vice Presidential Nomination.” Presidential Studies Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 4, 2009, pp. 647–76. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41427414.

Drash, Wayne, and Ben Tinker. “With Nuclear Codes in Hands, Why Doesn’t the President Get a Thorough Mental Check?” CNN, 9 Jan. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/01/08/health/trump-physical-mental-health.

Caputo, Marc. “Poll: Voters’ Doubts Rising About Biden’s Health, Mental Fitness.” POLITICO, 17 Nov. 2021, www.politico.com/news/2021/11/17/poll-biden-mental-fitness-job-approval-522785.

Koch, Kathleen. Bush Opens up on Struggle With Alcohol Abuse - CNN.com. 11 Dec. 2008, edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/11/bush.alcohol.

BBC News. “Barack Obama: ‘Marijuana No More Dangerous Than Alcohol.’” BBC News, 20 Jan. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-25805206.