The McGovern whom few remember

After Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. George McGovern died Sunday, most of obits unsurprisingly focused on the fights that made his name synonymous with liberalism: his opposition to the Vietnam war, his support for civil rights and his work to eradicate hunger.

Few mentioned McGovern’s final crusade: opposing the Big Labor-backed Employee Free Choice Act, more commonly known as the “card check” bill. Card-check opponents credit McGovern’s advocacy for winning over enough wavering Senate Democrats to prevent it from coming up for a vote.