Mo Udall
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Morris King Udall (June 15, 1922 - December 12, 1998), better known as Mo, was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona from 1961 to 1991. A former professional basketball player with the old National Basketball League Denver Nuggets, noted for his liberal and strong environmental views, Mo Udall was a tall, Lincolnesque figure with a self-deprecating wit and easy manner. Because of his wit, reporter David Broder deemed him "too funny to be president", which also ended up being the title of his autobiography in the 1980s.
Political career
In 1961 his brother Stewart Udall, a congressman, was appointed Secretary of the Interior in the Kennedy administration. Mo Udall was elected to fill his brother's vacant seat and would go on to be reelected for 14 terms.
In 1976 he ran for the Democratic nomination for President as a liberal alternative to the Southern centrist Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia. Carter had gone from obscure maverick to frontrunner after a string of early caucus and primary election victories, beginning in Iowa and New Hampshire. At the time of the Wisconsin primary in April, most of the original 10 candidates had dropped out, leaving Udall, Senator Henry 'Scoop' Jackson of Washington, Gov. George Wallace of Alabama and Carter. Udall looked set to win the primary, and as the returns ticked in, it looked like he would win it. This could slow down the Carter momentum. Udall was projected a winner, exclaiming "Oh, how sweet it is". But as the election night progressed Carter began chipping away at Udall's lead, eventually going into the lead.
Some morning-papers actually proclaimed Udall the winner because of his lead the night before, not unlike the famous incident in the 1948 presidential election, in which the headlines of the Chicago Tribune erroneously proclaimed "Dewey defeats Truman".
Carter's win was by 1 percent, which was no more than 7,500 votes. He won 37 percent to Udall's 36 percent, gaining one more convention delegate than Udall. Despite the small margins, Carter got the headlines and a further boost to his momentum, pulling away from Udall and the other candidates.
Humorous remarks
- "I'm a one-eyed Mormon Democrat from conservative Arizona, and you can't have a higher handicap than that."
(He lost an eye in a childhood accident that was mistreated by a drunken doctor)
- "Let's turn inflation over to the post office. That'll slow it down."
- "Everything has been said but not everyone has said it."
- "If nominated, I shall run to Mexico. If elected, I shall fight extradition."
(On running for president in 1980.)
- "I have learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. On a cactus, the pricks are on the outside."
- "What's the difference between a pigeon and an Iowa farmer? A pigeon can still make a deposit on a tractor."(While criticizing the economy on the campaign trail in 1976)
See also
- Udall family (political family)de:Mo Udall