I can still smell the tear gas in the Hilton Hotel.

Meaning of the quote

This quote suggests that the speaker, Eugene McCarthy, was present in the Hilton Hotel during a time when tear gas was used, likely during a protest or other event. The use of tear gas can be a powerful and unpleasant experience, and the fact that McCarthy can still remember the smell years later shows how impactful that event was for him.

About Eugene McCarthy

Eugene McCarthy was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968, challenging Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti-Vietnam War platform, and ran for president several more times after that, though he was never elected to the White House.

More about the author