I was a child, but I remember it. My parents were Stevenson fanatics. The left has been doing “the opposition is retarded” number for decades now.
Before Obama came along, Adlai was the shining star, the great dream of academic fools everywhere. Just like Obama he would have been a disaster, but probably not quite the leftist radical. A candidate like Obama, even if he were all white, would never stand a chance of getting nominated. At least after the Henry Wallace contingent was rejected by mainstream Dems in 1948. Now that the mainstream Dem faithful has tilted heavily to the left, Wallace would look pretty good to them. Wallace and Obama are ideologically joined at the hip.