George McGovern Remembrances Flooding Twitter

The death of ex-U.S. Sen. George McGovern is sparking a flurry of outpouring on the social media networking site Twitter, prompting posters to share quotes and remembrances of the man who lost the presidential election to Richard Nixon in 1972.

The hashtag "thxGeorge" - Internet speak for "thanks George" - as well as "GeorgeMcGovern" and simply "McGovern" had been used hundreds of times within hours of his death Sunday morning. His name was trending nationwide.

Reaction has come from the everyday people who recall casting their votes for the galvanizing Democrat. Others are coming from the official accounts of public figures such as South Dakota-born journalist Tom Brokaw, whose account tweeted that McGovern was a "self-made man who served our nation, in war and in peace with courage and conviction."