Does anyone remember the 1968 Republican primaries?

[ben_meyers]

Even if you're old enough, I don't blame you if you don't, very few do. While the Democrats where engaged in a nasty fight leading up the the disaster in Chicago, Nixon was slowly gathering steam heading into a relatively quiet convention in Miami. He won the nomination on the 1st ballot much to no ones surprise and the rest as they say is history.

I have this premonition that Denver could get very ugly this summer and McCain will be laying low till after St. Paul.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. You are not alone

and I wonder who thinks this will benefit the country?

And I will start with both partisan sides here

[villager]

4. And I will join you in starting with both partisan sides, Nadin!

n/t

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Sure, after Kennedy was shot & the dems were responsible for

Vietnam because of Johnson, there wasn't much chance of a Dem becoming dog catcher. What else do you want to know?

[villager]

5. well, the convenient murder of Kennedy sure helped the GOP. But then, if HHH

had just a few more votes -- i.e., the McCarthy voters -- he still could've beaten Nixon, and many of the soul-sucking fuckwads still bloodsucking this nation, would never have had their "start" in "government"

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Hubert never stood a chance. The Vietnam war was completely out of control

Kennedy wasn't shot by the GOP. The democrats were in total disarray. Anti-war movement had nothing to do with either party.

[Faygo Kid]

11. Another five days, he would have caught Nixon.

Don't forget how close HHH came to taking Nixon out. I remember: Another few days, and he would have won. Muskie was a big plus then. Humphrey would have been not a great president, but a hell of a lot better than Nixon.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. That's like saying I missed by this much.

It really had nothing to do with the Democratic convention.

[Faygo Kid]

16. Hubris, my friend.

Your answers are a bit absolute, and I don't disagree with your basic premise.

[Wizard777]

10. I agree. Nixons win had nothing to do with any fights at the Dem Convention.

It had everything to do with that lil fight er um police action called the vietnam war. This is the flip side for those that think it was the convention. In 1968 I was a Republican. I voted for Nixon. Nixon is also the reason I'm nolonger a Republican. As long as the in fighting at the convention doesn't level Denver or make them the half mile high city. I think we'll be okay. But you can count on fighting at the convention. Especially if Pelosi is there. That might actually go fist fight.

[Faygo Kid]

3. I remember, and understand what you're saying.

I have always felt that this year could be very much like 1968.

I pray with all my heart that the assassinations will not take place, though.

The rest could happen, including overseas unrest like the French students and the Czech invasion, and a convention with protests.

Let's pray the Strawberry Alarm Clock does not reunite.

[Mz Pip]

7. Incense and Peppermint

was a great song!

But it is true. Those of us who were there in Chicago were young and passionate and when people across the country saw the violence on their old black and white tvs they were not impressed. Hello Nixon.

I wonder if the next generation will feel the need to take it to the streets and wonder what the long term ramifications of that will be. I hope this gets settled before the convention. We do not want to got there again.

[Faygo Kid]

8. Hell, my hips are replaced. If I have to take to the streets, I'm ready to go.

I'm pissed, have lost all my parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles in the last few years, and a lot of them fought the power back when they were in their 30s and 40s in the 50s and 60s. Guess I can step up to the plate now in my 50s in the 00s. Did so in my 20s back in the 70s. And I had hair then, too.

Why the hell not?

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. My knees are not replaced yet

:-)

Though I may be looking at that one of these days

I will still join you if they try to steal this again... or rather WHEN they try to steal it

But that is the damage the partisans will do, make it easier to steal

[Wizard777]

14. Theres no hope for my back. Being 6' 11" eventually gravity wins.

But I have a cane we can throw at Pelosi.

:rofl:

[Faygo Kid]

17. Whoa. You're on my team.

I don't care about the cane. You get 'em on height, I'll get 'em on weight.

[elleng]

9. People all over the country

WERE impressed with Chicago in '68.

There's no similar passion now, tho there should be anti=bush passion. Unfortunately, Dems draining anti-bush passion with anti O and anti H passions.

[AlCzervik]

15. it's funny you bring this up, my niece is 23 and right now she goes to LSE in London

and they talk politics a lot as you can imagine so she called me last week and we were discussing the 68 convention and i told her i thought the democrats would have protesters there and she said she thought to too and her reason-----"Aunty, people don't expect republicans to be human and to actually stop a war, people expect that from democrats and they aren't getting that anymore" I thought her perspective was interesting and really, not wrong.

I think people look at democrats as the party of ending the war or at least thats what they hope they are but sadly they've let us down.

[ben_meyers]

20. That's exactly where I was going with this

Read The_Casual_Observer's 1st response. The Democrats weren't being blamed for the war, it was LBJ's war. Even though JFK got us more involved there in the 1st place. LBJ was gone, the democrats were still seen as the party of "hope" and "change". Nixon was ignored because no one expected anything from him. Your niece is very perceptive.
If answer, moveon, code pink, and various others turn out for action where do you think they'll show up? Denver would be my guess.
Bush is gone, but who is getting the blame for not stopping his war? And what Democratic candidate is going to be perfect enough for all the various factions?

[Beregond2]

18. 1968

I remember very well. I don't think the situations are analogous. The Democrats had no good candidate then. We have a terrific one now, who has a commanding lead.

[KharmaTrain]

19. Johnson's War Vs. Boooosh's War

Humphrey was the McCain of '68...tied to LBJ's failed war while Nixon was the candidate of "change".

Also, all this angst about a deadlocked convention belies the fact that at this point in 1968 RFK hadn't even declared his candidacy and RFK won the California primary during the first week of June. This elongated silly season has people losing perspective of how far out we are from the election. I wish we could get back to a more compressed system...push the primaries back to the warmer weather and spare us of all the spin and punditry. But then too many people make nice coin with the endless campaigns, but I can dream.

Food for thought...some of the strongest tickets have been those forged by two former primary compeitors...JFK and Johnson in '60, Raygun and Poppy Booooosh in '80....even Clinton and Gore weren't quite best buds in '92. It's a long way to go and the GOOP has created problems they can't run from and have nothing other than fear to run on.