U.S. protests, global conflicts and the Democratic convention being held in Chicago this coming week are among the many similarities political observers note between the year 1968 and 2024.
The whole world is watching. They want to see what unfolds this week in Chicago as Democrats convene their quadrennial political convention and anoint Vice President Harris as their 2024 standard-bearer. But, the mantra 'the whole world is watching' is from 1968.
That was a battle cry from demonstrators who descended on the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968. They brawled with delegates, reporters and police. The war in Vietnam raged. And anti-war protesters wanted the world to know how they felt. So what better opportunity to converge on the Democratic convention and air their grievances – often within the view finder of a television camera. The 1968 Democratic convention was the most volatile in American history.
Political violence was a hallmark of 1968. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. fueled riots across the nation. Two months later, Robert F. Kennedy celebrated his victory at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California and South Dakota primaries. 'My thanks to all of you. And now it’s on to Chicago and let’s win there,' presaged Kennedy – an ominous namecheck of what lurked ahead for Democrats.
Unflappable CBS anchor Walter Cronkite was none too pleased with how authorities manhandled his colleague. 'I think we've got a bunch of thugs here, Dan,' said Cronkite on the air. Tension gurgled between Democratic delegates over Vietnam. 'With George McGovern, D-S.D., as President of the United States, we wouldn't have to have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago,' said Sen. Abe Ribicoff, D-Conn., of the anti-war senator.
In 1968, President Richard Nixon defeated Humphrey. Democrats hope the end result of their 2024 convention is a lot more like 1996 than 1968. But win or lose, they probably won’t perform the Macarena.
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