“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Democrats held their presidential convention in 1968 during the worst of times. It was just months after Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated during the unpopular Vietnam War. Race riots engulfed America under Johnson’s not so Great Society and we were fighting at home and abroad with no victories in sight. America was a time-bomb waiting to explode any day.
These deep divisions and social unrest resulted in the most tumultuous chapter in U.S. political history. Tensions simmered within the party as well as all of America. As thousands of anti-war protesters gripped the city, violent clashes with police and the National Guard ripped the nation. The blood from hundreds of protesters beaten and arrested turned Chicago’s streets crimson red.
During the convention, chaos ensued as delegates argued over the party’s nomination and their direction. As Hubert Humphrey, closely allied with Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated, angry war protesters and dissidents inside and outside the hall revealed the deep disconnect Democrats had with America.
Flashbacks of the bloodbath of 1968 are weighing heavily on the minds of the DNC as they return to Chicago in August to nominate the unpopular Joe Biden to run for another term as president.
“I am returning to finish what we started four years ago. We still have much more to do.” – Joe Biden
The phantom of 1968 has been haunting Democrats for over five decades. The DNC is nervous how blatantly Biden and his gang have abused their power in Washington. With a docket, based solely on burying Donald Trump, they have nothing to offer America. Biden’s liberal media allies who helped him dismantle our republic are predicting a repeat of 1968 this year for Democrats.
Anti-war protests, a divided party, an unpopular candidate, and a discordant military conflict, makes 2024 feel like 1968. Like LBJ, Biden’s leftist policies were rejected by America. Network cameras will be ready to jump on any discontent in the hall like vultures on road kill on a rural county road.
Thousands of Americans are angry over Biden’s support of Israel in its war with Hamas. The left has done a poor selling job why we must support Israel. Protesters plan to rally in the area where Biden will accept the nomination. Protesters are battling Chicago in court over where to stage their marches since the city has turned down every group that has applied for permits.
“People are very unhappy with Biden and he could face worse challenges than Humphrey did in 1968.” – Karen Bass
Chicago, with the second highest crime rate in the U.S., refused to give protesters any permits, citing security concerns and arguing the city doesn’t have the resources to police the protests. The city has offered groups an alternative protest site four miles away, in a different part of town. But the organizers say that’s undemocratic and unconstitutional and have filed against the city in court.
Last week, reproductive rights groups sued the city for denying them permits to march on Michigan Avenue. The Department of Transportation said their marches would disrupt local commuter traffic.
Kobi Guillory, co-chairman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, told a group of reporters that, “We are going to be marching outside the United Center, or within sight of the United Center, whether we get a permit or not. It’s important we make our case within earshot of the United Center. We don’t want to talk to walls: We want to confront the abusive politicians.”
Melissa DeRosa, a Democratic strategist from New York, said, “Scenes of chaos could undercut the president on one of his core themes of his successful 2020 run; “a return to normalcy and end to chaos.” It would be harmful for all Democrats to project a sense of “disorder and ineffectiveness.”
The turbulence and in-fighting of 1968 severely wounded the party’s nominee. The Democratic candidate limped out of the convention and lost a narrow election to Republican Richard Nixon.
“Chicago was a catastrophe, I felt just like we had been in a shipwreck.” Hubert Humphrey
The 1968 convention was a disaster, but could have been worse if Mayor Richard Daley had not been prepared for the angry mob of out-of-control activists. Daley was the de facto leader of the Chicago Democratic Party that allowed him to rule the city with an iron hand. He united police and the National Guard to minimize the collateral damage and nobody was killed during the violence.
Newly elected progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson does not have the aptitude or the prowess that Daley had. Although he claims the city is prepared for anything, he says as a former union member “he supports the protesters right to free speech” and he will protect their right to protest peacefully.
The ACLU cited a new Chicago police policy calling for mass arrests of protesters. The policy is the center of a federal court suit filed by several activist groups who say that it “eviscerates protections required by the 1st Amendment.” One DNC official said this will serve as a major test of whether or not the Chicago Police Department has reformed since the violent unrest at the 1968 convention.
Thomas Paine wrote, “The guilt of a government is the crime of a country.” What happened in 1968 in Chicago was a reaction to dysfunctional federal policies that had been forced upon America by Democrats. Johnson promised to end the Vietnam War but escalated it and drafted more young Americans to fight it. He expanded government with programs that few people wanted and raised taxes to pay for them. And angry citizens showed up at the Convention to voice their disapproval.
Osama Siblani, editor of The Arab American News, said, “all people who are disenchanted with Joe Biden will be there.” These protests will come from students and the young Arabs who support the Palestinians. They are likely to be the biggest yet against the war in Gaza. Other groups also plan protests around issues including illegal immigration, abortion, political abuse and LGBTQ rights.
Joe Biden and the Democrats have adopted too many progressive policies to appease the special interest and identity groups they need to win elections. Most are in conflict with what the majority of Americans want. The DNC’s concerns are valid. Yes, people will bring their frustrations to Chicago.
Luke Nichter, author of “The Year That Broke Politics,” wrote, “the elements are there” for a “perfect storm” for a repeat of 1968 this year. The TV networks glamorized the chaos, which horrified voters. He said, “I think it will be messy, but it depends on how well the liberal media defends Democrats?”
“In our political system, the president says one thing during the election, something else when he takes office, something else at midterm and something else when he leaves.” – Deng Xiaoping
