Democrats Craving a Brokered Convention Should Learn the Lessons of 1968

The Intercept ^ | March 2, 2020 | Glenn Greenwald

[abigkahuna]

Do you think Bobby could have beat Nixon on ‘68? And if so...would Bobby have been a decent President...wonder how that would have altered the trajectory of the country. Interesting premise and mental exercise....

[TBP]

I think it would be much more interesting than your standard coronation, especially since they’ve taken to picking the VP candidates before the convention.

[mad_as_he$$]

Soon to be known as three time loser. Big Mike Obama worries me the most.

[fella]

Lincoln was the product of a brokered convention that had mixed results.

[Jack Black]

A brokered convention only because a Palestinian Immigrant shot to death the front runner, Bobby Kennedy.

Wrong and wrong.

1968 was not a brokered convention. Hubert Humphrey won on the first ballot with a clear majority of delegates.

Bobby Kennedy was not the front runner, except in the imagination of his supporters.

Facts:

• 1968 was before the modern primary system, as we know and love it, was in full effect. The vast majority of states did not have primaries in 1968. They used older "party decides" system, like a caucus, but in some cases more limited to party insiders.

• At the moment of Kennedy's death the delegate count stood at Humphrey 561.5, Kennedy 393.5, McCarthy 258.Kennedy's murder left his delegates uncommitted.

• Delegate votes on the first ballot:
  • Humphrey 1,759.25
  • McCarthy 601.
  • McGovern 146.5
  • Channing Phillips 65.5
  • Daniel Moore 17.5
  • Ted Kennedy 12.75
  • Bear Bryant 1.5
  • James Gray .5
  • George Wallace .5

I'm not sure why there is so much misinformation about 1968. The reason the Yippies rioted is because they knew that Humphrey, the pro-war candidate, was going to win.

The Left always claims that "anti-war candidates won more primaries" but because only 13 states *had* primaries it's like saying that the 49ers really won the Super Bowl because they scored more field goals.

As far as the popular vote in these 13 States, Kennedy didn't win the most of them, either.

Eugene McCarthy - 2,914,933 (38.73%)
Robert Kennedy - 2,305,148 (30.63%)

[SoCal Pubbie]

To a certain extent we have socialism now, and have for my entire lifetime and beyond. Our economy is certainly not laissez faire capitalism. The question is how far down the road we’re going to go. As for your prediction, I’ll say they’re not easy to make, especially about the future.

[arthurus]

There is not sufficient educated population left to support the Constitution and liberty. There are two reasons why we do not have full on socialism now and they are Reagan and Trump.
Not only is most of the population not educated in history and most oelse wo what was once considered school subjects ut we have grown too rich as a society and support a large proportion of our population in idleness, the welfare class and wealthy family sons and daughters who live off their parents wealth. They have no concept of where money and wealth come from. We have a number of entrepreneurs to whom wealth came far too fast in great gouts of earnings. They too have no concept of actually earning money. To them wealth fell out of the sky on them and even as they build fantastically rich businesses they really don’t have any concept of capital and wealth as something that is not a natural background that cannot be destroyed, only grabbed or shared.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I don’t agree with your pessimism. Let’s leave it at that.

[HereInTheHeartland]

I just realized today how screwed the Dems are. When the machine pushes the Bern out of the way, the Bern supporters will completely go nuts, and not vote in the fall.
If they don’t push the Bern out of the way, they will also lose badly.
They are so screwed.

[ptsal]

Riots from Milwaukee to Soth Bend ... that’s my forecast.

[Impy]

You better book your crappy motel 20 miles out of town right now!