Comments on: RFK Plus 40

By: davewillie

davewillie — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:04:53 +0000

The Democratic party is splintered. A considerable amount of people who would have voted for Hillary WILL NOT vote for Obama. They would rather vote for McCain because they know where he stands on the issues. Obama's position is either cloudy or runs against the grain and does not have the support of the majority.

Now is the time for an independent to step in and take control. Ironcially, the last time an independent had a major impact was 1968. George Wallace was the last independent candidate to ganer electoral votes. John Anderson and Ross Perot were minor blips on the radar.

It's too bad an independent like Ron Paul, not necessarily Paul himself, does not have more widespread appeal. It would be great to demolish the two-party system in this country.

As for me, I will be voting for the same candidate for President that I have for the last two elections--myself.

By: davewillie

davewillie — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:04:53 +0000

By: JonCummings

JonCummings — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:23:50 +0000

Whether Bobby could have overcome Humphrey is forever an open question--the system was much more malleable in those days, and open to momentum swings at the convention (since the primaries still determined only a minority of the delegates). Besides Johnson, people forget what a powerful figure (and good man) Humphrey was.

However, I would guess that Chicago would have been Chicago, with all the attendant chaos on the streets, no matter what was going on inside the hall. That crowd--and those cops--were a tinderbox, just waiting to ignite at anything. Sure, Bobby's murder added significantly to the discontent, but the protests likely would have been just as vehement were he alive and fighting for the nomination.

One thing's for sure, however; had he lived, perhaps to become either the presidential or VP nominee, he would have been much more successful in blunting the impact of that convention than Humphrey was. That alone might have hindered Nixon in at least a couple of battleground states (New Jersey, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois).

Still, Nixon's electoral-college victory over Humphrey was much larger than his popular-vote win, and it likely would have been larger if not for Wallace's performance in the South. RFK would have had a tough time fighting the pro-GOP trend that year.

I was only 2 then, but one of my first memories is my mom's tears over Bobby's death and her intense dislike for Nixon. She could only imagine and wish that things were different; fortunately for us, we can hope--and we can work.

By: Old_Davy

Old_Davy — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:56:02 +0000

I was only 2 when JFK was assassinated, but I vividly remember Bobby's murder. Even at the age of 7, I understood what bigotry was and that dangerous people were in charge of our nation. Like kshane, I feel optimistic for the first time in 40 years that we finally have a politician running for president that has the charisma to appeal to all people of the nation, along with the intelligence and integrity to change it for the better.

By: kshane

kshane — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:15:53 +0000

I believe that this country began a long downhill slide from which we have yet to recover on November 22, 1963. In 1968 it seemed like we had been handed one last chance in the person of Bobby Kennedy. When we lost that last chance I, and many other people, gave up on the idea that a politician could restore hope and greatness to us.

It was not until Barack Obama appeared on the scene, almost forty years later, that I allowed myself to feel hopeful again. I was there in 1968. I worked on Bobby's campaign. I've been working on Barack's campaign. The feelings are very much the same for me. I pray that the outcome is different this time.

Bobby is never far from my thoughts, and that's even more true today.

By: The Mourning of the First Day « The Hits Just Keep On Comin’

The Mourning of the First Day « The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:46:45 +0000

[...] die the next day, June 6, 1968. Over at Popdose today, you’ll find a piece I wrote about the historical what-ifs involving the assassination of RFK. Here, I’d like to add some additional color from that [...]