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was puzzled as why protester didn't

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0:46

hawkish. These protests more into that

0:48

nuanced. the Democratic party was a

0:51

governing agent. We were in Vietnam

0:53

and these protests went after them

0:55

without regard for Humphries liberal background.

0:58

When he arrived in Chicago first

1:00

thing a protest signs said we

1:02

used to be with you. From

1:25

Three Twenty Five Twenty Five See of

1:28

the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago. Hubert

1:30

Humphrey plant his nomination for President. Cajoling.

1:33

Delegates promising favors, lining up previously

1:35

unfriendly bosses and keeping on the

1:37

right side of the incumbent President

1:39

Lyndon Johnson. Demanding. Work.

1:42

And. Enough according to age and report is

1:44

present in the candidate sweet to keep.

1:46

I'm oblivious to the riot that was

1:48

going on below. Yet for anyone seeking

1:50

to pretend that Nineteen Sixty Eight was

1:52

just a normal Democratic Party convention, there

1:54

was one clue: something was wrong. Even.

1:57

in the top floors the ventilation system

1:59

that the Hilton began drawing in tear

2:02

gas. And that tear gas

2:04

was irritating, but not as crippling as

2:06

it was for those below and not Humphrey's

2:08

main concern on a day that he might,

2:10

still a might, be nominated for president. Police

2:13

would handle the protesters. He had to

2:15

keep the city bosses in line and

2:17

keep the Southern delegates from doing something

2:19

crazy like nominating Lyndon Johnson, even though

2:22

he didn't want the nomination in 68.

2:24

So he said, I shall not

2:26

seek, and I

2:28

will not accept the

2:31

nomination of my party for another term

2:33

as your president. Nobody really quite

2:35

knew at this point. He

2:37

had to keep McCarthy and McGovern,

2:39

the two-piece candidates running in the

2:42

Democratic Party, who each of

2:44

them had no chance, from uniting and

2:46

joining with some other group, backing someone,

2:48

perhaps Teddy Kennedy. There were a lot

2:50

of shadows in the Chicago night. To

2:53

add to all his doubt, his

2:55

protector and host, Richard Daly, the mayor of

2:57

Chicago, held 118 delegates close to his vest,

3:02

an iron Buddha, as one reporter called

3:04

him, silent as to where he would

3:06

go in this nomination contest. Tension,

3:09

the normal tension of a party convention in

3:11

an era before they were just TV coronations,

3:13

all grew hotter when he tried to put

3:16

the party together with a compromise plank on

3:18

Vietnam, and it was rejected by the incumbent

3:20

president, Lyndon Johnson. No, only a hawkish plank

3:22

that would make no one happy would do.

3:25

Given all this and the culmination of

3:27

a career as mayor of Minneapolis, a

3:30

significant liberal senator, crusader for civil rights,

3:32

and now a loser to John Kennedy

3:34

in the primaries, and now a sidekick

3:36

to LBJ, a little whiff

3:38

of some foul, and some excited

3:40

talk by suite visitors about what was

3:42

going on in the streets. Didn't weigh

3:44

heavy in Vice President Humphrey's mind. And

3:46

let's stop right there. I

3:49

can relate all the political machinations of 1968

3:52

that someone like me may consider

3:54

important. This is politics and history, of

3:56

course, But we know that that's

3:58

not what anyone remembers. There's about nineteen Sixty

4:01

eight. For. That. We. Need

4:03

to drop twenty four floors below. Sick

4:06

blue line of police surrounds the ragged

4:08

young. See a piece. A. Man

4:10

runs of a flagpole. And. Try

4:12

to take down the flag. the police

4:14

don't like this and run into the

4:16

crowd to arrest the person clubbing and

4:18

pushing anything that gets in their way.

4:20

They grab the young you be the

4:22

young long hairs many of them would

4:24

read for to them who screams sig

4:26

hail as he has put into a

4:28

cruiser Tv filming scatter protests or scuffle

4:31

with cops. They are clogged. A.

4:33

Protest leader attempts to calm tensions.

4:35

He has marshals now these are

4:37

students who have been trained to

4:40

be the order enforcers among the

4:42

protesters and he has them for

4:44

lock arms and keep themselves between.

4:46

The. More unorganized protesters who are getting

4:48

angry now. And. The police.

4:51

The protest leader then attempts

4:53

to negotiate with police saying

4:55

he can control his crowd.

4:57

Squat boxes. These are

4:59

small megaphone like devices that can

5:02

carry a public address. Sorry

5:04

this is the pre cell phone

5:06

air B Blair instructions to be

5:09

nonviolent. They want us to react.

5:11

We won't let them. This. Is

5:13

the voice of David Deal under

5:15

fifty year old piece veteran and

5:17

a leader of the mobilization committee

5:19

to stop the Vietnam War. And.

5:22

Said I'm ago she had an army of

5:24

blue helmets. Moves forward. And clubs

5:26

and beats one of diligence lieutenant the

5:28

one that was trying to negotiate and

5:30

club and beat the marshals and between

5:32

the message of peace and love his

5:35

last now. The protesters and

5:37

police scuffle. Tom. Hayden leader

5:39

of the Students for Democratic

5:41

Society. Grabs. The microphone from

5:43

the older deal and your pieces over

5:46

non violence is over. They will now

5:48

fight their way to the convention hall.

5:51

This protest soon to become a

5:53

melee. Arguably. The most

5:55

famous of the Nineteen sixties protests.

5:57

a protest that may have been

5:59

responsible for the only election. This

6:01

protest started as a dud. Girl.

6:04

And your Hayden in the mobilization committee had

6:06

called for one hundred thousand protesters to come

6:08

to Chicago. And protest the

6:10

party in power. They.

6:12

Never got the one hundred thousand. Part.

6:15

Of that is because Lyndon Johnson decided

6:17

in Id Sixty Eight not to run

6:19

for reelection and he was a lightning

6:21

rod for protesters. Eugene. Mccarthy

6:23

and Robert Kennedy to Peace candidates were

6:25

battling for the nomination and one of

6:28

the Peace Kennedy's Robert Kennedy was assassinated.

6:30

Sue the whole thing into flux in

6:32

the and about ten thousand came to

6:34

Chicago one tenth of what was called

6:36

for and they were a different places

6:38

in the city at different times compared

6:40

to other protest. By the time you're

6:43

getting to nineteen Sixty Eight this one

6:45

pale. And since daily put

6:47

his entire police force on duty. And.

6:49

Called the National Guard. Police.

6:52

Actually outnumbered protesters. If

6:54

they would have left the protesters alone, who knows.

6:57

This. Might have turn out to be a joke

6:59

at first indeed, A did start that wix

7:01

in front of the because of statue protesters

7:03

nominated A. Pig. Asus for

7:05

president. I'll pick as his

7:08

political career would not last that long. The.

7:10

Police under orders from Mayor Daley who could

7:12

see it from a city hall window, ordered

7:14

the arrest of Pegasus. And

7:17

they were fun and games and chanting

7:19

and music going on in Lincoln Park

7:21

Slope and north of the convention center.

7:23

But was no joke. When. Police decided

7:25

to clear out the park. The. Park

7:28

had strict rules and signed. No

7:30

one was to stay in the

7:32

park past eleven Pm with orders

7:34

to clear the protesters out, the

7:36

use tear gas and clubs. Sunday

7:38

Night Monday night Tuesday As the

7:40

Peace Blade was defeated in the

7:43

convention in Chicago, scuffles broke out

7:45

even in the convention hall. Skirmishes

7:47

continued up until Wednesday, police literally

7:49

fighting with protesters when Hubert Humphrey

7:51

would be nominated when Tom Hayden

7:53

now having seize control of the

7:55

protests leadership from Deal injure. Decided

7:58

that the only way for protests. Avoid

8:00

a death trap The only way to avoid a

8:02

beating that no one would see. Was.

8:04

To March two where the Tv cameras

8:06

were the convention hall. The.

8:09

Very reason that the Democratic party so

8:11

Chicago was to avoid the kind of

8:13

disorder which would look bad. Republicans have

8:15

their nomination in Miami that you're in

8:17

selected Richard Nixon without incident. The Tv

8:19

networks as the democrats to stay in

8:21

that said it's it would save costs

8:23

but Florida was a no go. It

8:26

had a republican governor. And. He

8:28

would then be in charge for the national

8:30

guard if anything went wrong in Miami. Couldn't.

8:33

Do that, Where else. New. York. Now.

8:35

The governor was Republican Nelson

8:38

Rockefeller. Pennsylvania know Rich Saber

8:40

a. California?

8:42

No not. unless Democrats wanted

8:44

Republican Ronald Reagan in control

8:47

of the order of their

8:49

convention. Illinois and Chicago was

8:51

the only place where police

8:53

city and state. The

8:55

National Guard. Were. Under the

8:57

friendly control of Mayor Richard Daley,

9:00

And in fact, in the sterile

9:02

convention hall and isolated Hilton sweet

9:04

it seem like maybe things wouldn't

9:06

go so bad. The pesky

9:09

reporters were focusing on a few squabbles and

9:11

a convention. All but otherwise, Humphrey liked his

9:13

chances. Add to get through

9:15

this convention if he could get out

9:17

from under President Johnson after the convention.

9:20

Be able to wiggle a little. Maybe.

9:22

Attract some of the people who didn't like him. Now.

9:25

He knew he could be Richard Nixon ten

9:27

He had beaten them in Nineteen Sixty Six

9:29

and try to run for California Governor after

9:32

being Vice President last third one. Humphrey was

9:34

a long time liberal. The. Type

9:36

of politicians that normally would appeal to

9:38

the people protesting in the streets. Despite.

9:41

His linked Lbj for the protest

9:43

is cursed. Humphrey was the

9:46

leader of the first Civil Rights

9:48

plank in Nineteen Forty Eight. that

9:50

democratic convention. Twenty. Years

9:52

later now he was the nominee was

9:54

a nice story line for the party,

9:57

especially as it was no Nixon had

9:59

a plan. In to reach out to

10:01

the South and Alabama Governor George Wallace

10:03

was probably going to run a third

10:05

party campaign. Just to

10:07

reinforce this image, Humphrey brought up Jackie

10:09

Robinson for photo op. This was Nineteen

10:12

Sixty Eight. It was the New Democratic

10:14

Party, but try as they might, politicians

10:16

can always create the story want? To

10:24

set up. Again because. There.

10:30

An event that often doesn't get

10:32

talked about in the story. And

10:34

that is that in Nineteen Sixty

10:36

Eight, the Soviet Union centrally invades

10:39

checklist of Akio. Now.

10:42

They. Had also invaded. Hungary

10:45

in nineteen fifty six.

10:48

Both. Of these events occurred and

10:50

American election years and actually both

10:52

of these events had a little

10:54

more influence or gave a little

10:56

more drama to the election. Sometimes

10:58

is is talked about but they

11:00

are different. One. Of the

11:03

things about. Buddha.

11:05

Past is that it's an

11:07

actual rebellion. There are soviets,

11:10

had her killed in the

11:12

process, and so. Wild.

11:14

The Hungarian government is unable to fight

11:16

the the invasion. It's a real and

11:19

invasion with forests with. Ah,

11:21

And it's an independent government that

11:24

was attempted. To. Be established

11:26

in Hungary and nineteen fifty

11:28

six in nineteen sixty eight

11:30

and checklist of voc: "Yes,

11:32

it's more of a more

11:34

liberal" Communist leader who

11:37

still aligned with the Soviet Union

11:39

but just and policies is being

11:41

a little too democratic and liberal.

11:44

There was hope for the new idealism

11:46

and a bloodless revolution that seem to

11:48

sweep away the old Dad to make

11:51

way for an atmosphere of genuine freedom.

11:53

And yet the tanks go in. And

11:55

nurses under the first type of

11:57

action like this under the Brezhnev.

12:00

Government yet American policy was to

12:02

maintain a day ton of swords

12:04

and that the west headed side.

12:07

Now. Soviet Union had, for instance,

12:09

moved out of Austria. On

12:11

check was of Akio Humphrey says.

12:14

It's. Not a major crisis. Johnson.

12:17

Fumes. says.

12:20

It was too soft to inadequate.

12:22

You. Are stretching the patriotism of

12:24

Southern governors He sits? Men:

12:27

Like Connelly, This makes

12:30

Lyndon Johnson want to double

12:32

down. On any

12:35

kind of your any thought

12:37

of real new. Working.

12:39

On a little bit of a

12:41

statement on. Is gonna go

12:44

out of mind. And this is

12:46

gonna affect the negotiations and humphreys

12:48

going during the convention. The

12:51

Soviets are sensing weakness because

12:53

of Vietnam. And. They're doing

12:55

what they want. Can't let that happen. Here's

12:58

how are Charles Lloyd Garrison describes

13:01

it. The Verdict: From the very

13:03

political force, Humphrey had drawn his

13:05

support and strength from all his

13:07

wife. This the laughed now denounced

13:09

him. All. Because of

13:11

a stand on one issue, albeit a

13:13

momentous one. I. Have no time

13:16

for them. Schubert. Said Humphrey

13:18

said of the demonstrators.

13:21

Path. And come on up through for

13:23

the Democratic Party. Thrive

13:29

on a par That convention. Where.

13:32

The turn and whether we have the courage to say

13:34

that we were. An.

13:36

Even greater Third, Parties.

13:40

In Vietnam. Wall.

13:45

As the afternoon came to an end

13:47

in the convention, recessed about two to

13:50

three thousand protesters egged on by

13:52

Haven's squawk box. March now Michigan

13:54

Avenue to get to the Hilton or the

13:56

Tv cameras. stop the war they

13:58

scream and as they met police resistance, let

14:01

us march. Views are mixed

14:03

on whether the mobilization leader wanted to

14:05

draw the police into a fight in

14:07

order to get attention. Dillinger insisted he

14:09

was for nonviolence all the way at

14:11

all times. Hayden was more

14:13

fatalistic about it. It was unavoidable. When

14:16

the Mobilization Committee asked for permits from

14:18

the city of Chicago and they were

14:20

denied it. Everything we

14:22

did, he said, was automatically illegal. Both

14:25

sides felt strongly about their positions.

14:27

The police and the protesters. And

14:30

remember, this wasn't a mobilization committee to

14:32

show some disfavor about the Vietnam War.

14:34

It was a mobilization committee to stop

14:36

the war. Stop it now. Protesters

14:40

didn't just sing songs and hold flowers. There

14:42

were some of that. They threw rocks, bricks,

14:45

bottles. Police

14:47

feared malted cocktails. The

14:50

police, mostly from blue collar neighborhoods, resented

14:53

these college kids coming in. Long hairs,

14:55

as they called them. Orders

14:57

from above were clear. Get them out

14:59

of Chicago. They don't stay

15:01

overnight. That's good. We should

15:04

not, as we sit in comfort and hopefully

15:06

peace, underestimate the impact of

15:08

a bottle thrown at a cop's head.

15:11

Nor the feelings of a 20-year-old flower

15:13

child as she is cracked in the

15:15

head by a burly Chicago sergeant for

15:17

the first time in her life experiencing

15:19

violence. This was a

15:22

war. And it enraged people on both

15:24

sides. The protesters, by the time he

15:26

got to Wednesday, had no

15:28

more patience. And that's why,

15:30

as they approached the blue line

15:32

in guarding the Hiltel Hilton, the

15:35

squawk boxes blared. The whole world is

15:37

watching. The whole world is watching. But

15:40

the front of the protesters, as they

15:42

met this wall of police, and

15:44

maybe urged everyone not to move forward

15:47

so fast. But the back

15:49

in turn urged the front to move

15:51

forward. Squawk boxes continued.

15:53

The whole world is watching. The whole world

15:55

is watching. In the beginning of this Michigan

15:57

Avenue action, the protesters, the protesters, the protesters,

16:00

There's more and charging. The police approaches is

16:02

in front, kneeled, Yet. In

16:04

the hotel above sympathetic people

16:06

may be Mcgovern, a Mccarthy

16:08

delegates perhaps were throwing anything.

16:10

they get hotel stationary, some

16:12

cases, bottles, whatever, they get

16:14

down at the cops and

16:16

they were booing loudly. The

16:18

cops charged club the everyone

16:20

drag protesters to the streets,

16:22

even locked up it's servers.

16:24

This was dubbed the Battle

16:26

of Michigan Avenue and reporters

16:28

who were watching from the

16:30

hotel suite couldn't believe their

16:32

eyes. Theodore. Right watching from above

16:35

could call it nothing else but.

16:38

A. Police Riot. The whole world is

16:40

watch. But. Not

16:42

live. See. Mary Daly

16:44

hadn't made it easy on the media.

16:47

There. Was a telephone strike? suspiciously? In

16:49

a city where the alien the

16:51

unions were pretty tight. That. Shut

16:53

down telephone except where deal he wanted

16:56

it. At the show in

16:58

the convention center really bad. the

17:00

customary weaving of speeding tickets from

17:02

media were delivering film. Know

17:04

they would be stopped and ticketed like everyone

17:07

else and they couldn't get to the cars

17:09

easily cause they couldn't park near the hotel.

17:11

So. Film had to be driven

17:14

slowly or walked at normal speed.

17:17

Doesn't make the media entirely happy,

17:19

and it may have influenced their

17:21

decision on cover. It. Was.

17:23

Supposed to be on Tv at about

17:26

eight o'clock was Carl Stokes, the African

17:28

American Mayor of Cleveland, who would put

17:30

Humphreys name into nomination. Not.

17:32

To think about this for a second. This

17:34

Is Nineteen Sixty Eight. Or forty

17:37

years later, America would nominate a lead

17:39

a black president. But this is my

17:41

teens. Sixty eight. But. There's

17:43

a big radical moment and African

17:45

American is going to nominate the

17:47

Democratic Party nominee for Press Humphrey.

17:49

One of this on Tv. Will

17:52

Just as this is going on news

17:54

directors that the national Networks were confronted

17:56

with a choice Yes, they had a

17:58

Mayor Stokes nominating Humphrey. The same

18:00

time the story appeared to be

18:02

outside the whole the film was

18:05

filmed. probably knew where from an

18:07

hour half hour before we showing

18:09

protesters been beaten by Chicago police.

18:11

even know at this point Mayor

18:14

Stokes was speaking the streets Worth

18:16

calmer Tv was showing clubbing and

18:18

dragging, scuffling, enchanting, By. The time

18:20

Humphrey get the nomination and eleven

18:22

Pm Wednesday night theater White was

18:25

writing in his notebook that Democrats

18:27

are finished. Humphrey.

18:45

In a sweet in the top

18:47

of the Conrad Hilton in Chicago

18:50

that. Has the fumes

18:52

of tear gas coming through

18:54

the air conditioning system. Finally,

18:57

Gets the nod. And.

18:59

In what might have been a great

19:01

Tv moment in any other convention. His.

19:05

Wife is down on the floor. He

19:07

being a good candidate following the traditions

19:09

is not on the floor. He

19:12

kisses his wife's face on

19:15

tv. For. The

19:17

print reporters. And.

19:19

Any of the year that would have been a great

19:21

in i dig you know, gray moment in Nineteen Sixty

19:23

Eight. It just comes off

19:26

wrong. It looks too showy,

19:28

It looks too old fashioned.

19:31

I'm. Jane Tell as long time

19:33

Foreign correspondent and former Beijing

19:35

Bureau Chief Southern York Times.

19:38

I've been a foreign correspondent. And

19:40

lots of places. Somalia,

19:42

Indonesia, Pakistan, but nowhere

19:45

as important. To the world

19:47

as China I'm in, China is

19:49

not dropping anti Democratic paratroopers into

19:51

Montana. But of course we did

19:53

see things like the weather balloons

19:55

last five alone, riveting the whole

19:57

country for a week. is

20:00

Face Off, an eight-part series in

20:02

which we'll take you behind the

20:05

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20:12

reporter, a US Admiral, even Yo-Yo

20:14

Ma. Plus, my pal

20:16

and noted China historian Ranamitta

20:19

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20:27

Face Off launches April 9th. If

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21:35

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podcasts. In

21:55

a sense, Chicago was just symptomatic of what was going

21:57

on in the late 60s. A politician could. The

22:00

beach and avoid protest kind of

22:02

forgotten about that these dates colleges

22:04

were occupied so we're parks com

22:07

Freight was puzzled ask why protesters

22:09

didn't pick index and he was

22:11

more hawkish. These protests weren't

22:13

air that nuanced. the Democratic party

22:16

was a governing agent. we were

22:18

in Vietnam and these protests went

22:20

after them without regard for Humphreys

22:22

liberal background. Okay,

22:24

so this is a

22:27

podcast from Twenty Eleven

22:29

and mostly and. Now.

22:32

I'm coming in and twenty Twenty

22:34

four talking to you. Why am

22:36

I talking about this? I think

22:39

it's quite obvious right now what's

22:41

going on their campus protests. Com.

22:43

And there's some counter protest campuses all

22:46

across the nation. Police have been called

22:48

think camp and said been removed. There's

22:50

no counter calls for those who made

22:52

the decisions to do that. There's a

22:54

lot of fighting and squabbling now of

22:57

course. Ah, we have to ask a

22:59

this is an election year so here's

23:01

Bryant Thomas on the My History Can

23:03

Beat Up Your Politics discussion group. Have

23:05

you done any apps on the Nixon

23:08

Humphrey election? This year's race

23:10

is really starting to have a

23:12

sixty five, so with any historical

23:14

comparison, you also have to contrast.

23:16

But let's compare. Yes, we have

23:18

these student protests. We have these

23:20

campus protests and we have a

23:22

lot of them. Not just like

23:24

one big ones in D C

23:26

or something. it's a. Lot. Of

23:28

protests. We. Also, see

23:31

political divisions on. A.

23:33

Micro and macro level. Like.

23:36

You. Go to any state or county

23:39

in this nation with or maybe

23:41

a democratic party group. And.

23:43

Year now going to see divisions of there's

23:45

going to be some people want you know

23:47

or against the policy the National party. It's

23:50

the same thing that's going on the Uk

23:52

right now with the Labour party safe, very

23:54

similar situation. And. if they're feel

23:56

strongly about the gaza issued their position

23:58

is going to be I don't

24:00

care about the Republicans. I'm talking to you Biden's

24:04

the one in office now things

24:06

like that. This is exactly comparable

24:08

to 68 I had

24:10

that quote that quote comes from when I did this podcast

24:12

and I put that together in 2011 It's

24:15

Humphrey asking why aren't

24:17

they protesting Nixon? Well protesters did

24:19

protest Nixon I mean, he was

24:21

a lot better with security and

24:23

then had less Gumption

24:26

in terms of keeping them out and

24:28

things like that But they did protest

24:30

Nixon and they did protest Wallace quite

24:33

a bit that was a three-way election in

24:35

68 but Humphrey's

24:37

complaint was right but for a lot of

24:40

the the people McGovern

24:42

supporters or McCarthy supporters

24:45

their attitude was much like well, I

24:47

don't even talk to Republicans. You were

24:49

my previous party You

24:51

and you're the ones in power. So I'm talking to

24:53

you. I don't want to talk to Nixon. I

24:56

hate Nixon But

24:58

yet there's no doubt that politically speaking

25:01

whatever they had in their minds politically

25:03

speaking protesters helped Richard Nixon to be

25:05

elected in 68 and To

25:09

some degree he used it in the 70 midterm and

25:11

he used it in 72 as well I

25:14

mean to the point that Nixon was actually up

25:16

in his limousine trying to get hit with eggs Yes

25:21

You get a little 68 vibe anytime you

25:23

see protests like that and

25:26

I'll just come out and say it In

25:28

case we're wondering protest large

25:31

amounts of them unrest

25:33

social Instability in the

25:35

country. It's never a positive thing for

25:37

whos ever in power for the incumbent

25:40

party I know I say it that

25:42

way cuz hey I might use this podcast years from

25:44

now. I've done it before So

25:46

I just say incumbent party you

25:49

don't want it whether you're Herbert Hoover In

25:52

the midst of the Depression when you have

25:54

people who previously had homes and apartments and

25:56

now are living in you know Hooverville's

25:59

and going through the garbage dumps for

26:01

food. That's gonna lead to

26:03

a little impoliteness when your train

26:06

comes around, and that's exactly what happened

26:08

to Hoover. It doesn't help

26:10

if you're Woodrow Wilson and you have

26:13

riots. In most

26:15

cases, there's violence against

26:18

black people who are seeking jobs

26:20

in war industries and moving to new places

26:22

when they had, principally, been located south. A

26:25

lot of strikes and a lot of disruption

26:27

in the country. That's just not good. And

26:30

also bombs going off and things like

26:32

that. That's just not good for the

26:34

country. And so that didn't help Democrats,

26:36

the incumbent party, when they tried to

26:38

run James Cox to replace Wilson in

26:40

20. I mean, it did horrible. So,

26:43

68 is

26:45

probably your clearest example, and in our

26:47

memory, of, yeah, when you have protests

26:49

at your convention in 1968, it

26:52

just destroys the party. It

26:54

destroys the party. And guess

26:56

what? The Democratic Party has its

26:58

convention in Chicago. They're doing some of the

27:01

same things. There's already pre-battles going on, by

27:03

the way, between protest groups and

27:05

Biden administration over city permits and where the

27:07

protesters, they're gonna try to get it as

27:09

far from the convention as they can. But

27:12

you know that there will be some activity

27:14

there at the convention, and how that's handled

27:17

is going to determine whether there's

27:21

a good, strong party

27:23

in control of the country or

27:26

whether there's social instability and how that's seen.

27:30

Contrasts, okay. So, 68, by

27:32

the way, I believe, you

27:34

know, my view is

27:36

that 68's pretty late in the game.

27:40

You already had the Tet Offensive. You already

27:42

had America turned against the Vietnam War by

27:44

the time you get to 68 and the

27:46

convention and

27:49

everything like that. Also, the

27:51

scale of protests, it's not

27:53

just college campuses. And

27:56

you know, and it was harder to

27:58

organize those back then. when

28:01

you had to use paper flyers and the

28:03

like, which makes their presence of those large

28:05

protests even more shocking to the nation. But

28:07

it was in parks, it was in government

28:10

buildings, it was all over. And

28:12

here you have an issue that however strongly

28:14

protesters might feel about, and I know they

28:16

will, probably get a few emails about that.

28:19

Don't downplay our – no. I mean,

28:21

sure, you'll get big numbers

28:24

for just a general ceasefire of

28:26

things. But when we talk

28:28

about other issues, there's definitely two sides

28:30

on this one in a very strong

28:32

way. And you see protests

28:34

and also counter-protest. You

28:37

also had the unrest of two

28:39

major figures, John F. Kennedy and

28:42

then Martin Luther King being assassinated

28:44

in that same year, not long

28:46

from each other. Let's not forget

28:48

five years from Jack

28:51

Kennedy. So there was even this kind

28:53

of heightened awareness

28:56

of things in the 64

28:58

election, and that

29:01

extends over. So, you

29:03

know, hey, you're right

29:05

to suggest it. I don't think we're there yet. That

29:07

doesn't mean we can't be. And it's

29:09

not a good thing. There's no part of

29:11

this that's good for Joe Biden.

29:15

This and how

29:17

well RFK Jr. does are

29:19

probably the things you've got

29:21

to look at in

29:23

addition to everything else. But those are the two

29:25

major factors right now that I see. And

29:28

the RFK thing, I don't have an answer

29:31

right now, and I'm not going to. I'll

29:33

look at it again probably in July,

29:36

August, and see where we are

29:38

there. And I have a lot of history with third-party

29:40

candidates. Totally different issue. So

29:42

in any case, I wanted to discuss

29:45

this about 1968. Right now,

29:47

I'm going to play what I said back

29:49

in 2011, because I think you might find

29:51

it interesting. It's already become a bit of

29:54

history. This is Occupy Wall Street, but I

29:56

certainly think some of the same tactics are

29:58

being employed. for

30:00

instance, you know, we're

30:03

staying as opposed to we're marching. I

30:08

talk about Chicago because recent

30:10

events, occupation, protests, gaining media

30:12

attention. Chicago is an example of

30:15

a protest that didn't go as planned. It

30:17

did have some good effects, protesters probably

30:19

would like, but it also elected

30:22

Richard Nixon, who would end the

30:24

war but would take a long time doing it.

30:26

There are sad people who've dropped

30:28

out of corporate society but nurse

30:30

a manic wit for mocking society.

30:33

Thus they intrigued the media. So wrote

30:35

Theodore White about the so-called hippies who

30:37

filled Chicago streets in 1968. Today,

30:39

similar descriptions are made of protesters

30:42

who have since September 17th occupied

30:45

Wall Street. Actually, they've occupied a park to

30:47

the west of Wall Street, Succotti

30:49

Park, a bonus park, which

30:51

means it is owned privately. But

30:54

due to a loophole and zoning laws,

30:57

because they allowed the owners to

30:59

build a building high in the

31:01

sky, they had to build a

31:03

park that would be open 24

31:05

hours. And the public is there

31:08

protesting income equality, bailouts, unemployment foreclosures,

31:10

and the like. They've attracted union

31:12

support, celebrities and raised hundreds

31:14

of thousands of dollars to support

31:16

their costs. With help from unions, the

31:19

crowd had at least one rally that equaled

31:21

to 68 Chicago March numbers.

31:24

These mobs are a growing concern, Eric

31:27

Cantor said. Class warfare,

31:29

Romney said. Un-Americans at

31:31

Herman Cain. This is

31:33

George Soros behind this Limbaugh said. They

31:35

need to clarify what they

31:37

want, Bill Clinton said. They

31:40

might speak for me, Ron Paul

31:42

Said, if they behave themselves and attack

31:44

the Fed. Occupy Wall Street was a

31:46

surprise, especially the media attention they have

31:49

received. But I Think there are two

31:51

reasons why we should have expected this.

31:53

One Logistical, the other political. One Logistical.

31:55

New York City is a fairly easy

31:58

place to get a crowd started. There's

32:00

millions of people, mass transit options.

32:03

It's politics tend to be liberal which

32:05

matches the O W S is general

32:07

politics. Indeed, Several members a

32:09

New York City Council have visited the

32:12

protest, something that probably would not have

32:14

occurred in Chicago, and Nineteen Sixty Eight.

32:16

Finally, It's police

32:18

though. Mayor. Bloomberg, just like

32:21

Mayor Daley and Sixty Eight is

32:23

not thrilled with the protest. Bloomberg

32:25

is no daily. And the

32:27

police and Y P D or

32:29

more tolerant or at least more

32:31

experience with protesters. The second reason

32:33

is political. The protesters. Occupying

32:36

a political void, That's

32:38

been left wide open. Wall. Street

32:40

and Banks. Republicans. Won't

32:42

attack them because they just don't do

32:44

that. Democrats. Outside

32:47

of a thin ultra liberal group, have

32:49

been shy on this front of the

32:51

as. President Obama has not engage in

32:53

the harsh rhetoric of Fdr talking about

32:55

chasing money changers out of the Temple.

32:58

Democrats have been the beneficiary of Wall Street

33:00

over the years. Donations. From

33:02

Nineteen Ninety Eight to Two Thousand And Six.

33:05

Forty four percent of them from Wall

33:08

Street going to Democrats. Quite.

33:10

Open Secrets. Nor.

33:12

Did Congress acts sufficiently? Unlike.

33:14

The Pooh Hearing: We've talked about

33:16

the nineteen Teens or the Because

33:19

Committee of the Nineteen Thirties. There's

33:21

been no full public airing, no

33:23

investigation on T V. Followed

33:26

by reforms. Finally,

33:29

The one could imagine many of the people

33:31

in O W S. Being the

33:33

same types of people, it's not the same

33:35

people. Who. Helped President Obama

33:37

when his early primary victories against

33:39

Hillary Clinton. Many also reflect those

33:42

voters who were disappointed with the

33:44

President Now Protest in one cities

33:46

and significant of this month old

33:48

movement has grown. Occupy Philadelphia, Occupied

33:51

Denver, Occupy D C. Of course

33:53

it's been compared to the Counter

33:55

Tea Party. But. it's success didn't

33:57

stem from that it didn't start like that

34:00

party just to counter the Tea

34:02

Party. Protesting one city is insignificant,

34:04

especially when one compares the protesting

34:07

numbers to the population. And

34:10

just to be a little realistic here,

34:12

I will. It's impossible for 2,000 people

34:14

to occupy Denver, that's the city of

34:16

550,000. 10,000

34:20

cannot occupy New York, a city of 8.3 million. Occupy

34:23

Los Angeles has 31,811 likes on Facebook.

34:29

But at the same time, 141,000 like the Los Angeles Times newspaper. Yet

34:35

a month old movement has spread that it

34:38

has raised $300,000 and defeated

34:40

an effort to get them to leave the

34:42

park. Protests are an important part of American.

34:45

They helped institute a Bill of

34:47

Rights, the Jeffersonian Revolution, Civil Rights,

34:49

Labor Union, Social Security was the

34:51

result of prodding from one of

34:53

three protest movements that Franklin Roosevelt

34:55

faced, the Francis Town Head

34:57

Clubs. We have a right

34:59

to assemble from the very beginnings and to

35:01

petition our government. By my quibble with some

35:03

of the issues raised by the protesters, we'll

35:06

question them as to what they truly think

35:08

the solution to some of the problems they

35:10

bring will be. Can

35:12

it argue with how important

35:14

demonstrations and organization is to

35:17

our politics? On the

35:19

other hand, we already have perhaps the

35:21

most effective measure of public opinion available

35:23

to us, democracy. And

35:25

a protest must be considered this way.

35:28

It is in essence an attempt to

35:30

highlight one position at the expense of

35:32

others through turnout numbers.

35:35

41 million people, for instance, voted for Michael

35:37

Dukakis to be president in an election that

35:39

he lost. Millions, 58

35:42

million, voted for John

35:44

McCain. The government went the opposite

35:46

way from them. And

35:48

I've always said, and I did so

35:51

in talking about the Tea Party movement,

35:54

58 million is a large base to pull

35:56

from for any kind of protest movement. Election

35:58

is a much more perfect form. Of

36:00

expressing opinion. Then. Looking.

36:03

At demonstrations and setting policy based

36:05

on that. I do think

36:07

however, We. Were representation prom at

36:09

the federal level When half a

36:11

million people can I really feel

36:13

comfortable and get to know one

36:16

representative congress? And the Nineteen

36:18

sixties protests were common. A. Few

36:20

early campus protest and sixty five and

36:22

twenty five thousand people protest in Dc.

36:25

By. Eighteen Sixty Seventh, you gotta hundred thousand

36:27

a Dc protesting and four hundred thousand

36:29

marching from Central Park to the Un

36:31

building. A New York. In. Nineteen

36:33

Sixty Eight, You've got protest in several

36:35

cities. Number one half million. Nineteen.

36:38

Seventy four hundred and fifty campuses

36:40

shut down and four hundred thousand

36:43

in D now protesting President Nixon.

36:46

And as protest movement growing over

36:48

those years in the sixties corresponded

36:50

with the polls, when asked the

36:53

question by Gallup, do you think

36:55

sending troops to Vietnam was a

36:57

mistake? March Nineteen Sixty Five Only

36:59

Twenty Six percent. December Nineteen Sixty

37:02

Seven. Now Forty Five percent. January

37:04

Nineteen Seventy Fifty Seven percent. And

37:06

Nineteen Seventy One May. Sixty.

37:09

One percent sending troops to Vietnam.

37:11

I'm a state so on conclude

37:13

by that the protests ended the

37:15

war in Vietnam. There. Was

37:17

a corresponding concerned though. but the protest

37:20

themselves during the same time in Nineteen

37:22

Sixty Five, just seven percent of voters

37:24

thought social control with a key issue

37:26

of the day. By. Nineteen Seventy

37:29

That rose to forty one percent.

37:32

More. Than foreign policy is the major

37:34

issue. Economics is the major issue for

37:36

civil rights as the majors. Tellingly, it

37:38

went down as soon as most of

37:40

the protesters and did the same time.

37:42

Support was crumbling for Vietnam. Fifty

37:45

six percent of the same people

37:47

were saying that the police who

37:49

are clubbing speed protesters on T

37:51

V handle Chicago right? Nixon.

37:54

Exploited these kind of differences to

37:56

the unrest that sunk. humphrey. Became.

37:59

throat that Nixon as an incumbent

38:01

in 1972 could run against and

38:03

win. So did the protests really

38:05

end the Vietnam War? Well they must

38:08

have had some impact but assuming the

38:10

protests in the 1960s were younger and they

38:12

certainly were, the most

38:14

consistent gallop criticism of

38:16

the Vietnam War came

38:18

from older Americans who were aged 50 or over. In 1965 Americans

38:20

50 or older only 29% of them saying

38:26

Vietnam was a mistake but 30

38:28

or under was only 15% so that early criticism

38:32

the war was coming from the 50 year older

38:34

crowd. Eight years later the under

38:37

30 are now convinced up to 53% say

38:39

the war was a mistake but

38:42

the over 50 crowd is

38:45

at 69% saying the war was a

38:47

mistake. This would seem to indicate that

38:50

older Americans actually got us out of

38:52

the war. Of course the protesters may

38:54

have swayed their parents and grandparents if

38:56

not their own hawkish peers and they

38:59

may have swayed media which would have

39:01

influenced these groups. So

39:03

do I bring up the Chicago 1968 convention

39:07

in order to try to say that this is what's

39:09

going to happen with Occupy Wall Street. You're all going

39:11

to be clubbed and beaten and it's going to be

39:13

horrible. Am I some old fuddy-duddy who

39:15

doesn't like to see protesters? No it's not what

39:18

I'm saying at all. I can compare the Occupy

39:20

Wall Street to the 1968 convention.

39:23

I'm going to also look at some other

39:25

historical events but also make a

39:27

quick contrast. There are two differences. One

39:30

is even though a lot of

39:32

the pictures you see on the media are

39:34

of younger people the 68 protests probably were

39:36

a bit younger than OWS has turned out

39:38

to be. One of the things I did

39:40

in researching this issue Is

39:43

not just look at the media pictures

39:45

in case that we were seeing this

39:47

kind of the mainstream media you know

39:50

making OWS look bad. I looked at

39:52

Flickr and pictures that just people had

39:54

taken and just simply looked at photos

39:57

and the very general way of doing

39:59

things. You'll see a majority of

40:01

the people under forty. You. Know

40:03

in these photos who look like they're under

40:05

forty. Their devlin, not all college students is

40:08

a significant amount of middle aged. The older

40:10

people in the contrast would be that days

40:12

are much better organized. The recent attempt to

40:14

organize in Chicago kind of got out of

40:17

control. I. Am trying

40:19

to point out little bit of the

40:21

unpredictability of the results. Of

40:23

demonstrations and protests of does O

40:25

W S have an effect. Or.

40:28

Does it just breed counter protest

40:31

or support by the silent majority

40:33

for whoever the Republican nominee turns

40:35

out to be. Of

40:37

course will continue to observe. I'm not

40:39

sure of a single issue. Which.

40:41

Would end this protest. So

40:44

I don't know how it will turn out. It's

40:46

list of protests expressing a lot of

40:48

varied frustrations. It does for me, balance

40:51

out what has been one sided depictions

40:53

of American public opinion. And.

40:55

A lot of dominance in the media

40:57

by the tea party. As if that

40:59

was the only group that can influence

41:02

politics. One thing O W S has

41:04

already done. Has taken the

41:06

debate in America pretty far from his

41:08

Obama, a socialist and brought up new

41:10

issues. And for those looking at the

41:12

Twenty Twelve election, that's the good news

41:14

for President Obama. Okay that there's this

41:17

kind of. More. Nuanced of

41:19

Politics two engines Now and

41:21

the political world. The. Bad

41:23

news is this: if you look at

41:26

the elections nineteen sixty Eight and will

41:28

throw in Nineteen Twenty Great Unrest is

41:30

Not good. The incumbent president. Moon

41:51

A D C Television Assed William

41:54

F. Mccully. the

41:57

well no conservative commentator and publisher

41:59

the national review who

42:01

he wouldn't want to be on TV

42:03

with. He first said, there's no

42:05

one that I wouldn't talk to. Then

42:07

he added, well, not

42:12

your Vidal. Well,

42:26

some television executive there decided

42:29

in 1968, as a Republican and Democratic

42:32

conventions are approaching and they wanted

42:34

some unique political coverage, some angle

42:36

on the other networks, that

42:39

they would bring these two

42:41

absolute opposites together. Buckley

42:44

from the right, Vidal from the left.

42:48

The result was a kind

42:51

of television that we'd be used to

42:53

now, a kind of proto crossfire

42:55

reality TV where the

42:58

two commentators really

43:00

went at it personally. But

43:03

it was shocking for the time. I

43:05

think more than Buckley, Vidal wanted

43:08

blood. He wanted to expose Buckley

43:10

who he felt was a fraud

43:12

with no ideas. And

43:15

I also think that Buckley wanted to get

43:17

back at him. To sit

43:19

by and watch a professional critics

43:22

of the Republican party, Burlesque,

43:26

people who think it's

43:28

right to present Mr. Gorbodow as

43:30

a political commentator of any consequence,

43:33

since he is nothing more than a

43:36

literary producer of perverted Hollywood

43:38

minded prose.

43:42

Now, Bill, I think he's always to the right,

43:44

I think, and almost always in the wrong. certainly

44:00

must, uh, we'll maintain your reputation as

44:02

being the marion-pranette of the right wing.

44:06

And they get to the Democratic conventions of

44:08

that year and that means they're

44:10

commenting on the night that

44:13

protesters marched on

44:15

the DNC and police beat

44:17

them and it gets pretty heated. And

44:19

to our two guest commentators, William Buckley

44:21

and Gore Godal, and to

44:23

ask them what observations they've made about

44:26

the security that we have seen all

44:28

week at this convention and

44:30

the events tonight on the streets

44:32

beyond this convention hall, uh,

44:36

is who's first, Mr. Godal first? I

44:40

think, uh, there's very

44:42

little that we can say after those pictures.

44:45

Buckley's defending the police,

44:48

Godal defending the protesters, until

44:50

it reaches a point where

44:53

twice Godal calls him

44:55

a Nazi. Buckley

44:57

strikes back hard and

45:00

he's mad on TV. It's the exact reverse

45:03

of his image that he's cultivated and that

45:05

we probably know him for if you're not

45:07

aware of this incident. And

45:09

I'm for ostracizing people who egg on

45:12

other people to shoot American Marines and

45:14

American soldiers. I know you don't scare me.

45:16

I know you don't scare me. I know

45:18

you're an American nation from a crypto-nautic. I

45:20

can think of it yourself. I'm doing that.

45:23

But I learned that now you're a man.

45:25

And listen, you go right outside the area

45:27

of crypto-Nazi. Let's stop by the name you

45:29

live out there and say that you will

45:31

see plaster, gentlemen, and you will nominate a

45:34

modern-world veteran back in this pornography and stop

45:36

making any illusions of that. Thank you

45:38

to infantry in the last war. You were not infantry.

45:40

It was a matter of I had to get my

45:42

hands off you. You were not. I was holding your

45:45

own military record. Although

46:00

Buckley was often drunk and out of control, he

46:03

was always a spontaneous liar on

46:05

any subject that his dizzy brain

46:07

might extrude. It was a day

46:09

that Buckley would regret deeply. He

46:12

wouldn't talk about Vidal in interviews. Even

46:14

in 2006, two years before his death,

46:16

he wouldn't talk about Gore Vidal at all. I

46:24

want to thank you for listening to my History. You can

46:26

meet up at yourpolitics.com. Facebook

46:28

site there. And

46:32

if you do like the program, please tell somebody

46:34

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47:03

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