Democrats And Their Riots

 I & I Editorial Board

. . ."Maybe reason will win over rage. But the Democrat leaders have a history of aligning themselves with groups whose factory settings are malice and lawlessness. The party presents itself as moderate, but the immoderates who are filling the street see beyond the disguise." . . . 

"Vice President Hubert Humphrey entered the 1968 Democratic National Convention polling well though he had run in none of the primaries nor had he received a single vote. The convention, marred by conflict and bloodshed, was “disastrous” in historical terms, with Republican Richard Nixon emerging, says the Washington Post, as “the one person” who was “fully victorious.”

"Will this year’s convention, in Chicago, just as in 1968, yield a similar result? Those who care for the future of this country and don’t want it fundamentally transformed by radicals, should pray so.

"The similarities between the Democrats’ 1968 and 2024 conventions go far beyond the host city. In both cases, the incumbent president backed out of the race and turned over the top of the ticket to his vice president. Like Humphrey, Kamala Harris ran in no primaries and took in a total of zero votes. Yet she’s been polling well against her Republican challenger, just as Humphrey showed well in most of the polls since spring of the year.

"After the convention, however, Humphrey’s polling lead became a deficit that climbed into double digits. He lost to Nixon by about a half millions votes and was swamped in the Electoral College 301-191.

"Will we see a replay of this in 2024? Will Harris’ numbers fall flat after the sugar high of the convention?

"Could happen, because this year’s Democratic convention might be as violent as the 1968 version, which was wrecked by protests against the war in Vietnam. The Chicago Tribune reported that Michigan Avenue became “a bloodied battleground.” where “scores were injured and thousands affected by tear gas.” Rioters “were thrown into police vans and arrested” and “glass windows on the Michigan Avenue side of the Hilton” where Humphrey and party leaders were headquartered, “were shattered.” The party was eating its own.

"Fifty-six years later, demonstrators took to the streets even before the convention began, with “a coalition comprised of various feminist and pro-Palestinian groups,” says the local media, marching on Sunday." . . .