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ALMOST PRESIDENT: HUBERT HORATIO HUMPHREY, PART VI

© John S. Cooper

With President Johnson’s surprise announcement on March 31, 1968 that he would not run for another term, attention immediately turned to Vice President Humphrey, who immediately became the front-runner. In spite of his front-runner status, his name recognition and his record, Humphrey was hampered by a lack of organization and funding due to his late start. Other anti-war candidates had been in the race for a while, and had secured funds and created functioning national organizations. The strongest of these candidates were Senator Robert Kennedy and Senator Eugene McCarthy.

When Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated after winning the California primary, Humphrey more or less won the nomination by default. But the party was horribly disorganized, and Humphrey did not seem able to provide the unity and consensus that was his trademark. His first, and biggest, problem was the convention itself.

The 1968 Democratic convention was held in Chicago. Anti-war protesters decided to protest in Chicago, both to take advantage of the intense publicity during the convention and to try to make their point with political leaders. Mayor Richard Daley, as host to the convention, provided security that got out of control.

He mobilized thousands of police and National Guardsmen to prevent any disruption, which of course was exactly what the protesters had in mind. The news media carried stories, pictures and video of police using brutal tactics on unarmed protesters. These tactics included using clubs on protesters who were not resisting, tear gas, and other types of force that seemed completely unnecessary and unfair.

Things got out of hand inside the convention as well. Dan Rather, a CBS newsman, was attacked by several security guards on the floor of the convention, beaten to the ground, and hauled away, all on camera while he continued to broadcast. It was obvious that he was attacked because of his anti-war reports and unflattering comments made about Mayor Daley and the excesses of the security forces.

The convention itself met behind barbed wire, search lights, and armed guards, giving the impression of the party cut off from the people, rather than a party of the people. It was, to say the least, not the image Humphrey wanted to project. Once, while watching the conflict between police and protesters from his hotel window, Humphrey was actually tear-gassed. He had to take a shower to get rid of the tear gas that was burning his eyes and skin.

When Humphrey had entered the race, he proclaimed, “Here we are, just as we ought to be. The people, here we are, the way politics ought to be in America, the politics of happiness, the politics of purpose, and the politics of joy.” Nothing seemed farther from the politics of joy than the Democratic convention that year. Humphrey later said that he was, at that moment, “heartbroken, battered and beaten.” Things got worse as the campaign started.

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