Source: Lawrence O'Donnell. Playing With Fire - The 1968 Election
and the Transformation of American Politics (2017)
and the Transformation of American Politics (2017)
In 1968, a little less than 1/3 of the states held Presidential primaries, mostly because the primary system was in decline. The primary system started as a reform during the Progressive Era, and by 1920 half of the states held primaries, which was an effort to bypass the state’s party bosses. By 1968, primaries did feature pledged delegates, but winning a primary mostly meant additional currency to be used during the “Inside Game”, the backroom wheeling-and-dealing before and during the convention to get unbound delegates to commit. So, the only benefit in winning a primary in 1968 was to create a track record to attract voters and as many delegates as possible in order to prove that a candidate was a serious contender heading into the convention.
The magic number of delegates needed to secure the nomination for President at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 was 1312, and there was no way to get even half that total via the 14 primaries between March and July. Most of the delegates weren’t pledged to any candidate that won a primary, which was a clear advantage to LBJ, the consummate political infighter and deal-maker in the “Inside Game”. LBJ expected to dominate the primaries without actually campaigning, and there was nothing wrong with that plan unless the political landscape changed . . . and when it did, LBJ and his Circle of Trust would be the last to figure it out.
Lowenstein and those behind the “Dump Johnson” movement saw something in the primaries that no one else did, in that while it was true the whole primary process was geared to favor the incumbent and to create numerous barriers for entry for challengers, there were opportunities in which to take advantage. The strategy was to celebrate a second-place showing as a victory, and then to work the New Hampshire political machinery to get as many delegates pledged as possible. Also, the media needed to buy in to the notion that a second-place finish was indeed a “win”, which would provide momentum for the next primary.
The magic number of delegates needed to secure the nomination for President at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968 was 1312, and there was no way to get even half that total via the 14 primaries between March and July. Most of the delegates weren’t pledged to any candidate that won a primary, which was a clear advantage to LBJ, the consummate political infighter and deal-maker in the “Inside Game”. LBJ expected to dominate the primaries without actually campaigning, and there was nothing wrong with that plan unless the political landscape changed . . . and when it did, LBJ and his Circle of Trust would be the last to figure it out.
Lowenstein and those behind the “Dump Johnson” movement saw something in the primaries that no one else did, in that while it was true the whole primary process was geared to favor the incumbent and to create numerous barriers for entry for challengers, there were opportunities in which to take advantage. The strategy was to celebrate a second-place showing as a victory, and then to work the New Hampshire political machinery to get as many delegates pledged as possible. Also, the media needed to buy in to the notion that a second-place finish was indeed a “win”, which would provide momentum for the next primary.
Clark was in California getting organized for the biggest prize in the primaries, which meant that the organizational structure at McCarthy’s campaign headquarters suffered. Abigail McCarthy intuited that she needed to use the dedication and energy of her “Attic Group”, which already had “boots on the ground” and was mostly made up of anti-war women/housewives. Abigail was the one that established communications contact between Concord and D.C., and the “Attic Group” wrote personal letters to NH Democrats, which started to create a buzz. Abigail worked very hard, but her husband, the candidate, still lacked energy and appeal when he made his entry, planning on only spending ten days in NH before the primary.
On 30 January 1968, 35 battalions of the Viet Cong attacked six separate points in Saigon, including the US Embassy. They found US troops and the ARVN (The Army for the Republic of Vietnam, the South Vietnamese Army) unprepared, since the border skirmishes had misdirected and fooled General Westmoreland. . . the Tet Offensive had started. American television and newspapers were full of images and news of Tet, which hit 36 provincial capitals in addition to Saigon, which hadn’t het been attacked in the war. The image on television and newspapers that shocked the US public the most was that of a South Vietnamese police chief executing a suspected VC leader. The police chief had good reason to do so in that the man that he shot had ordered and taken part in the executions of 34 innocent people. But that backstory was not on the menu for the US media, and the photo ran in all the world’s newspapers.
On 30 January 1968, 35 battalions of the Viet Cong attacked six separate points in Saigon, including the US Embassy. They found US troops and the ARVN (The Army for the Republic of Vietnam, the South Vietnamese Army) unprepared, since the border skirmishes had misdirected and fooled General Westmoreland. . . the Tet Offensive had started. American television and newspapers were full of images and news of Tet, which hit 36 provincial capitals in addition to Saigon, which hadn’t het been attacked in the war. The image on television and newspapers that shocked the US public the most was that of a South Vietnamese police chief executing a suspected VC leader. The police chief had good reason to do so in that the man that he shot had ordered and taken part in the executions of 34 innocent people. But that backstory was not on the menu for the US media, and the photo ran in all the world’s newspapers.
In February 1968, the listless McCarthy campaign started to experience conflicts; one of the divisions centered around those that were okay with the college kids running the campaign, and those that wanted them gone; but very soon the McCarthy campaign would be shaped by events in Vietnam. The first wave of the Tet Offensive was complete by early-March 1968, and the VC and NVA had failed to achieve their military goals. Westmoreland was correct in saying the enemy’s advance was being turned back, but it was an enemy that the US media and public had been told was incapable of such an attack, and 4000+ US soldiers had been killed. The significance of the Tet Offensive was that it undermined the US public’s desire to continue the war, and polls indicated that public support for the Vietnam War fell to 35%, and LBJ’s polling numbers plummeted as well.
The Tet Offensive sent thousands of college kids to NH to work on behalf of McCarthy, and in an instant over 5000 students were working around the clock, and the campaign was finally brought to life. On college campuses nationwide, Tet was the lightning bolt that accelerated hatred/opposition to the war. LBJ stated that 10,000 additional US troops would be sent to Vietnam, and he also announced that he had extended the tours of those already stationed in SE Asia and was calling up reserves . . . it was as if the Johnson Administration was working as recruiting agents for the McCarthy campaign.
The Tet Offensive sent thousands of college kids to NH to work on behalf of McCarthy, and in an instant over 5000 students were working around the clock, and the campaign was finally brought to life. On college campuses nationwide, Tet was the lightning bolt that accelerated hatred/opposition to the war. LBJ stated that 10,000 additional US troops would be sent to Vietnam, and he also announced that he had extended the tours of those already stationed in SE Asia and was calling up reserves . . . it was as if the Johnson Administration was working as recruiting agents for the McCarthy campaign.
The motto of the McCarthy volunteers was “Clean for Gene”, which for many meant that they decided to clean up their appearance, at least somewhat so, and these cleaned-up kids rang doorbells and worked non-stop. The “Clean for Gene” kids also woke up McCarthy, who finally came to life, and he started to seriously campaign, feeling finally that he was understood. To the kids, the professorial McCarthy was someone they understood, the them, McCarthy’s style was familiar. During a time of great generational strife, McCarthy was the understanding father figure, and NH voters of all ages started to respond. McCarthy, while staying classy, used the Tet Offensive to its fullest political extent; McCarthy wasn’t seen as anti-American, a radical, or a revolutionary. McCarthy’s slogan was “New Hampshire can bring America back to its senses”.
LBJ’s forces in NH had presumed an easy victory, and were in no way expecting an effective challenge. McCarthy looked and felt like a winner before the primary, hearing the roar against tyranny. The NH primary occurred on 12 March 1968, and LBJ garnered 49% and McCarthy received 42%, but the candidate that finished second won that night. McCarthy secured 20 pledged delegates to LBJ’s 4, once the dust had settled, due to the workings of McCarthy’s two main strategists who were from New Hampshire. McCarthy was officially ahead of LBJ in the delegate count right out of the gate, and the politics within the Democratic Party would change significantly as a result. During every primary season since 1968, the Democrats have been looking for another Eugene McCarthy, but one that could win the nomination and the Presidency . . .
LBJ’s forces in NH had presumed an easy victory, and were in no way expecting an effective challenge. McCarthy looked and felt like a winner before the primary, hearing the roar against tyranny. The NH primary occurred on 12 March 1968, and LBJ garnered 49% and McCarthy received 42%, but the candidate that finished second won that night. McCarthy secured 20 pledged delegates to LBJ’s 4, once the dust had settled, due to the workings of McCarthy’s two main strategists who were from New Hampshire. McCarthy was officially ahead of LBJ in the delegate count right out of the gate, and the politics within the Democratic Party would change significantly as a result. During every primary season since 1968, the Democrats have been looking for another Eugene McCarthy, but one that could win the nomination and the Presidency . . .