Many commentators, myself included, have noted the similarities between the current events and 1968. The self-styled “law and order” candidate prevailed 52 years ago; is the same result inevitable this November?
No, for several reasons:
- Nixon was not the incumbent. Trump is, and he is a uniquely divisive figure; swing voters will hold him responsible for the chaos. He is the arsonist, not the fireman.
- The violence has been much more muted than it was in 1968, and is less threatening to the average American.
- The injustice involved in Floyd’s death is obvious to everyone. Even Trump and McConnell admit that.
- A majority of the electorate has moved to the left on civil rights issues. Many of the demonstrators are white. There is no threat of some sort of race war here.
The bottom line is that a vote for Trump is a vote for more of the same. Is that what the American people really want? We’ll see in November.