Democrats ’24 Chicago Convention may make their ’68 version look like ‘A walk in Grant Park

Walt Zlotow

May 27, 2024

President Biden is facing 2 daunting dilemmas.


The first is moral. He knows full well he’s supporting and enabling Israel’s grotesque genocidal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. Yet, for reasons known only to himself, Biden keeps sending the weapons of death to continue the destruction of an entire populous into its sixth month. He does nothing to end Israel’s blockade of food, water and medicine that are killing hundreds daily lucky enough to avoid Biden’s bombs. He has destroyed his public legacy as a statesman. He has destroyed his personal legacy as a human being. History will not be kind to Joe Biden.


His second dilemma is political and flows from his moral dilemma. His Democratic voting base is abandoning him over his genocidal policies. Over half (56%) oppose any more weapons of Palestinian destruction to Israel. He’s been stalked by anti genocide demonstrators whenever he appears in public. They even forced him to detour his usual route to the State of the Union Speech.
Anti genocide demonstrators will haunt Biden at every campaign stop all the way to Nov. 5. Two days ago. Demonstrators surrounded the Radio City Music Hall in New York City as President Joe Biden hosted a prominent campaign event featuring Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Inside was worse as protestors disrupted the speeches.

But just wait till the Democratic Convention opens in Chicago August 19. Thousands of anti genocide protestors plan to descend upon Chi Town in what may be déjà vu of the anti Vietnam War protests of 56 years ago at the ’68 Democratic Convention. They are already confronting Mayor Brandon Johnson over his plans to force them to demonstrate on a small stretch 3 miles from the United Center convention site.


Somebody needs to sit Mayor Johnson down to watch video of that tumultuous time. With an understaffed police force unable to tamp down local crime, how does he expect to enforce what will certainly be unenforceable restrictions on free speech public demonstrations?


If President Biden does not pivot from enabling Israeli genocide before the Convention, he may be seeing his own version of déjà vu. He needs to watch video of a horrified Hubert Humphrey seeing his election go down in flames amid the chants of ‘The whole world is watching.’

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