Full disclosure: this is for a story I'm writing where a time traveler prevents the assassinations of both King and Kennedy. Not only do they not die, they're not shot at all, and no one has any clue that they almost were. Now the time traveler is trying to prevent the violence at the Chicago DNC - but saving those two men may have created some unexpected complications.

Kennedy, as a candidate, would be in town for the DNC. In our timeline, the Poor People's Campaign was also in town that weekend. I'm not sure if that protest was planned before King died, but if so, it's very likely he would have been there too. In either event, the lack of riots following King's death would likely make things less tense - but might make Kennedy a less appealing candidate, as he never gave that famous Indianapolis speech.

So here's what I'm wondering: the worst of the violence seemed to have been sparked by a small group of people in Grant Park (at least one of whom was evidently an undercover cop) lowering the American flag after the DNC voted down the "peace plank." If what I've read is correct, the plank was narrowly voted down due primarily to pressure from LBJ and Mayor Daley. However, if Kennedy was still alive and running as a peace candidate - and Mayor Daley liked him and supported him - would they have voted down the peace plank at all?

For that matter, couldn't Kennedy have urged Daley to ease up on the protesters? The more I read about this, the more I come to the conclusion that the violence was driven by the police officers. Protesters threw rocks, sure, but only after the police - who had been ordered to shoot to kill - had already started attacking them. They refused to give any anti-war protesters permits to march, then when they peacefully marched anyway, viciously attacked them - and any random passerby who looked like they might be a protester - with pepper spray, clubs, and bullets. So in my mind, the primary driver of the violence was Mayor Daley's insane crackdown on protesters. And since Daley supported Kennedy, and Kennedy was still alive, is it possible that Kennedy could have convinced him not to go through with this overkill?

That seems likely to me, but I'd actually appreciate someone convincing me of the opposite, because it would make for a rather boring story! :) Using the "rule of cool," I'm also leaning towards Ronald Reagan becoming the Republican presidential candidate, even though it's pretty unlikely. I don't, however, want it all to be a complete disaster (i.e., riots being even worse, charismatic Reagan going up against Humphrey, etc.) because this particular character has already messed up a previous attempt to right history and I would like to portray her as at least halfway competent. (Maybe her successful rescues of MLK and RFK are enough to establish that?)

Thoughts? Ideas?
 
Full disclosure: this is for a story I'm writing where a time traveler prevents the assassinations of both King and Kennedy. Not only do they not die, they're not shot at all, and no one has any clue that they almost were. Now the time traveler is trying to prevent the violence at the Chicago DNC - but saving those two men may have created some unexpected complications.

Kennedy, as a candidate, would be in town for the DNC. In our timeline, the Poor People's Campaign was also in town that weekend. I'm not sure if that protest was planned before King died, but if so, it's very likely he would have been there too. In either event, the lack of riots following King's death would likely make things less tense - but might make Kennedy a less appealing candidate, as he never gave that famous Indianapolis speech.

So here's what I'm wondering: the worst of the violence seemed to have been sparked by a small group of people in Grant Park (at least one of whom was evidently an undercover cop) lowering the American flag after the DNC voted down the "peace plank." If what I've read is correct, the plank was narrowly voted down due primarily to pressure from LBJ and Mayor Daley. However, if Kennedy was still alive and running as a peace candidate - and Mayor Daley liked him and supported him - would they have voted down the peace plank at all?

For that matter, couldn't Kennedy have urged Daley to ease up on the protesters? The more I read about this, the more I come to the conclusion that the violence was driven by the police officers. Protesters threw rocks, sure, but only after the police - who had been ordered to shoot to kill - had already started attacking them. They refused to give any anti-war protesters permits to march, then when they peacefully marched anyway, viciously attacked them - and any random passerby who looked like they might be a protester - with pepper spray, clubs, and bullets. So in my mind, the primary driver of the violence was Mayor Daley's insane crackdown on protesters. And since Daley supported Kennedy, and Kennedy was still alive, is it possible that Kennedy could have convinced him not to go through with this overkill?

That seems likely to me, but I'd actually appreciate someone convincing me of the opposite, because it would make for a rather boring story! :) Using the "rule of cool," I'm also leaning towards Ronald Reagan becoming the Republican presidential candidate, even though it's pretty unlikely. I don't, however, want it all to be a complete disaster (i.e., riots being even worse, charismatic Reagan going up against Humphrey, etc.) because this particular character has already messed up a previous attempt to right history and I would like to portray her as at least halfway competent. (Maybe her successful rescues of MLK and RFK are enough to establish that?)

Thoughts? Ideas?

I don't think MLK would appear at the DNC. He was apolitical in his activism and never publicly endorsed a party or candidate. But without his death, black Americans would be less disaffected and this could lead to more African-American participation in the election.

As for RFK, he could be a unifying figure at the convention. If his speech after MLK's death proved anything, Kennedy had a tremendous ability to calm the public. This skill was badly needed at the 1968 DNC. I don't think it's very likely that Kennedy wins the nomination. But even in defeat he could help bring the Democrats together. Also, if Kennedy were alive then perhaps Humphrey's compromise peace plank would've had a greater chance of passing (although LBJ might work even harder to make sure it doesn't).
 
. . . That seems likely to me, but I'd actually appreciate someone convincing me of the opposite, because it would make for a rather boring story! :) . . .
I agree that straight utopia is usually very boring! Perhaps sad, but human nature.

Let me suggest this. Things go very well in the near term. There's peace, and a coalition government in Vietnam. It rather becomes the Czechoslovakia of southeast Asia. You can't realistically ask for more success than this.

But . . . a darker possibility arises somehow directly connected to the positive changes, and in a way which we do not anticipated. For example, maybe we are even less prepared for a slow erosion of the middle class and a partial post-job future (very unevenly shared!). Or perhaps, it is something else. You need to figure out this part.

And at the end, maybe there is a windswept feeling of rebirth that we are powerful people, we have done it once, and we can build it all over again. Or, perhaps another ending. You also need to figure out this part.
 
. . . I don't think it's very likely that Kennedy wins the nomination. But even in defeat he could help bring the Democrats together. . .
I try to avoid Kennedy worship, and admittedly, this avoidance can be carried too far, too! :openedeyewink:

Okay, in addition to his speech of the night of MLK’s assassination, if you have other examples of Robert Kennedy demonstrating better-than-average unifying skills, I would be interested in hearing about them. Thanks.
 
I try to avoid Kennedy worship, and admittedly, this avoidance can be carried too far, too! :openedeyewink:

Okay, in addition to his speech of the night of MLK’s assassination, if you have other examples of Robert Kennedy demonstrating better-than-average unifying skills, I would be interested in hearing about them. Thanks.

According to Evan Thomas' Robert Kennedy: His Life, as Attorney General RFK was very popular with DOJ employees for his ability to rally them around an important cause and make everyone feel valued for the hard work they did. (But to his enemies, Kennedy was ruthless "Bad Bobby"). So in addition to being a persuasive orator, Kennedy also had very good interpersonal skills which made him an effective public servant. These skills further improved by the time he became a Senator, when he was able to pass the Bedford-Stuyvesant renewal program.
 
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