In part 6 of Ken Burns' documentary on the Vietnam war, it's mentioned that during the uproar of the Democrats' convention in 1968, Lyndon Johnson gave consideration to going to the convention and getting back in the race. At the time, the Secret Service dissuaded him, declaring that given the situation, they could not guarantee his safety.
Now: suppose Johnson says the hell with that; I gotta do this? What happens when he gets to Chicago:
Now: suppose Johnson says the hell with that; I gotta do this? What happens when he gets to Chicago:
- The delegates split even more widely, with perhaps Humphrey and McCarthy uniting in an anti-war faction backing a compromise candidate (they can't both be on the ticket given they were both from Minnesota) and what I'll call a regular faction backing Johnson? This would result in what would amount to a three way split among the Democrats, allowing Nixon to win in a walk (and presumably he might not subvert the talks in this case).
- The convention breaks down into a near-riot and is forced to adjourn without nominating a candidate, only to reconvene later? This would also pretty much hand the election to Nixon, IMO.
- Someone takes a shot at Johnson and misses, getting either Humphrey or McCarthy instead?
- Someone takes a shot at Johnson and succeeds, putting Humphrey in the Oval Office?