King/Spock Ticket in '68

I stumbled upon an rather interesting article on CNN today on some possiblites about What If Marting Luther King Had Lived http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/03/mlk.what.if.king.lived.ap/index.html

This in particular caught my fancy...
1967, King was being courted by the "New Left" to make a third-party run for president on an anti-war ticket with the renowned pediatrician, Dr. Benjamin Spock. FBI wiretaps reveal that King gave serious thought to running, but ultimately decided that his role lay outside the political arena.

Now...What If King did decide to run with Dr. Benjamin Spock to run on an Third Party(Anti-War) in 68. What Kind of Impact would the ticket have as a whole? Could the two generate enough support to where they could be on the primary ballots? Would a Canidancy prevent an assasination attempt? Might LBJ consider staying in the race? Or does RFK still run as well? I just found this as an intresting POD that hasnt really been discussed here?
 

CalBear

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Well, it wouldn't have that much difference, since Dr. King was assassinated IOTL anyway.

I can't see any way that the leaders of this ticket are alive in January of 1969.
 

CalBear

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As a formal candidate, wouldn't MLK be entitled to secret-service protection?


Minimal, at least until they become the actual nominee (there is actually a test of public recognition involved in the process). Even then it is far less elaborate than the President or President elect. I would also point out that RFK had security (not sure if it was Secret Service, but he qualified under the guidelines) when he was killed.

The "bubble" for candidates is a lot smaller and less airtight than for The Man.
 
As a formal candidate, wouldn't MLK be entitled to secret-service protection?

I remember reading somewhere that secret service protection for Presidential candidates was only introduced after RFK's death. I might be wrong though.
 
I suspect that if the anti war movement could have concentrated on a Third Party movement both ignoring the Democratic Party and violent protest I wonder...

My understanding is that King was a Pacifist. I do not think that he could have been President unless the US were in a wholly revolutionary mood.
 
Well, I know that King actually winning the Presidency is rather implausible....I am just wondering is it possible for their canidacy to really have an effect on the General Election as a whole much like Wallace's third party run in OTL
 
Honestly I don't think a King/Spock ticket would do all that well on the national scene, it's prospects of winning any states in the Electoral College are slim. What it would do IMO is further fracture and split the Democratic Party. 1968 would be for the Democrats what they feared the election of 1948 would be, the party fracturing into southern, progressive, and rump factions leaving the Republicans with a commanding share of the electoral college due to vote splitting.

Add to this the assassination of MLK which will most likely galvanize the Progressives and the Democratic party as we know it is all but history what with the Progressives and the Dixiecrats further polarizing through the 1970's and into the '80s. The GOP meanwhile will ride this out under Nixon and several others who will propose a third way and dominate US politics into the next century and perhaps beyond.
 
K...Say King and Spock begin activley campaigning late 67 on the Anti-War third party ticket...Is it possible that he is able to inspire the young college kids that shaved off their beards and went for Eugene McCarthy in early 68. We could have a Going "Clean for King" campaign going...But would Eugene and Bobby still faithfully follow LBJ as their incumbent and not run seeing as their is already a candidate picking up those young voters...

Also would King still embark on his Poor People's campaign, possibly getting them registered and allyed with him? How could he sway over some of the next generation Black Revolutionaries who had come to see King as irrelevant in his later years? Maybe an assasination against Dick Gregory or some of the Black Panther Heads and have MLK give a RFK like speech/Eugolgy?
 
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