The Democratic Party went through a war between the Old Guard, led by Daley, against the ultraliberals led by McGovern. In 1971 the Commission overpowered the Old Guard, and in 1972, the Apocalypse, led by President Nixon, came. You could say the RFK-LBJ war was part One. In My Life, Clinton acknowledges RFK as the first "New Dem". Part of the reason Daley used the J-word was that I believe he feared an "Indira", where the charismatic challenger to the Old Guard/Syndicate turns the rank-and-file voter against them, mounts an internal coup which destroys their power, and assumes complete command. Not as much as Maurice Duplessis, Rene Levesque or Ferdinand Marcos for their self-created parties, but still very significant. What holds true is that today, the Dems hold the "Minority Coalition" (my moniker), we the Silent Majority, and suburbanites as the swing voters. This occurred in 2004 and has been the case in all my 1968 scenarios. The reason for "RFK '76", besides being the most realistic outcome IMO, is because in 1968, he has zero appeal to suburbs. Nixon can easily outflank him there. Those polarization numbers rivalled the Secretary of State's for a long time.