"Make no mistake, we shall stay in Vietnam under my administration. But we shall also achieve victory, I guarantee it."
- President Johnson in Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 3 1968
"The Federal Election Commission is announcing that one debate between President Johnson and Mr. Nixon shall occur on October 2. It has been agreed by both campaigns and the FEC that Governor Wallace and Senator McCarthy will not be allowed entry into the debates."
- FEC Spokesman at a press conference, Sept. 5 1968
"The anti-war population of America spoke out loudly when McCarthy was not allowed into the presidential debate. On the same day of the announcement, a minor rally against the decision occurred for three hours in Los Angeles, while two five-hour rallies were held in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City occurred the following days. For the next two weeks, the protests became more frequent and more violent. For those two weeks, the headlines were dominated by news of the protests and the McCarthy campaign, and a poll on September 13th showed that Senator McCarthy had risen three points in the polls."
- 1968: A Year in Profile, Bob Woodward, 1988
"It has become clear to myself and to the FEC that I should be allowed into the presidential debates. My positions are uniquely my own, and they should be heard by the American people on live television, regardless of whether Lyndon Johnson or Richard Nixon should agree with them. I call on them to adhere to the consent of the public."
- Sen. McCarthy in Wisconsin, Sept. 10 1968
CBS Public Opinion Polling, Sept. 13 1968
If the 1968 Presidential Election were held today, who would you vote for?
(Republican) Nixon/Bush - 48%
(Democratic) Johnson/Humphrey - 34%
(Peace/Independent) McCarthy/McCloskey - 10%
(American Independent) Wallace/LeMay - 8%
Do you believe that Senator McCarthy should be allowed into the only presidential debate on October 2?
Yes - 54%
No - 45%
Unsure - 1%
Do you approve of President Johnson's job performance as of September 10, 1968?
Disapprove - 51%
Approve - 32%
Unsure - 17%
I just don't know what to do. The riots are saying it, the news is showing it: Too many people want McCarthy in the debate. If I had things my way, he would never have been in the Senate, but it's too late to stop that. Anyway, the FEC called today: They asked me if I would allow McCarthy into the debate. I told them that I would have an answer tomorrow, but I still don't have one. If we let McCarthy go into the debate, he'll be after me like a bloodhound on steak; all he's been doing since November '67 is criticizing me and trying to bring me down. He'll attack my record, and I'll go down in the polls. Any chances of my re-election will go down the drain. Meanwhile, if it's just me and Nixon, I can attack his "secret plan," which I'm beginning to suspect is nonexistent.
Regardless of what I do, my campaign is dead. I might as well enjoy the campaign trail while I can, because it's everything but set in stone that I'll be conceding the election in November.
If the 1968 Presidential Election were held today, who would you vote for?
(Republican) Nixon/Bush - 48%
(Democratic) Johnson/Humphrey - 34%
(Peace/Independent) McCarthy/McCloskey - 10%
(American Independent) Wallace/LeMay - 8%
Do you believe that Senator McCarthy should be allowed into the only presidential debate on October 2?
Yes - 54%
No - 45%
Unsure - 1%
Do you approve of President Johnson's job performance as of September 10, 1968?
Disapprove - 51%
Approve - 32%
Unsure - 17%
I just don't know what to do. The riots are saying it, the news is showing it: Too many people want McCarthy in the debate. If I had things my way, he would never have been in the Senate, but it's too late to stop that. Anyway, the FEC called today: They asked me if I would allow McCarthy into the debate. I told them that I would have an answer tomorrow, but I still don't have one. If we let McCarthy go into the debate, he'll be after me like a bloodhound on steak; all he's been doing since November '67 is criticizing me and trying to bring me down. He'll attack my record, and I'll go down in the polls. Any chances of my re-election will go down the drain. Meanwhile, if it's just me and Nixon, I can attack his "secret plan," which I'm beginning to suspect is nonexistent.
Regardless of what I do, my campaign is dead. I might as well enjoy the campaign trail while I can, because it's everything but set in stone that I'll be conceding the election in November.
- The LBJ Diaries, Sept. 15 1968
FEC: MCCARTHY, WALLACE ALLOWED IN DEBATES
- The New York Times, Sept. 16 1968
Lyndon just told me one of the greatest secrets of this administration yet: He's planning a bombing halt on Vietnam. He's going to stop all the bombing on September 30, and he's already sent Dean Rusk to set up a convention with the North Vietnamese sometime next month, probably in Paris. This will help our campaign tremendously; the Peace Party will be stopped dead in its tracks, and maybe - just maybe - Gene McCarthy might drop out of this foolish campaign of his. And then, I am privately against the war, so I am overjoyed that Johnson might be making a turnaround on Vietnam. I might just be Vice President for another four years after all, and if those turn out well enough, I might just become President.
- The Hubert H. Humphrey Diaries, Sept. 21 1968
"Vietnam belongs to the Vietnamese, and America belongs to the Americans. I can promise that, when I am inaugurated as your President, this will be my doctrine."
- Richard Nixon on the campaign trail, Sept. 20 1968
PRES JOHNSON: "THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, AND THE BOMBING SHALL HALT."
- The Washington Times Headline, Sept. 30 1968
"President Johnson's 'September Surprise,' needless to say, took me by surprise. The President of the United States had just made my positions and arguments that I had prepared for the debate moot. And I had only two more days before the debate to make a Plan B."
- Up Till Now: A Memoir, Eugene McCarthy, 1988
Next Up: The Debate and the Presidential Election of 1968
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