Democratic National Convention 1968
Chair: Leah Baker (baker4@uchicago.edu)
Crisis Director: Frances Low (flow@uchicago.edu)
This committee will simulate the 1968 Democratic National Convention from the dates of August twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth. Double delegations representing each state, territory and dependency will have to accomplish nominating a presidential and a vice presidential candidate while discussing changes for the 1972 convention. Delegates will have to take stances on Vietnam policy and civil rights, the primary issues that distinguish the Democratic presidential candidates from one another. The peace platforms will be spearheaded by Senators McCarthy and McGovern whereas Vice President Humphrey will be promoting the continuation of Lyndon Johnson’s war policies. The debate over the candidate will not come simply down to a war versus peace argument but rather to the larger question of the meaning of democracy in America. This will be determined by how delegates view the Vietnam War, affirmative action and the process of democratic representation, among other issues.
The McGovern Campaign will push heavily for the establishment of a Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection, to be more representative of a diverse American population. The agreement upon an appropriate Vietnam policy will be uniquely challenging given the violent suppression of nearly 10,000 illegal protesters in Chicago's Grant Park during the Convention. Not only will domestic chaos have an impact on the lens through which delegates will perceive the Vietnam War (especially after the negativities of the Tet Offensive become clear), but also international coverage by nearly one-thousand reporters in Chicago. Their coverage lands the protests on the world stage through the press and television, contributing pressure to the decision-making process that is the Convention.
Delegates will have to satisfy the traditions of the Democratic National Convention while concurrently addressing that the “whole world is watching.” In doing so, delegates should recall the Convention's overarching effort to realize the meaning of American democracy through a platform behind which the party will stand united.