Centre Daily Times Logo

Let’s not repeat 1968 | Centre Daily Times

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Archives
    • Contact Us
    • Plus
    • eEdition
    • Newsletters
    • Subscribe
    • About Us
    • Local
    • Penn State
    • Sandusky Scandal
    • Communities
    • Crime
    • Business
    • Education
    • Politics
    • Public Records
    • State
    • Nation/World
    • Weird News
    • Sports
    • College
    • Golf
    • High School
    • MLB
    • Motorsports
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Outdoors
    • Penn State
    • State College Spikes
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • PSU Sports
    • PSU Football
    • PSU Basketball
    • PSU Baseball
    • PSU Hockey
    • PSU Soccer
    • PSU Volleyball
    • PSU Wrestling
    • Nittany Lines Blog
  • Penn State Football
    • Living
    • Announcements
    • Family Pages
    • Eat, Play, Live
    • Home & Garden
    • Entertainment
    • Weekender
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Celebrities
    • Horoscopes
    • Movie News & Reviews
    • Music
    • TV
    • Opinion
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Opinion

Let’s not repeat 1968

By David Hutchinson

    ORDER REPRINT →

June 18, 2016 03:24 AM

(Note to all those old fogeys out there who, like me, still believe in the value of the local newspaper: please clip out this column and share it with your voting-age children or grandchildren.)

A short history lesson for those who were not around at the time.

Back in early 1968, a courageous white-haired man from a state in the far north rose up against the Democratic Party establishment and ran for president. Eugene McCarthy had been an early and consistent opponent of the great folly of the Vietnam War, and he quickly captured the enthusiasm and commitment of the college-age students of the era.

McCarthy was running against the quintessential Democratic Party establishment candidate, Hubert Humphrey, who had the unfortunate bad luck, as vice president, to be joined at the hip to the Johnson administration, and therefore, the Vietnam War.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Centre Daily Times

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

The great irony is that Humphrey was a decent guy, who despite personal misgivings, felt that he had no choice but to support his administration’s war efforts. But once he began his campaign, he made his position against the war quite clear. He was also a committed civil rights advocate dating back to the 1940s, long before it had become fashionable.

Humphrey’s campaign got off to a terrible start when huge protests, as well as a police riot, broke out at the Democratic convention in Chicago. Although he narrowed the gap significantly in the final weeks, Humphrey’s campaign never quite recovered.

Understandably, McCarthy’s supporters were deeply disappointed and resentful for how things turned out. Many of them decided to sit on their hands and stay home in November.

The result: in one of the closest elections up to that point, the United States narrowly elected a racist, war-mongering, paranoid “crook” — who, by the way, had a “secret plan for peace.” (Does any of this sound familiar?) And, by the way, more than 20,000 American soldiers died in Vietnam in the four years after the 1968 election.

What’s the lesson? One, elections have consequences. Two, if you’re holding out for the “perfect” candidate, you’re going to be waiting a long time. Since most candidates are human, there’s just no getting around the fact that every one of them is going to be “flawed” in some respect. And third, if you resent always having to choose between two imperfect candidates, the solution is to vote for the one who is “less flawed” — and consider how you could get involved, yourself. That’s the only way to get better choices in the future.

Let’s not repeat 1968.

David Hutchinson is a resident of State College and is old enough to know better.

  Comments  

Videos

Woman tells her story of DUI arrest to prevent others from drinking and driving

Why Penn State’s OL is ‘hungry’ this offseason

View More Video

Trending Stories

Penn State wrestling mailbag: Can Iowa or Ohio State test the Nittany Lions at Big Tens?

February 18, 2019 05:08 PM

‘Ready and willing’: Why Penn State is confident it can replace OL Bates, McGovern

February 18, 2019 04:48 PM

Guard alligator ‘El Chompo’ protected drugs for Pennsylvania dealers, prosecutors say

February 18, 2019 01:35 PM

Bellefonte girls’ basketball drops opener in District 6-8-9 tourney

February 18, 2019 09:57 PM

School threat system fields thousands of tips in first month

February 18, 2019 07:35 AM

things to do

Read Next

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Water runoff tax needed in State College; ban on Sunday hunting makes sense

By CDT readers

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 17, 2019 03:45 PM

Centre Daily Times letters to the editor on water runoff tax in State College, Sunday hunting, Marc Friedenberg and gun laws.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Centre Daily Times

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE OPINION

Letters to the Editor

Letters: What’s the history of State High alma mater?; Sexist ad had no place at Penn State

February 14, 2019 08:20 PM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Blame for offensive ad falls to Penn State; UConn has much to prove to fan base

February 13, 2019 08:54 PM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Rule changes needed in Pa. legislature; carelessness shown over ad at Penn State

February 13, 2019 10:57 AM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Paterno’s Saudi Arabia connection; state of emergency was warranted

February 09, 2019 07:22 PM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Thankful after tragedy; Sunday hunting is a property rights issue

February 09, 2019 07:21 PM

Letters to the Editor

Letters: Get used to polar vortex effects; New York abortion law protects women’s health

February 08, 2019 09:02 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Centre Daily Times App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Place an Obituary
  • Today's Circulars
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story