The Democrats aren’t eager for the Denver convention to look like the Chicago convention of 1968:
Organizers acknowledge that their “Re-create ’68” moniker has been met with skepticism as they’ve toured the country to gin up support among fellow activists. “A lot of people of course associate it with the DNC of ’68 and react negatively,” said organizer Mark Cohen. But the point, Cohen said, isn’t to reproduce the violence associated with the 1968 convention, just the strong sense of countercultural protest that coalesced against the Vietnam War. “We don’t call ourselves ‘Re-create Chicago ’68,'” Cohen offered. Leslie Cagan, head of United for Peace and Justice, an anti-war group that has organized large marches in the past, said her group has endorsed the planned demonstrations in Denver. Cynthia McKinney, a former Democratic congresswoman now running as a Green Party candidate for president, will be expressing herself at the demonstration, said organizers. They also plan to reach out to Ralph Nader, who is running as an independent, third-party candidate. The coalition is seeking the support of ANSWER, an anti-war organization with a more radical approach to street protest than UFPJ’s…
If you’re not familiar with ANSWER, check out this refresher from Byron York. Whether the Democratic nominee is Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, there’s little chance that the antiwar crowd will be satisfied with the candidate’s position on Iraq. The protests will therefore be an embarrassment, and they may also be violent. If the Democrats are looking for a big post-convention bounce, Cynthia McKinney isn’t likely to help.
