The comments about 1968 showed how much has changed. On March 31, President Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection. So Hubert Humphrey launched his campaign in April. Think about it. That would be like Al Gore entering this race 6 weeks from now. What chance would he have?
Also, the nomination defaulted to Humphrey when RFK, possibly the most charismatic candidate ever, was murdered in June.
Nixon had been campaigning behind the scenes for 4 years. Add Vietnam, civil unrest, and culture clash, and Humphrey (the pseudo-incumbent) didn't stand a chance.
I agree with pg's theory. We need charismatic leaders. We crave them. I often wonder how much different the world would be today if JFK, RFK, and MLK hadn't been murdered.
People want charismatic leaders, but I don't think we need them. In fact, I think they are extremely dangerous. Think for a moment about JFK's catch phrase:
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
Compare it to catch phrases of other charismatic leaders:
"All within the State, Nothing outside the State, Nothing against the State"
"The common good comes before the private good."
(Sorry for invoking Godwin, but it's important to point out how his charisma obscured what JFK actually said.)
I think it's far better to have a leader that everyone hates. Just think of the outcry if Bush suggested the people should serve the state.
A charismatic leader can give the uninformed a reason to hate him, but it won't change their feelings.
An example: a gay friend of mine dislikes Bush because he proposed a law against gay marriage (at least that is his stated reason). He has very strong positive feelings for (Bill) Clinton, in spite of the fact that Clinton actually passed a law against gay marriage (Defense of Marriage Act). His feelings persisted even after I pointed this out to him.
Maybe I just have stupid friends (I don't think this is the case), but my general impression is that most people don't base their opinion of a politician on policy. Rather, they take their opinion on the policy from the party or politician they like.
Sometimes I step back and am really, really amazed that those three guys were assassinated. No wonder people thought the world was about to fall apart to shit in 1968.
Also, the nomination defaulted to Humphrey when RFK, possibly the most charismatic candidate ever, was murdered in June.
Nixon had been campaigning behind the scenes for 4 years. Add Vietnam, civil unrest, and culture clash, and Humphrey (the pseudo-incumbent) didn't stand a chance.
I agree with pg's theory. We need charismatic leaders. We crave them. I often wonder how much different the world would be today if JFK, RFK, and MLK hadn't been murdered.