# Minneapolis: Dems need to be careful to avoid a repeat of 1968 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 29, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647 "2020-05-29T05:43:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/1 "2020-05-29T05:43:52Z")
I feel like Biden, Pelosi, and other Democrats need to take a stand against the rioting and looting, even as they also push for maximum prosecution of those murderous cops. We can’t risk what happened starting in 1968, when middle class suburbanites started to see Democrats as not willing to stand up for preserving civil order. (Relatedly, I think it was a big mistake for the city of Minneapolis to abandon that police precinct and let the mob burn it down.) We _just_ got educated white suburbanites flocking over to our side in 2018, and if we lose them we are sunk because we have already lost non-college whites. The demographics of the key swing states do not allow us to win the presidency without at least one of those groups on our side. Maybe in 2040, but not now. It would particularly be helpful to see the Obamas take a stand here. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/2 "2020-05-29T06:50:05Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I feel like Biden, Pelosi, and other Democrats need to take a stand against the rioting and looting, even as they also push for maximum prosecution of those murderous cops. > > We can’t risk what happened starting in 1968, when middle class suburbanites started to see Democrats as not willing to stand up for preserving civil order. (Relatedly, I think it was a big mistake for the city of Minneapolis to abandon that police precinct and let the mob burn it down.) We _just_ got educated white suburbanites flocking over to our side in 2018, and if we lose them we are sunk because we have already lost non-college whites. The demographics of the key swing states do not allow us to win the presidency without at least one of those groups on our side. Maybe in 2040, but not now. > > It would particularly be helpful to see the Obamas take a stand here. It is like a better example was not a available since 1968… Back in 1992, Bush senior came with the talking points that concentrated in declaring that the LA riots and the unrest against the injustice after the 4 policemen were acquitted of almost killing Rodney King was “purely criminal”. While Bill Clinton did not approve of the violence, he talked about the breakdown of economic opportunities and social institutions in the inner city. And also critizised the Republican Administration for its presiding over “more than a decade of urban decay” generated by their spending cuts back then. > **[1992 Los Angeles riots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots)** > > The 1992 Los Angeles riots (also called the Rodney King riots or the 1992 Los Angeles uprising) were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after a jury acquitted four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) charged with using excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King. The incident had been videotaped by George Hollid Th... Guess who won the election then? ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/3 "2020-05-29T10:59:40Z")
Amy Klobuchar declined to prosecute the murderer after a previous complaint of police brutality, so if the rumours of her becoming the vice presidential nominee are true, you might get your wish. Personally, I think they should distance themselves from the cold blooded killer and the local government who are his accomplices. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/4 "2020-05-29T11:15:47Z")
This is going to be the Coronavirus Election. Period. ---
**Author:** ![faync1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@faync1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/faync1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/5 "2020-05-29T11:52:35Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I feel like Biden, Pelosi, and other Democrats need to take a stand against the rioting and looting, even as they also push for maximum prosecution of those murderous cops. > > We can’t risk what happened starting in 1968, when middle class suburbanites started to see Democrats as not willing to stand up for preserving civil order. (Relatedly, I think it was a big mistake for the city of Minneapolis to abandon that police precinct and let the mob burn it down.) We _just_ got educated white suburbanites flocking over to our side in 2018, and if we lose them we are sunk because we have already lost non-college whites. The demographics of the key swing states do not allow us to win the presidency without at least one of those groups on our side. Maybe in 2040, but not now. > > It would particularly be helpful to see the Obamas take a stand here. How about this? Biden, Pelosi, and other Democrats should always take a stand against rioting and looting, not because it might be politically expedient for them to do so; but because this is a civilized nation, a nation of laws; and rioting and looting are illegal and wrong. And yes, they should also encourage the proper entities to thoroughly investigate this particular incident, and to appropriately prosecute anyone who meets the criteria for prosecution. ---
**Author:** ![faync1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@faync1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/faync1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/6 "2020-05-29T11:59:38Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This is going to be the Coronavirus Election. Period. I think this is unlikely; covid19 will be over and done with and the nation recovered by the election. However, if it does become the Coronavirus Election, it would be a great thing, because it would increase President Trump’s chance for re-election. People understand that it is liberal governors and mayors that have put unnecessary and sometimes unconstitutional restrictions in place; and kept them in place longer than necessary to ensure adequate hospital space and capabilities, in an effort to hurt President Trump’s chances for re-election. They understand that the loss of jobs, closed businesses, and damaged economy we are experiencing are the direct result of these overreaching Democrat politicians’ actions. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/7 "2020-05-29T12:11:05Z")
> [@faync1](#): > > I think this is unlikely; covid19 will be over and done with and the nation recovered by the election. However, if it does become the Coronavirus Election, it would be a great thing, because it would increase President Trump’s chance for re-election. > > People understand that it is liberal governors and mayors that have put unnecessary and sometimes unconstitutional restrictions in place; and kept them in place longer than necessary to ensure adequate hospital space and capabilities, in an effort to hurt President Trump’s chances for re-election. > > They understand that the loss of jobs, closed businesses, and damaged economy we are experiencing are the direct result of these overreaching Democrat politicians’ actions. Horsefeathers. Governors of both parties shut down the economy because of the criminal lack of leadership from the White House. Or the lack of leadership from the criminal in the White House. Poll after poll shows that many more people think the restrictions were appropriate or didn’t go far enough than think the restrictions went too far. Poll after poll shows that more people approve of their governor’s handling of the pandemic than Dolt45’s. Everything doesn’t revolve around your Dear Leader. Do you think Italy and Spain put lockdowns in place to hurt Donald? Yet when US states do what virtually every other nation is doing, it’s somehow an eeeeeeeevil Democratic plot to steal the election? Regarding the Minneapolis riots- I think Democrats are on the right side of history here. Compare what Biden is saying vs what his opponent is saying. No contest. ---
**Author:** ![faync1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@faync1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/faync1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/8 "2020-05-29T12:15:44Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Horsefeathers. Governors of both parties shut down the economy because of the criminal lack of leadership from the White House. Or the lack of leadership from the criminal in the White House. Poll after poll shows that many more people think the restrictions were appropriate or didn’t go far enough than think the restrictions went too far. Poll after poll shows that more people approve of their governor’s handling of the pandemic than Dolt45’s. > > Everything doesn’t revolve around your Dear Leader. Do you think Italy and Spain put lockdowns in place to hurt Donald? Yet when US states do what virtually every other nation is doing, it’s somehow an eeeeeeeevil Democratic plot to steal the election? > > Regarding the Minneapolis riots- I think Democrats are on the right side of history hear. Compare what Biden is saying vs what his opponent is saying. No contest. Of course the polls say that, just like the polls assured us that Mrs. Clinton was a shoo-in to beat Mr. Trump. The polls say what the pollsters want them to say, which is whatever best supports the Democrat Party agenda ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/9 "2020-05-29T15:42:09Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Amy Klobuchar declined to prosecute the murderer after a previous complaint of police brutality, so if the rumours of her becoming the vice presidential nominee are true, you might get your wish. Sorry, I’m not following. First, I was unfamiliar with Klobuchar’s record as a prosecutor towards police misconduct, but I do see some links in Wikipedia which I’ll follow up on. So thanks for the tip. But do you think this somehow makes it more likely for Klobuchar to be selected for VP? Regardless of their opinions on the riots, everyone in the world watched that cop murder a man in cold blood. I’ve gotta think Klobuchar’s VP chances are significantly hurt by this, unless she can somehow come out strongly in favor of the cop’s prosecution and seem like a leader on that issue. > [@faync1](#): > > Of course the polls say that, just like the polls assured us that Mrs. Clinton was a shoo-in to beat Mr. Trump. The polls say what the pollsters want them to say, which is whatever best supports the Democrat Party agenda You just have to unskew them! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/10 "2020-05-29T16:50:33Z")
> [@faync1](#): > > Democrat Party agenda Where can I find this? I can’t find any party called the “Democrat Party”. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/11 "2020-05-29T17:01:27Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Where can I find this? I can’t find any party called the “Democrat Party”. It’s one of the main parties in the United States of Ameri. The other party being the Repub party. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/12 "2020-05-29T17:15:09Z")
> [@faync1](#): > > I think this is unlikely; covid19 will be over and done with and the nation recovered by the election. Don’t Bogart that joint, my friend. > [@](#): > > However, if it does become the Coronavirus Election, it would be a great thing, because it would increase President Trump’s chance for re-election. But I guess I can’t blame you; you’re smoking the _good_ stuff. > [@](#): > > People understand that it is liberal governors and mayors that have put unnecessary and sometimes unconstitutional restrictions in place; and kept them in place longer than necessary to ensure adequate hospital space and capabilities, in an effort to hurt President Trump’s chances for re-election. People understand that, in the most serious crisis this country has faced since the Cuban Missile Crisis, the President hasn’t done jack shit to come up with a national response to Covid-19. He’s essentially abandoned his post; we’re witnessing an astonishing dereliction of duty. And having abandoned any meaningful Federal role in combating this threat, he’s attacked and undermined the states’ efforts to combat this plague in many ways. What we’re seeing is Trump’s War on America, and there have already been over 103,000 casualties. > [@](#): > > They understand that the loss of jobs, closed businesses, and damaged economy we are experiencing are the direct result of these overreaching Democrat politicians’ actions. The only reason it’s been _only_ 103,000 corpses is due to those restrictions. Better to be poor than dead - people get that, and even when restrictions get lifted, you don’t see people mobbing the stores in most places. The Vampire Weekend refrain, _I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die_, is the attitude of a hell of a lot of people right now. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/13 "2020-05-29T22:35:47Z")
Aren’t there plenty of threads in which to argue about the response to the coronavirus? The issue here is how to walk the political tightrope on Minneapolis, between two important constituencies. > [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > I’ve gotta think Klobuchar’s VP chances are significantly hurt by this Massive understatement. I believe she was the frontrunner for veep before this (and I personally thought she was indeed the best choice), but now she’s toast. I live in Minnesota and I doubt I’ll even vote for her in the primary if and when she runs for reelection to the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/14 "2020-05-29T22:44:46Z")
> [@faync1](#): > > Of course the polls say that, just like the polls assured us that Mrs. Clinton was a shoo-in to beat Mr. Trump. The polls say what the pollsters want them to say, which is whatever best supports the Democrat Party agenda Except, of course, the polls never actually showed that, except maybe very early on. The last couple months of the race, Clinton consistently had a narrow edge in the polls, but it was never a “shoo-in.” Unless you’re one of those people who think that if the polls show someone with a 60% chance of winning, and they lose, that means the poll was wrong? Because that’s not how statistics work. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/15 "2020-05-30T00:58:58Z")
I do know that his history of leaning hard into gun control is going to hurt him with both sides - the suburban whites afraid of rioting mobs, and the minorities who have utterly lost faith in the ability of police to protect them. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/16 "2020-05-30T01:00:25Z")
> [@faync1](#): > > The polls say what the pollsters want them to say, which is whatever best supports the Democrat Party agenda A good example would then be the FoxNews pollster (see especially page 10): > **[Fox\_May-17-20-2020\_Complete\_National\_Topline\_May-21-Release.pdf](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2020/05/Fox_May-17-20-2020_Complete_National_Topline_May-21-Release.pdf)** > > 689.73 KB I wondering what’s gong to happen, in November, if the Associated Press is projecting a solid Biden victory, thus vindicating FoxNews polling, but Donald Trump says he won. Who is FoxNews going to throw under the bus? Their legitimate/non-opinion journalists? Or their favorite President? I’m on tenterhooks here. I guess you’re going to say that the economy will bounce all the way back, and Biden will lose. But what if it doesn’t, and, thus, he doesn’t? Since I bet you pay a lot more attention to conservative U.S. media than I do, what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/17 "2020-05-30T10:03:41Z")
Governor Walz is saying it was a mistake to abandon the police precinct, and blaming Mayor Frey: [Walz says Minneapolis knew police station that was overrun might fall hours earlier – Twin Cities](https://www.twincities.com/2020/05/29/gov-tim-walz-on-george-floyd-problems-cant-be-addressed-if-anarchy-reigns-on-the-street/) ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/18 "2020-05-30T10:56:55Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I feel like Biden, Pelosi, and other Democrats need to take a stand against the rioting and looting, even as they also push for maximum prosecution of those murderous cops. > > We can’t risk what happened starting in 1968, when middle class suburbanites started to see Democrats as not willing to stand up for preserving civil order. I’ll say it, middle class suburbanites were wrong. The 1968 civil order was not worth preserving. There needed to be a new order then, as there needs to be a new order now. Civil society is not going to exist within the previous order. It is breaking down. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/19 "2020-05-30T12:48:49Z")
I could respond to the OP, or I could just quote: > [@Martin Luther King](#): > > First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action;” who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.” > > Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection." ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647/20 "2020-05-30T12:49:09Z")
So well put, orcenio. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minneapolis-dems-need-to-be-careful-to-avoid-a-repeat-of-1968/854647.md?page=2)