Reply #42: Both MLK and RFK were assassinated after they began

[Lydia Leftcoast]

preaching economic justice and attracting large crowds by doing so.

MLK was tolerable to the powers-that-be when he was just fighting segregation in the South, which was internationally embarrassing anyway. When he started talking about how black people should share in the wealth of the country, that was just too radical.

The same with Bobby. By all accounts, he underwent a conversion of sorts after touring the Mississippi Delta with a Senate delegation. He was campaigning on both peace and economic justice, and he had just won the California primary. The next stop was New York, where he was already Senator, and with those sets of delegates, plus all the others, he would have been unbeatable for the nomination. Running against Nixon, he would have had the full support of the left wing of the party, brought in a lot of new working class and minority voters, and attracted the votes of old-time Democrats who were fond of his brother.

Nothing is more frightening to the powers that be than a leftist who is genuinely popular with a wide range of people nationwide.

There are suspicions that just won't go away about Paul Wellstone, too, because his popularity went up after he voted against the Iraq resolution, and between his peace advocacy and his fiery speeches in the Senate (shown on CSPAN), he was winning fans across the country.