gene mccarthy was pulling zero because no one dreamed of gene mccarthy ran for president. no one dreamed of any democrat running for president against the democratic incumbent lyndon johnson who wasn't just the democratic incumbent senator-- present. he was by everyone's accounts the shrewdest most dangerous in his way politician you could possibly choose to go up against lyndon johnson did not lose. lyndon johnson got things done in the senate that nobody could get done when he was majority leader. this was a texas politician who had become president in the worst way, quite literally through the assassination of president kennedy vice president johnson moved up an idea that someone would come in and challenge him after his 1964 landslide victory for his own term in the presidency was inconceivable took a gene mccarthy did it on principle. gene mccarthy made the decision one day in a senate foreign relations hearing that this government is not telling the truth about vietnam, nothing will make this government tell the truth about vietnam and he basically said i will run fo

gene mccarthy won 42% of the vote against lbj people don't remember.bj was a write-in and didn't have his name on the ballot i don't know what political intellect thought that u. anyhow mccarthy got 42 to lbj49 and next right after that happened we wanted, of course, a landslide. right after that happened bobby kennedy in the senate went to the senate -- it same senate room where jack declared for president. declared for the nomination and around march 17th few day after new hampshire. and then -- richard nixon had had me at the end of -- at end of march -- had had me waiting at an airport laguardia to report on him on what lyndon johnson said on his speech when vietnam because we had canceledded our speech i'm waiting in that limousine, and i'm listening to and -- listening to -- lbj that's when he announced he wasn't going to run again. and he's out of the race all of a sudden. four days later, dr. king was shot to death in memphis. riot and hundred cities my hometown, washington, d.c. i got calls from are friends 14th street burning up. federal troo

that was an emulated by barry goldwater in 1964, gene mccarthy, 68, tom and i both covered mcgovern in 1972. jimmy carter was successful in 1976. it goes all the way unfortunately donald trump. >> it was necessary for kennedy to go this route because -- of the liabilities? it was harde won, to remember that he was not favored to. calling him an underdog was probably an exaggeration in the 1959. number of people who saw this coming was a very short list. the reason was is that it broke the rules. it is outside the party. just because everybody since has tried to be outside the party, robert kennedy was the first would actually run that way. -- remember kennedy was the first one actually to run that way. he was viewed inside the party is a indifferent democrat. from time to time he could be a little bit republican with his fiscal conservatism. he cited with president eisenhower on more than a callable accor -- couple agricultural issues that created problems for him in the midwest or the presidential campaign. he was no peacenik at all. was a my favorite quotes summary of his foreign-pol

gene mccarthy 142% of the vote against lbj.e don't remember lbj didn't even have his name on the ballot. i don't know what political intellect thought that up, but mccarthy got 42 to lbj's 49 and then the next-- after that happened we won a landslide and right after that happened bobby kennedy in the senate went to the same senate room where jack kennedy declared for presidents, declared for the nomination and around march 17, a few days after new hampshire and then richard nixon had me at the end of march had me waiting in an airport, laguardia to report on him on what lyndon johnson said on his speech on vietnam because we're canceled our speech and i'm waiting in that limousine and i'm listening to lbj and that's when he announced he wasn't going to run again and he's out of the race all of a sudden. four days later doctor king was shot to death in memphis. my hometown, washington dc, i had calls from friends, seventh street was burning up, 14th street was burning up, federal troops on the nation's capital. this is what was