Reply #72: Even without the Kennedy run, Carter was in major trouble

[karynnj]

His poll numbers were lower than Bush I's in 1992 and they didn't look like they could recover. I don't think that Kennedy would have won had he got the nomination, but he would have had more chance than Carter. I know many liberals who voted for Anderson because they were fed up with Carter - that still would have happened if Kennedy would never have challenged him. (Look at 1968 - had RFK not been assassinated, he likely would have won in very inspirational campaign. With RFK the likely victor, I doubt the Chicago riots would have occurred. (Or had they come and tensions rose it Grant Park, I can imagine RFK coming and speaking as he did in Indianapolis in the wake of the MLK killing - calming the anger and channeling it productively. His run would not have happened if McCarthy had not challenged a sitting President.)