In 1968, after the Democrats' National Convention in Chicago and before the Presidential election, the Republicans put out a fear-mongering TV commercial that showed images of Chicago during the Convention: street violence, anti-war demonstrations, and general mayhem. The message was that if the Democrats couldn't control their own city (Richard J. Daley was mayor at the time), how on earth could they keep order in 50 states. The punchline of the ad: This time vote like your whole world depended on it, followed by one word: Nixon.

The election result brought to the White House certain entities who fomented an atmosphere of mistrust, paranoia and loathing which percolated into U.S. society. This era ended when Richard Nixon took leave of the Oval Office in August 1974. Philip K. Dick (and Doonesbury) had a lot to say about those years.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.