By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

A frequent mantra of the media nowadays is to claim “2024 is just like 1968.” It isn’t the case. Nevertheless, it’s best to take steps to make sure this year doesn’t approach that tumultuous time in American history.

The New Republic writes “Even before the assassination attempt, 2024’s unrest invited comparisons to 1968. There are some superficial similarities between the two years: a contentious presidential election with a weak Democratic candidate, protests on college campuses pertaining to unpopular wars, and a Democratic convention in Chicago. But the turmoil of 1968 was defined by an increasingly unpopular war in Vietnam that was drafting young Americans and by the assassinations of two prominent political figures, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. The attempt on Trump’s life has only sharpened comparisons between the two years.”

The Texas Standard contends “Back in 1968, President Lyndon Baines Johnson announced he would not be seeking reelection to a second term. Then, as with President Joe Biden’s similar announcement on Sunday, the news sent shockwaves across the U.S.” Lester Holt with NBC News provided the story “Will the Summer of 2024 mirror the Summer of 1968?” ABC News and USA Today similarly try to provide a link between the two years.

Thankfully, there’s some sanity in publications. Philip Klinkner of Hamilton College writes in The Conversation, an academic news publication, how different the two times are. It probably won’t get as many clicks, but it does provide a better sense of the similarities and differences between the two time periods.

Yes, an incumbent president is stepping down, but for completely different reasons. LBJ stepped aside due to the unpopular Vietnam War, whereas I found that Biden’s reason was due to age. If it was the economy or any other sort of turmoil, Democrats wouldn’t be running ahead of Republicans in U.S. Senate contests in swing states. No, we don’t have 500,000 Americans fighting a war abroad. That’s a very big difference.

Yes, someone took a shot at Donald Trump. This troubled youth was also scoping out Joe Biden, the DNC Convention and other government officials, in addition to Trump, according to the AP. This shooter was likely trying to start some kind of turmoil that’s closer to 1968. This is very different from the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy.

Yes, the Democrats are having a convention in Chicago, as they did in 1968. But we don’t have a candidate like Eugene McCarthy who has been running and being sidelined by the process, with RFK votes out there. Sorry, Representative Dean Phillips. You’re not Eugene McCarthy.

RFK Jr. is no RFK. He’s not even a George Wallace-type candidate with a strong third-party level of support that could win several states, though with his anti-government conspiracy theories, anger over the removal of Confederate monuments, and copying Trump on immigration policy, he’s at least moving in that direction policy-wise, a far cry from his progressive stands in the past.

Yes, Russia is attacking a neighboring country (Ukraine) the same way the Soviet Union invaded occupied Czechoslovakia, though Putin’s assaults are far more brutal. Back then, Republicans stood with Democrats in condemning the USSR. Nowadays, some Republicans are fawning over Vladimir Putin’s foreign policies, and claiming NATO is to blame.

We should also learn the lesson of what North Korea did to the USS Pueblo in 1968, and realize that our enemies in the Middle East, East Asia, and East Europe remember the lessons of 1968 too, and can’t wait to try something similar to try and embarrass the USA. Looks like Russia’s doing that with the lengthy prison sentence of the reporter. Wonder what those pro-Putin USA politicians have to say about that.

To avoid the scourge of 1968, candidates need better protection from those hopped up on social media propaganda who would love the movie “Civil War” to become a reality. Democrats need to make sure a variety of voices are heard, and law enforcement should be prepared for those who will push for violence, infiltrated by outside agitators or posing as protesters.

And we need some of our more naïve politicians to recognize that the regimes of Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Hamas aren’t our friends, something we knew in 1968. European politicians have been found with increasing links to Putin. Hopefully, that’s not happening here.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His “X” account is JohnTures2.