 of nineteen sixty eight the country was very divided nineteen sixty eight the democratic convention was going to be in chicago walter cronkite came back from vietnam asked you know what the hell was going on and you know was very critical of the war and lynda johnson famously told his aides you know if i've lost walter cronkite then i've lost middle america and shortly thereafter it took a couple weeks but he did a famous i will not seek nor alike except my party's nomination