Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Robert F. Kennedy. Despite some obvious differences with these four men, they all have one thing in common: they were assassinated.
With this year’s presidential campaigns in full swing, people fear that Barack Obama—now the likely Democratic nominee—could be next.
The New York Times recently ran an article highlighting some Americans’ concerns for Obama’s safety. “In Colorado, two sisters say they pray daily for his safety,” the article reads. “In New Mexico, a daughter says she persuaded her mother to still vote for Mr. Obama, even though the mother feared that winning would put him in danger. And at a rally here [in Dallas], a woman expressed worries that a message of hope and change, in addition to his race, made him more vulnerable to violence.”
While it’s true that the country—and the world—have lost many agents of change by way of assassins, Obama doesn’t seem to be worried. “I’ve got the best protection in the world,” Obama says in the article. “So stop worrying.”
However, people haven’t stopped worrying. In addition to supporters’ concerns, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D, Miss.) reportedly wrote the Secret Service in January about the current candidates’ safety.
“The national and international profile of Senator Barack Obama gives rise to unique challenges that merit special concern,” Thompson wrote in the letter, according to the Times. “As an African-American who was witness to some of this nation’s most shameful days during the civil rights movement, I know personally that the hatred of some of our fellow citizens can lead to heinous acts of violence. We need only to look to the assassinations of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 1968 presidential candidate Robert Kennedy as examples.”
If Obama is concerned about his safety, he’s not letting it show on the campaign trail. “It’s not something that I’m spending time thinking about day to day,” he said. “I made a decision to get into this race. I think anybody who decides to run for president recognizes that there are some risks involved, just like there are risks in anything.”
A look at history reveals that despite high profile killings of King and Kennedy—both of whom Obama has been compared to—politicians, and presidents in general have been the target of assassination attempts. Former Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and the aforementioned Kennedy were all killed on the job. In addition, attempts were made on the lives’ of Andrew Jackson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford—whose security thwarted two attempts in three weeks—and Ronald Regan.
In spite of fears that the country will regress to the days Martin Luther King and JFK should Obama win the nomination—and subsequently the White House—support for the Illinois senator is growing. The sizes of his campaign rallies have grown, and his security team nearly rivals that of a sitting president.
Obama has had Secret Service protection since May of 2007, the earliest protection for any candidate running for President of the United States.
© 2008, @BWyche. All rights reserved.
