Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail '72

Thompson feels “the ghost of Kennedys past” (91) hanging heavy on the campaign. To distinguish himself, Ed Muskie charters a train to take him on a whistle-stop tour of Florida. Muskie’s campaign self-consciously compares him to past Kennedys while also fearing “the ghost of Kennedy Present” (93): Teddy Kennedy, who has still not entered the race. Thompson mentions rumors that Muskie could be convinced to sign on as Ted Kennedy’s running mate, but these rumors are soon quashed. John Lindsay, another Democratic hopeful, has been jokingly accused of testing the waters as a candidate with Kennedy’s politics; his success may motivate Kennedy to actually enter the race, leading to a running joke that “the Lindsay Campaign might just be successful enough to get Ted Kennedy elected” (94). However, Lindsay does not seem a viable candidate.

Thompson describes the relationship between the politicians and the press. The common attitude among most journalists, he notes, is that “all politicians are congenital thieves and liars” (94), which he believes is generally true. Likewise, politicians view the press as a “gang of swine” (95). Again, Thompson tends to agree. Thinking ahead to the Democratic National Convention in Miami, Thompson expects “a week-long orgy of sex, violence, and treachery” (98).