Republican Operative on CNN Dismisses 1968 DNC Comparisons: ‘It’s Not Going to Happen’

Republican strategist David Urban scoffed at suggestions that the Democratic National Convention in Chicago would end up reflecting the chaos and violence of the party’s confab there in 1968, bluntly telling a CNN panel, “it’s not going to happen.”

Chicago, with its Democratic-majority government, has been a frequent target of criticism by former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, and unsurprisingly, that did not change when the Democrats picked the Windy City for their convention location.

As part of a panel discussion on The Lead with Jake Tapper regarding some of the protesters who had also come to Chicago, Urban flatly dismissed the expectations that unrest would spiral out of control.

“Look, if people are expecting to see the summer of ’68 in the next week, they’re not going to see it,” said Urban. “It’s just structurally not happening.”

“These are national security events,” he continued. “There’s fencing, there’s — you can protest, you’re protesting miles away. That’s the Republican convention, the Democratic convention, that’s just how things are done, so that the people inside are safe, the protesters are safe, and the public is safe.”

“If people are expecting to see blood in the streets in Chicago, it’s not going to happen, look someplace else,” he said.

He acknowledged people would likely see “robust debate” and possibly even “fighting in the streets,” but gave credit to law enforcement who were “out doing their best job they can” to “keep this city safe.”

“The folks on the frontlines are doing their best job to keep this city safe, the delegates safe, so, you know, hats off to them,” Urban concluded. “I hope we don’t see any violence.”

“And, just for the record, my parents were here in ’68 and I was gassed in utero, which might explain quite a bit,” anchor Jake Tapper joked, drawing laughter from the other panelists.

Watch the clip above via CNN .