Lyndon B. Johnson: Difference between revisions

He is notable as the '''''only''''' U.S. President to attempt to end national poverty.

The bad was the [[Vietnam War]], along with the persistent atmosphere of political corruption that surrounded Johnson, including accusations of voter fraud, bribery, selling government secrets and (now proven by declassified documented) ordering the FBI to conduct illegal espionage on the civil rights movement and his political opponents as part of the [[w:COINTELPRO|COINTELPRO]] program. Critics claimed that his support for Civil Rights was belied by his Senatorial votes against anti-lynching legislation, and that his poverty programs were nothing but cynical ploys to buy votes with handouts. Lyndon's administration carried over JFK's adoption of the "Whiz Kids", a group of RAND Corporation game theorists who were responsible for [[Mind Screw|mind-bendingly complex]] flow charts and kill quotas. The massive bureaucracies LBJ put in place to administer his grandiose social projects proved to be riddled with waste and inefficiency. His increasing unpopularity, along with his ill-health, ultimately led to his decision not to run for re-election in 1968. It appears that the actual independent effect of the war on his ratings was minimal—with his perceived mishandling of domestic issues causing more public distrust. Beyond his involvement in the war Johnson also took money from the Social Security fund to pay for the Vietnam War. Johnson nor any future Congress/PotUS put the money ''back'' like they were supposed to and indeed many haven taken further money from the fund, ensuring Social Security would eventually fail disastrously. And, while it is unknown whether he actually asked that protest singers be put on radio blacklists and thus not get any airplay (or royalties), he is known to have written letters on White House stationery praising stations that did blacklist one of the most famous protest singers of the time, [[Buffy Sainte-Marie]].

Johnson was a [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|colorful figure]], whose rough-edged Texan demeanor contrasted strongly with Kennedy's elegant image. One incident had him exposing his appendicitis scar to the public; in another he picked up his pet beagle by the ears, assuring the onlookers, "He lahks it!" He was legendarily tough: it took him several hours to realize he was experiencing his first heart-attack. He had odd eating habits, eating quickly and, if someone near him hasn't finished eating yet, taking ''their'' food to eat, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. He was also apparently a bit obsessed over his initials: he had LBJ on his wristcuffs, gave out pens with LBJ on them during his trips to other countries, his wife was nicknamed '''L'''ady '''B'''ird '''J'''ohnson (real name Claudia, and that nickname actually predated LBJ. He proposed to her on the day they first met), named his children '''L'''ynda '''B'''ird and '''L'''uci '''B'''aines '''J'''ohnson (his first daughter was born ''10ten'' years after his marriage), and his pet beagle's name was '''L'''ittle '''B'''eagle '''J'''ohnson. Perhaps his oddest habit was conducting meetings on the toilet (Perhaps one of the best non-sexual examples of [[Coitus Uninterruptus]]). Satirical portrayals in media usually focused on playing up his Texan-ness to a comical degree.