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Otto Lidenbrock

Otto Lidenbrock's Journal
Otto Lidenbrock's Journal
December 2, 2019

Why do democrats rarely talk about Lyndon Johnson?

I was going to ask this in the primaries forum as we've got Bernie Sanders invoking FDR as a pillar behind his campaign, Harry Truman's "The Buck Stops Here" motto has been brought up by Cory Booker in a way of contrasting earnestness with what we currently have, JFK's light always shines bright, at least three candidates have met Jimmy Carter and he was name-checked in the last debate by Amy Klobuchar. But this isn't just a 2020 thing. I've wondered this in the past.

That timeline of democratic presidents takes us from 1933-1981. Six of those years however were occupied by a very complicated man, but arguably the most consequential, Lyndon Johnson. And he's the one I have yet to hear embraced as someone to look up to.

He will always have Vietnam associated with him. But that war started years before and didn't end until years after. FDR put Japanese Americans into camps and Truman dropped the bomb. They did dark things.

And yeah Johnson was a SOB. Hard nosed and uncouth. But you know he got things done despite his personal failings. He was power hungry but once he got to the top he realised there's no point being there if you're not going to do anything good.

Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, The Great Society/War on Poverty (Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamp Act - the precursor to SNAP). He achieved legislative goals to expand investment into education, environment (with help from Lady Bird), protect seniors and public services. He signed into law an immigration act which repealed a past era law that was discriminatory.

When people talk about structural change, surely he is the guy to namecheck. So why don't we?

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Member since: Wed Jun 20, 2018, 07:20 PM
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