Lyndon Johnson's Politics

When Lyndon Johnson became President in 1963 he committed himself to the late President Kennedy's programs and he "viewed the American commitment in Vietnam as part of the Kennedy program he was sworn to uphold" (Herring 1113). But in the end, Vietnam became known as "Lyndon Johnson's War" and was the cause of Johnson ending his political career prematurely (Berman xi). Johnson's failure to recognize the need to get out of Vietnam and the decisions he made in regard to the war have fascinated historians of the presidency and of the Vietnam conflict. Though there is no single explanation for his decisions, Johnson's personality, his experience, his political goals and the political atmosphere of the times all had a significant impact on his choices. A line can be traced from Johnson's early years as a negotiator between the demands of his parents to his role as a facilitator and deal-maker in legislative bodies, This role brought him great power but, when he traded it for the power of the presidency, he was faced with a type of power that he did not really know how to use in the foreign affairs arena. This dilemma led to many of Johnson's mistakes. But, perhaps more than anything, the problem was Johnson's situation as President at a time when the nation was undergoing a great change. While, as far as foreign affairs went, he was prepared to lead the U.S. in ways that were no longer what the people desired, this also blocked him in accomplishing what he desired in dome

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e could use the consensus that would develop when America was at war as the unifying element that would facilitate acceptance of his domestic programs. Though he believed in the fight against Communism for its own sake, he did not believe that it was the source of America's domestic problems and thought that, like any other chip in the political game, it could be used in bargaining. His methods of achieving his ends and exerting power were too well set by the time he became president and his career-long success did not allow him to see any other way of working. Lyndon Johnson was the son of an unsuccessful farmer and cattleman. He was born in 1908 and raised in the Texas hill country. His father had served five terms in the Texas legislature and Johnson's ambitious mother encouraged him in educational and cultural pursuits. In Goodwin's notes on Johnson's personality she points out that his early life was spent "torn between the irreconcilable demands of his mother . . . and those of his father, who considered intellect and culture unmanly pursuits" (369). Out of this split, Johnson developed a constant drive for achievement, trying to top each previous success in order to retain the approval of his mother or whoever's app

Category: Government - L