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Chapter 2: Tumultuous Times
Chapter 2: Tumultuous Times
View attachment 380558
A photo taken of Johnson at a meeting the day after he dropped out.
Johnson, just a few days fresh from announcing he wouldn’t seek another term had gone back to being just president Johnson. He was miserable.
“At cabinet meetings, Johnson just seemed so disinterested. So sad. So miserable. And I felt his pain. He was once the most powerful man in the country and now he was reduced to shambles. A broken old politician was all he was and how he would be remembered.” - My Life in Politics. Hubert Humphrey. Written 1977. Published in 2003.
Then just a few days later, a true crisis occurred. On April 4th, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. The event caused tragedy amongst the African American community. What unfolded were major riots in just about every major city. Chicago, Detroit, Newark to name a few. All cities affected by the riots. It truly ended up being a terrible event causing millions in damage. On Live TV, millions of Americans witnessed burning of major cities. Destruction of stores and homes. It was a disturbing sight to see people reacting this way. LBJ responded by sending out the National Guard. The riots however, continued for days. They eventually would subside but not after a few days of destruction. This really hurt Johnson and his approval ratings. Just as they ticked on the upswing after his drop out, he fell flat. Johnson was most especially upset at how this would elect one of his enemies.
In the Democratic race, Bobby Kennedy had taken a sizable lead in the opinion polls. With Johnson out, with the exception of the Martin Luther King riots, things got better. Protestors never followed Bobby Kennedy or Eugene McCarthy. They reached out to sizable crowds and had the advantages of not being establishment candidates. Both sides campaigned as an alternative to the past advertising themselves as the future of the party with appeals to young voters.
LBJ: he is leading in the polls and thie riots might help him win. This is absolutely terrible. I hate him.
HHH: I know. I know.
LBJ: Hubert, have you thought about running?
HHH: I don’t think I should. I feel the tide is in their favor and I will not sacrifice my political career as a stooge of you. I’m my own man, not an underling.
-Phone call between Johnson and Humphrey.
Johnson was very displeased at the possibility of the republicans or the democrats winning. First of all he wanted power. Second, he wanted his establishment democrats to stay in power. Third of all. The biggest reason was the opponents selected by the people. First there was the issue of dealing with Bobby Kennedy. Rejected by the people, Johnson’s likely successor was Kennedy. He was thought to be the only person strong enough to attack the republicans. Lyndon Johnson did not want his successor to be Kennedy. But Kennedy would not be the only thorn in Johnson’s side. The Republicans were leaning towards an old face. The opponent was someone LBJ never truly liked. He was a man he never had respect for. A person who was a weasel and a bitter man. One he had beaten before but wouldn’t again. The man was none other than Richard Milhous Nixon.
View attachment 380556
Nixon at a campaign rally.
View attachment 380558
A photo taken of Johnson at a meeting the day after he dropped out.
Johnson, just a few days fresh from announcing he wouldn’t seek another term had gone back to being just president Johnson. He was miserable.
“At cabinet meetings, Johnson just seemed so disinterested. So sad. So miserable. And I felt his pain. He was once the most powerful man in the country and now he was reduced to shambles. A broken old politician was all he was and how he would be remembered.” - My Life in Politics. Hubert Humphrey. Written 1977. Published in 2003.
Then just a few days later, a true crisis occurred. On April 4th, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. The event caused tragedy amongst the African American community. What unfolded were major riots in just about every major city. Chicago, Detroit, Newark to name a few. All cities affected by the riots. It truly ended up being a terrible event causing millions in damage. On Live TV, millions of Americans witnessed burning of major cities. Destruction of stores and homes. It was a disturbing sight to see people reacting this way. LBJ responded by sending out the National Guard. The riots however, continued for days. They eventually would subside but not after a few days of destruction. This really hurt Johnson and his approval ratings. Just as they ticked on the upswing after his drop out, he fell flat. Johnson was most especially upset at how this would elect one of his enemies.
In the Democratic race, Bobby Kennedy had taken a sizable lead in the opinion polls. With Johnson out, with the exception of the Martin Luther King riots, things got better. Protestors never followed Bobby Kennedy or Eugene McCarthy. They reached out to sizable crowds and had the advantages of not being establishment candidates. Both sides campaigned as an alternative to the past advertising themselves as the future of the party with appeals to young voters.
LBJ: he is leading in the polls and thie riots might help him win. This is absolutely terrible. I hate him.
HHH: I know. I know.
LBJ: Hubert, have you thought about running?
HHH: I don’t think I should. I feel the tide is in their favor and I will not sacrifice my political career as a stooge of you. I’m my own man, not an underling.
-Phone call between Johnson and Humphrey.
Johnson was very displeased at the possibility of the republicans or the democrats winning. First of all he wanted power. Second, he wanted his establishment democrats to stay in power. Third of all. The biggest reason was the opponents selected by the people. First there was the issue of dealing with Bobby Kennedy. Rejected by the people, Johnson’s likely successor was Kennedy. He was thought to be the only person strong enough to attack the republicans. Lyndon Johnson did not want his successor to be Kennedy. But Kennedy would not be the only thorn in Johnson’s side. The Republicans were leaning towards an old face. The opponent was someone LBJ never truly liked. He was a man he never had respect for. A person who was a weasel and a bitter man. One he had beaten before but wouldn’t again. The man was none other than Richard Milhous Nixon.
View attachment 380556
Nixon at a campaign rally.
- 20thCenturyBoy
- Word Count: 560