Monday, November 03, 2014

LBJ Landslide 50 Years Ago

President Lyndon Johnson, barely in office for a year, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, won election in his own right in a landslide over Conservative Republican Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona.  This election was special to me is it was the first one that I can remember.
Johnson, one of the great senator's of our history, was unhappy as vice president under Kennedy and it has been said that he had entertained thoughts of resigning when he was called upon to take the Oath Of Office, coincidentally in his native state of Texas after the assassination in 1963.
In the 1964 election, Johnson carried 44 states, while Goldwater carried only 6.  Goldwater's views scared many Americans.  Johnson, while not as charismatic as Kennedy, was seen as "middle of the road".   The next 4 years would be tough on Johnson, who would announce in 1968 that he was not seeking another term.

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