The American Presidents

[Rubber Soul]

34. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (I Got dem Eisenhower Blues)





Born: October 14, 1890, Denison, Texas
Died: March 28, 1969, Washington, DC

Term: January 20, 1953- January 20, 1961
Political Party:  Republican

Vice President: Richard Nixon

First Lady: Mamie Doud Eisenhower

Before the Presidency: Dwight Eisenhower grew up in a farming community in Kansas. His mother was a religious pacifist who opposed war making it interesting that young Dwight was considering a military career from a very young age.

He joined the West Point Academy in 1911 where he played football until a knee injury ended his career. Known as a prankster, he didn't really distinguish himself and graduated in the middle of his class.

Eisenhower's lot improved over the years though as he began to take things more seriously. After various stints at a number of camps, mostly as a Second Lieutenant, he met George Patton at Camp Meade, Maryland. He and Patton both wrote articles advocating better use of tanks as an alternative to trench warfare. The Army responded with a threat of a court-martial (How dare he question the Army?).

At least Eisenhower wasn't alone. He was transferred to the Panama Canal Zone in the 1920s where he worked under General Fox Conner. Conner was impressed with Eisenhower's critical thinking, and he agreed with Eisenhower that the Army wasn't using its resources to the best of its ability. Conner mentored Eisenhower and arranged for his schooling at the General and Command Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas. Eisenhower was a prankster no more, and he graduated number one in his class. He subsequently would work for famous Generals John Pershing and Douglas MacArthur.

The years with MacArthur were stormy to say the least. The junior Officer certainly had a different approach to things than MacArthur (he of the Bonus Army massacre). Indeed, though he opposed it, Eisenhower's loyalty came first, and he helped implement the evacuation of the Bonus Marchers in 1932. Despite the bad taste in his mouth, Eisenhower would stay with MacArthur when he was transferred to the Philippines in 1935.

Eisenhower returned to the United States in 1939 just as World War II was breaking out in Europe. While training troops in Louisiana, Eisenhower's strategic skills were noticed, and he earned a promotion to Brigadier General. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Eisenhower was transferred to Washington, DC, to work on war plans. Eisenhower caught the eye of General George Marshall, and the General was promoted yet again. By November 1942, he was commanding Allied troops in North Africa under Operation Torch. With more successes, Eisenhower was appointed as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe in 1943.

Eisenhower was well liked as Supreme Commander. He knew how to build coalitions within the Allied ranks, and it made for great leadership as the Allies successfully invaded Italy in particular.

Of course, General Eisenhower's finest moment was the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944. It wasn't an easy decision; poor weather was predicted for that day and, indeed, if you see the film clips, you can tell it was kind of a nasty day. Eisenhower, though, knew time was of the essence (the Germans knew they were coming; they just didn't know where exactly). So, he simply said, "Okay, let's go." The rest, of course, is history.

After Germany surrendered, Eisenhower received a hero's welcome all over Europe, and in Washington DC. He was, perhaps, the most celebrated person in America and was now on the same level as other historic Generals like Washington and Grant. Eisenhower was appointed Commander of US Occupation Forces in Germany. There he had to make some difficult decisions such as firing his friend, George Patton, for basically being politically incorrect (not that hiring former Nazis on your staff was exactly smart). He also had to send Soviet citizens in the US occupation zone back to the USSR, even those that didn't want to go.

Eisenhower also wasn't without his own opinions, especially when it came to military matters. He was against the use of the atomic bomb worried that it would tarnish the US image at a time when the image was at an all-time high.

Eisenhower returned to Washington as Chief of Staff of the Army. For the next two years, he prepared the Army for what would likely be a long cold war. Afterwards, he left the command to become President of Columbia University, only to return as Supreme Commander of NATO of Europe in 1951.

Of course, there was a lot of political interest in the immensely popular Eisenhower as well. President Truman wasn't very popular as the 1948 election rolled around, and he tried to convince Eisenhower to run for President with Truman on the ticket. Eisenhower was no doubt flattered but he turned the offer down. He was a military man, after all, not a politician, in fact, he had never even voted. He also turned down offers from the Republicans as well.

Things would change in 1952 as the US was now mired in the Korean War and McCarthyism was now running amok. Truman wisely decided not to run again, but there had to be a voice that could steady the nation yet again.

Summary of offices held:

1915-1953: United States Army

1943-1945: Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (World War II)

1945: Military Governor, US Occupation Zone in Germany

1945-1948: Chief of Staff, US Army

1948-1953: President, Columbia University

1951-1952: Supreme Allied Commander, Europe


What was going on: The Cold war, Civil Rights movement, Elvis Presley and Rock n Roll, Army- McCarthy hearings, Suez Canal crisis, Interstate Highway system

Scandals within the administration: Richard Nixon Checkers speech, Sherman Adams scandal

Why he was a good President: He had a very calming influence. Even with the Cold War seemingly running amok, he had a way of letting people know things were going to be okay. He also started the space program, helped to enforce the civil rights legislation that existed at the time, and helped to keep the world safe for democracy. Most importantly, he was a very decent man.

Why he was a bad President: Yes, Eisenhower was a decent man, but he is also responsible for jacking up the nuclear arms race, supported less than noble means of influencing third world governments through the CIA, and avoiding the civil rights issue until he no longer could. Basically, when it came to foreign policy at least, Eisenhower was fairly secretive.

What could have saved his Presidency:  A stronger Civil Rights platform. He could have been LBJ without the Vietnam War if he had played his cards right. He also should have kept his nose out of the Middle East and especially the Latin American countries.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: War with China over Formosa, Heavier involvement in Vietnam, the war that destroyed LBJ's Presidency. If the nuclear arms race had proved disastrous.

Election of 1952: Both parties again tried to entice Eisenhower to run, and Eisenhower was now in a different state of mind. He was obviously being drafted and he realized he was being called to service again. But with what party?

Eisenhower, by now, was rather disappointed with Truman, particularly with the war in Korea. Eisenhower wanted to find a way out, so he ultimately went with the Republicans.

Of course, it was assumed that 1952 would be Robert Taft's year as he came in as the frontrunner. However, Taft was an isolationist at a time when the Cold War was getting hot. Republicans, therefore, were looking for someone popular who would still be active in defending the world against Communism and especially the Soviet Union. And there was only one man that could fit the bill.

It was Henry Cabot Lodge who initiated the draft Eisenhower movement in the GOP and Eisenhower finally threw his in his hat in January 1952.

Eisenhower won the New Hampshire primary easily and it was obvious the Republican voters wanted him as well, but there were still few primaries (the first truly full blown primary season wouldn't be until 1972) and it would ultimately be up to the delegates as to who they would go with, thus Taft still appeared the front runner.

But there were disputed delegates, and the Eisenhower camp was able to get them all. In the end, Eisenhower would win on the first ballot. Eisenhower would choose Senator Richard Nixon of California as his running mate (and boy are we going to have a field day with him in a few chapters). The young senator had already made his mark as an anti-Communist crusader and seemed like a good pick for the ticket.

With Truman out of the way, the Democrats went with the witty and articulate Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. By now, the Northern liberals were taking over the party and Stevenson's liberal cred pushed all the right buttons. This figured to be an interesting contest.

In the end though, Stevenson never really had a chance. Eisenhower campaigned almost flawlessly, surviving even a mini- Nixon scandal (we'll talk about that in his profile). He oozed assurance and voters truly felt comfortable with him. Stevenson, of course, wasn't a bad guy either and is still considered as one of the great statesmen in history. But how do get out from under the unpopularity of Truman, who Eisenhower chose to attack rather than Stevenson?

So, in the end, Eisenhower won in a landslide and Adlai Stevenson would join William Jennings Bryan as one of the Democrats' what ifs.

First term: President-Elect Eisenhower pledged to go to Korea during the election campaign and, indeed, he did go to Korea, even before he was inaugurated. Still, it didn't look there was a clear way out and there were certainly still some hawks that thought the US could win this war.

But Eisenhower wanted out and he secretly muscled China with threats of invasion and the use of nuclear weapons. The Soviets also wanted to end the war and Stalin's death strengthened their resolve even more.

So, Eisenhower got what Nixon never really did get with Vietnam, peace with honor. The two Koreas signed an armistice that more or less kept the borders the same as they had been before. It didn't end tensions between the two countries (even today, they technically remain at a state of war), but they do have an uneasy peace and the American troops were able to come home.

The Red Scare was still front and center on the domestic front as Senator McCarthy was swinging wildly accusing everyone of being a Communist and scaring the average American to death. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, meanwhile, became a cause celebre as they were convicted of spying and sentenced to death. Many people thought they were innocent (Ethel actually was, Julius, not so much). When they were executed, the public outrage was quite evident.

As for McCarthy, Eisenhower, for the most part, stay tight lipped despite his utter disgust of the man. For political reasons, he had to hold his tongue during a campaign stop in Wisconsin when McCarthy trashed his friend, George Marshall. Later, as President, Eisenhower remained quiet as McCarthy's popularity was reaching an all-time high.

Then came the Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954. Now McCarthy was going after the United States Army; Eisenhower had enough. He instructed his staff to find information that would discredit McCarthy and it wasn't hard to find. Another way to thwart McCarthy was to invoke Executive privilege so his aides wouldn't be forced to testify in the McCarthy circus. And, while Eisenhower invoked it for all the right reasons, it would be abused by Presidents in the future, especially with Nixon and Trump.

Even with all the maneuverings in the Eisenhower White House, they weren't able to take McCarthy down, nor was respected newsman Edward R. Murrow able to eliminate this great scourge. No, as it turned out, the man who took McCarthy down would be a somewhat meek older lawyer named Joseph A. Welch. After McCarthy accused one of Welch's aides of having ties to a Communist organization. Welch was taken aback, but calmy responded with the famous words, "Have you no decency?" The Red Scare was over, and McCarthy was forever disgraced.

Now that people could live their lives with a booming economy and an increase in consumerism, Eisenhower could concentrate on other things. In 1953, he made what he thought might have been his biggest mistake when he appointed Earl Warren as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Warren, a Republican, would prove to be one of the most liberal justices in history, arguably even an activist, and it was he who authored and engineered the unanimous decision in Brown v Board of Education which declared the segregation of schools unconstitutional. That combined with the Montgomery Bus Boycott that launched Martin Luther King, Jr. into prominence sparked the beginning of the Civil Rights movement.

Eisenhower didn't really have a problem with that decision (it would be future Warren decisions that would get his goat), but he would have likely preferred to have things go on as usual. Nevertheless, he would act when the time came.

Eisenhower's forte, of course, was in foreign affairs and he had to deal with at least one major one when the Chinese Nationalists, led by Chang Kai-Shek, occupied the island of Formosa. Red China threated war over the island, and it would take a diplomatic tightrope (Eisenhower was willing to go to war as well) to prevent a full blown war from erupting. Formosa is now the independent nation of Taiwan and Red China still has designs on the island, only the threat of US intervention preventing the Chinese from an all-out attack.

On other matters, Eisenhower enhanced the power of covert tactics by the CIA and ramped up the production of nuclear weapons to deter would be attackers. He was a firm believer that it was preferable over conventional warfare as, by the nuclear bombs' destructive nature, there would be fewer wars to begin with. It's possible he would come to regret the nuclear arms race he helped to instigate later.

Health would become an issue for President Eisenhower as he would suffer the first of many heart attacks. He would survive, of course, but it did raise questions on whether he would run for a second term.

When he returned to the White House he also had to deal with another international crisis, this one involving Gamel Abdel Nasser of Egypt. He had a bit of a feud going with France, Britain, and Israel and he responded by closing the Suez Canal, an important waterway for trade through the Middle East. Israel responded by attacking the Sinai Peninsula. Eisenhower was furious as he though the attack would glorify Nasser. He urged the three nations to stand down and Nasser would eventually reopen the canal in 1957.

Eisenhower had one last domestic gem to introduce in his first term and it is probably the most important thing in his legacy. He had long been an advocate of an uninterrupted highway system that would make it easier to transport military equipment in times of war. With automobile travel being by now the easiest form of transportation, it made sense that the highway system could be used for civilian use as well.

So, on June 29, 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal Highway Act which created the vast Interstate System that we have today. Indeed, parts of Interstate 70 (which happens to start in Baltimore) is known as the Eisenhower Interstate Highway.

So, even though it was the not very eventful fifties for the average American, it was an eventful time for President Eisenhower.

And even more was yet to come.



Election of 1956: Because Eisenhower was very adept at keeping things behind the scenes, letting Americans enjoy their television and tv dinners and the like, he was an immensely popular President by 1956 and his re-election seemed be to a foregone conclusion.

Of course, after his heart attack in 1955, there was speculation that he wouldn't even run again but he allayed the fears when he announced his intention to run in February 1956.

The real issue was then who would be Eisenhower's running mate. Nixon proved very capable running things during Eisenhower's convalescence, but he was also seen as partisan. Also, Eisenhower didn't like him very much.

So, Eisenhower tried to tempt him to take a cabinet post. Nixon twice refused. Eisenhower wouldn't dump him, however, as the party regulars liked him, so it would be Eisenhower-Nixon again at the August convention.

The Democrats knew they probably had a snowball's chance in Hell, so they went with Adlai Stevenson again with the esteemed Senator Estes Kefauver as his running mate. Kefauver beat out a young Senator John Kennedy for the VP slot.

Just as in 1952, Stevenson never really had a chance. He did score points with the concern that Nixon could be President if something happened to Eisenhower. But he sealed his fate when he proposed a nuclear test ban, something Soviet Premier Bulganin supported. This gave Eisenhower and Nixon the opportunity to gang up on Stevenson in a nation terrified of the Soviets.

Of course, in the end, none of it really mattered of course as Eisenhower would win in another landslide.

[Rubber Soul]

Second Term: As Eisenhower's second term began, the major issues were the strife in the Middle East, the Space race, and at home, civil rights. Eisenhower addressed the Middle east issue with what he called the Eisenhower Doctrine. This one dealt with the Middle east. With this doctrine Eisenhower promised economic and military aid to any middle eastern nation that rejected Soviet Communism. I imagine it didn't hurt that the Middle East was rich in oil reserves either. In any event, ever since then, the US, Europeans, Russians, Chinese, etc. have been overly involved in Arab affairs and their historical hatred of Israel, who the Christian leaning US blindly allies with, regardless of their politics (Israel has historically wavered from wanting peace to waging World War III on the Palestinians). It's a quagmire that we have yet to get ourselves out of, so thanks, Ike.

1957 was also the year the Soviets launched the Sputnik Satellite. This especially concerned the Administration, and the American people since it seemed to give the Soviets an advantage in the space race as well. This prompted Congress and the Eisenhower Administration to start its own space program. The US launched their first satellite in January 1958 and created the National Aeronautical Space Agency, or NASA, the following summer. Though initially intended for military use, it would prove to be the leader in space exploration for decades. We can thank Ike for that one too, sincerely this time.

The burning issue in 1957, however, was the Civil Rights movement.  In particular was the refusal of southern states to desegregate schools as per the order of the Supreme Court. Virginia responded by refusing to open schools at all.

But it especially got ugly in Arkansas when the Governor mobilized the National Guard to prevent the enrollment of African American students. President Eisenhower may not have been crazy about the Supreme Court decision, but he was a man who believed in the law and as such, would enforce the order. As such, he sent Federal Troops to Little Rock to ensure the students would be enrolled. It wasn't pleasant as the students were taunted and spat on by those friendly white Christians (yeah, I know, I'm showing my bias here), but they braved the insults and slowly but surely, not only schools, but mostly all institutions would become integrated.

Another milestone was the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It didn't have the teeth the more famous Civil Rights Act of 1964 would have, but it was nonetheless an important stepping stone in the quest for racial equality. Strom Thurmond knew this, and he did everything he could to block it. He performed with the longest filibuster in Senate history, for over twenty-four hours in fact. In the end, he failed, and the bill passed and would be signed by President Eisenhower.

The remainder of Eisenhower's term dealt mostly with foreign affairs with the exception of a scandal involving his Chief of Staff, Sherman Adams, forced to resign after accepting improper gifts. He also would lose his Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, to cancer.

But again, Eisenhower would deal with mostly international issues. In 1958, Vice President Nixon went on a tour of Latin America and met with a somewhat violent reception. Eisenhower sent a thousand troops to the Caribbean in case the violence went beyond the egg throwing incidents (Fortunately, it didn't).

Closer to home, there was a revolution going on in Cuba, and the dictator, Fulgencio Batista, was overthrown by a revolutionary army led by Fidel Castro. At first, Eisenhower was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it soon became obvious the two had different priorities. By the time the Eisenhower Administration had ended, Castro was all but aligned with the Soviet Union and a decades long boycott was placed on Cuban goods. The Cold War was at our doorstep.

Vietnam too was now on our radar and Eisenhower was looking for ways to help the South Vietnamese as well. It clearly became more profound under Kennedy, but the long involvement started with Eisenhower. He had also backed a coup in Guatemala in 1954 on behalf of the United Fruit Company (Folk artists would later have a field day with this).

Of course, none of this mattered to the American public. They were happily watching Leave It To Beaver and keeping up with the latest fads. Indeed, the biggest problem in late fifties America seemed to be the scourge that was rock n roll. Whatever was going on, President Eisenhower gave Americans a sense of security. A false security? Maybe, but there was nothing sinister about it from Eisenhower's standpoint.

President Eisenhower left office in January 1961 but not before he gave a rather prophetic warning when he warned the public about the military-industrial complex.

And it wouldn't be very long for the American public to understand what he meant.

Post Presidency: General Eisenhower, as he preferred to be called as opposed to President, left office as one of the most popular Presidents in history. At seventy, he was the oldest President to date, and he decided to retire on his farm in Pennsylvania. Though retired, he was always available to give advice to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

Though he was able to travel for a time (He visited Normandy with his wife for example), health issues kept getting in the way. He suffered a major heart attack in 1965 and never really recovered. He spent the last nine months of his life at Walter Reed Hospital where he would be visited by his former Vice President, now President Nixon. Eisenhower died peacefully on March 28, 1969.

Odd notes: Eisenhower named the Shangri-La retreat camp David after his grandson

Despite being the Commander of Armed Forces in Europe, Eisenhower never saw active duty

Final Summary: When I think of the phrase the road is paved with good intentions, Eisenhower comes to mind. He truly thought that the best way to keep Americans safe was to build enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world hundreds of times over. Even his penchant for covert actions (Kennedy initiated the Bay of Pigs fiasco but it started under Eisenhower), had the welfare of the United States in mind. Unfortunately, all it did was to encourage future Presidents to initiate their own misadventures, the Vietnam War only being the tragic tip of the iceberg.

Having said that, Eisenhower accomplished a lot of great things starting with the Interstate Highway System. NASA likely would have not transformed into the great reservoir for space exploration without him lighting the match. And, yes, he did drag his feet when it came to civil rights, but when he had to act, he did, and wouldn't flinch while doing it.

Because Eisenhower was undoubtedly the perfect President for the conservative, laid back fifties, his standing among historians have risen to the point where he is in some top tens. Of course, I can't rate him that high because of the covert actions mostly.

But when you compare him to the more recent Presidents, the man looks like George Washington. Why? Because he had the qualities that few Presidents have had but we have always wanted, Integrity, honesty, a certain confidence without being arrogant, and trust.

So, no, he certainly wasn't perfect, but for a General, he didn't do too bad.

Overall rating: B

https://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower

[Rubber Soul]

35. JOHN F. KENNEDY (Yes, we're going to have a wingding)



Born: May 29, 1917, Brookline, Massachusetts
Died: November 22, 1963, Dallas, Texas

Term: January 20, 1961- November 22, 1963 (assassinated)
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President: Lyndon Johnson

First Lady: Jackie Bouvier Kennedy

Before the Presidency: John Kennedy was born to a privileged family in Brookline, Massachusetts. His maternal grandfather was Honey Fitz Fitzgerald, a former mayor of Boston. His father, Joseph Kennedy, Sr., also came from a political family and had dreams of his oldest son, Joseph Jr., one day becoming President of the United States.

Jack, as John was called, was the second oldest and he suffered from various ailments as a child. Still, he was a Kennedy and he found ways to toughen up. He grew up not really planning a career in politics and yet, always felt in competition with his brother, something the father always encouraged.

The senior Joseph was something of an entrepreneur and it is said that he gained much of his fortune in the prohibition 1920s as he was involved in the rumrunning business. He was also smart enough to pull his money out of the stock market just before the crash of 1929. He also had political connections and would become friendly with Franklin Roosevelt, who appointed him to several posts, culminating with the Ambassadorship to England.

As for Jack, he studied at Harvard, and it was only there where he learned the devastating effects of the Great Depression. He really did have a privileged life.

In 1938, Joseph Kennedy became Ambassador to England and brought the whole family with him, nine in all. While in London, Jack wrote his Senior thesis which became the book, Why England Slept.

The Kennedys stayed in England until 1940. That year, Joseph would be recalled after a series of anti-Semitic remarks and tensions with the State Department (Joseph was against American intervention). It's safe to say the Brits weren't crazy about him either.

Joseph had actually hoped for a Presidential run in 1940, but he proved too controversial to even be considered by the Democrats (or Republicans for that matter). Thus, he turned his attention to his son, Joseph, Jr.

After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, both Joe and Jack signed up for the Navy with the elder Joseph's approval, knowing the political value it would bring both of them. Joe had an easy time of it and he would be flying bombing missions over Europe.

It was a tougher time for Jack though as he still had his health issues, mainly with his back. Still, he had connections and soon he was commanding a PT boat in the Pacific. Again, his innate toughness hid his obvious pain, and he earned the respect of his men because of it.

In 1943, Kennedy's PT boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Lieutenant Kennedy proved to be a hero as he physically tugged a badly burned seaman with his teeth, leading ten men to a deserted island, where they languished for days before they were rescued. Despite some criticisms of poor seamanship (nobody was on watch when the destroyer hit), Kennedy was awarded the Purple Heart and Medal for Valor and was seen as a national hero.

Needless to say, brother Joe felt he had to top his brother's feat even though he was no doubt proud (though competitive, the two were actually quite close). In 1944, he flew a top secret mission. It was an experimental mission that would tragically fail. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was killed.

So, with the oldest now dead, the elder Joseph's aspirations now lie with Jack. Like it or not, his political career had begun.

As it turned out, Kennedy proved to be a natural and he enjoyed the political game. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946. He developed a reputation as a somewhat conservative Democrat and didn't really distinguish himself during the six years in the House. That would change in 1952, however.

For, in 1952, he was elected to the Senate, and it was there that he would make his mark, defeating the respected incumbent, Henry Cabot Lodge. Kennedy also met Jaqueline Bouvier that year; they would marry a year later, in 1953.

Not that the Senate was easy. Kennedy's health continued to struggle, and he was diagnosed with Addison's disease, then considered fatal. But like FDR, though, he was very good at hiding his ailments and he came off as a man with youthful vigor.

Kennedy spent one period of convalescence by writing another book, this one called Profiles in Courage (though accused of being ghostwritten by Theodore Sorenson, a loyal Kennedy aide). The book, profiling eight senators that took moral stands, won Kennedy the Pulitzer Prize.

Despite missing a lot of time in the Senate due to his health, Kennedy was nonetheless in the running for the Vice-Presidential nomination in 1956. In the end, the nod went to Estes Kefauver, but it put the young Kennedy in the national spotlight.

And some fortune came Kennedy's way as 1960 neared. Doctors were able to get Kennedy's Addison's disease under control and, while he would continue to have severe back pain, his health greatly improved. More importantly, Kennedy became a major player in the Senate as an influential member of the Foreign Relations Committee where he was critical of President Eisenhower on what he called the missile gap.

So, in 1960, Kennedy was ready to make his run for the White House, but he would have a lot of competition.


Summary of offices held:

1941-1945: United States Navy, Lieutenant

1947-1953; US House of Representatives, Massachusetts

1953-1961: US Senate, Massachusetts


What was going on: The Cold War, Civil Rights movement, Peace Corps, Cuban Missile Crisis

Scandals within the administration: Sex scandals that would come to light later

Why he was a good President: He had a youthful idealism that fit in well with the optimistic early sixties. He started the Peace Corps and beefed up the space program. He challenged NASA to go to the Moon and they took that challenge. He started the ball rolling for the definitive bill that would guarantee racial equality.

And, most important of all, because of his restraint without giving in, he likely saved the world from nuclear annihilation. It's hard to top that.

Why he was a bad President: Well, the other side of Kennedy was that he was probably a little narcissistic and even arrogant. He was a womanizer, and one doesn't know what really happened in the case of Marilyn Monroe (it is assumed she did, in fact, have an affair with Kennedy). Politically, though he did advance the cause of civil rights considerably, it took a lot of prodding from civil rights leaders and even his brother to get him to do it. Speaking of his brother, Robert Kennedy is absolutely one of my favorite all-time people, but you don't appoint family to an important administrative post, especially when he had next to no experience (luckily, Bobby turned out to be a damned good AG).

What could have saved his Presidency: Advocating Civil Rights from the onset. Telling Allen Dulles to stick it when he pushed the Bay of Pigs invasion. But mostly, cancelling the Dallas trip which not only would have saved his presidency (maybe) but also his life.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Not taking responsibility for the Bay of Pigs fiasco may have ruined his presidency from the get-go. Otherwise, the obvious answer is botching the Cuban Missile Crisis as that could have not ruined Kennedy's legacy, but just about anyone who was living in 1962.

Election of 1960: Kennedy did indeed have some competition starting with the Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson of Texas, who also had his hat in the ring. His biggest competitor, though, was Senator Hubert Humphrey, a classic New Deal liberal from the Midwest. Kennedy did well in the primaries, but it was thought that he would hit a roadblock in the working class state of West Virginia. Kennedy was a Catholic and there was a lot of anti-Catholic sentiment in that state in particular.

Kennedy campaigned hard in that state, assuring West Virginians that he wouldn't be taking orders from the Pope. Thanks to the organizational skills of the Kennedy clan, JFK won the state and Humphrey was forced to abandon the race. That left Johnson as his main competitor. Kennedy won the nomination on the first ballot and tabbed Johnson as his running mate, not because he liked him (he didn't and brother Bobby loathed him), but because it would make Kennedy attractive to Southern voters. This irked the more liberal Midwest Democrats who preferred Humphrey or Stuart Symington, but in the end, Kennedy got his way, as would all major party nominees from then on.

The Republicans had an easier time of it, going with Vice President Nixon, the first sitting Vice President under the modern two party system to win the nomination in his own right (Humphrey, Bush I, and Gore would follow in Nixon's footsteps). Nixon also chose his candidate, Henry Cabot Lodge, the man Kennedy had defeated for Senate in 1952.

Kennedy and Nixon were friends, and they had a civil contest for the most part. Kennedy painted himself as a Cold War liberal and promised to lead America out of what he called the "conservative rut". He also, after helping to get Martin Luther King out of jail, won the support of African Americans, who have been staunchly Democratic as a whole ever since.

By now television was the main medium and Kennedy and Nixon staged four debates. Nixon, as a seasoned debater, had all the confidence in the world and experts who listened on the radio think Nixon won. But Nixon was not the most handsome of candidates. He refused to wear makeup and it showed. He looked like he hadn't shaved for two days, and he seemed stiff compared to Kennedy. And while Nixon may have had a better grasp on the issues, Kennedy had a much better delivery. When the debates were over, the polls were at a dead heat.

And it reflected the finally tally on Election Day as well. Kennedy won the popular vote by a razor thin margin, and he won the Electoral vote as well. But there were accusations of voter fraud in both Texas (Johnson territory) and Illinois (Richard Daley ran the Chicago machine like a dictator and he, of course, supported Kennedy). The Texas fraud is disputable at best but there is evidence that Daley may very well have pulled some mischief in Chicago. In any event, Nixon decided not to challenge the election and graciously conceded.

And one of the most storied Administrations was underway.


First term: After giving one of the most famous inaugural speeches in American history, President Kennedy went to work on his vision of a New Frontier. One of the first things he did was to establish the Peace Corps, an organization where Americans volunteer to help people in third world countries in areas such as education, agriculture, and other areas of importance.  It is a goodwill organization that is admired to this day.

Of course, Kennedy was indeed a Cold War liberal, and he was made aware of a clandestine operation in Cuba. The idea was that a group of Cuban freedom fighters, backed by the CIA, would invade Cuba, and ultimately topple Fidel Castro. Kennedy went along with the plan. That plan was called the Bay of Pigs operation and it was a disaster. When the press made the fiasco public, Kennedy admitted his error. He also learned a major lesson not to automatically listen to the hawks, something that would probably save the world a year later.

One thing Kennedy had going for him in the early stage of his Presidency was the space program. In May 1961, Alan Shepard, Jr. became to first American to fly in space. If Kennedy was an avid Cold Warrior, he was also an idealist when it came to the space program. As the space program met with more success with each liftoff, Kennedy made a vow that the United States would go to the Moon by the end of the decade. And, indeed, despite a couple setbacks (notably the Apollo 1 disaster in 1967), man would indeed land on the Moon in 1969.

The Bay of Pigs, meanwhile, while on the back burner for most Americans, was not for Soviet Premier Khrushchev, who erroneously saw Kennedy as a weak President. He decided to take a shot at taking Berlin once again. Of course, the talks failed, and he would build the infamous Berlin Wall, preventing East Germans from trying to escape into West Berlin and maybe isolating the American led enclave. Kennedy was cautious, not wanting war to break out obviously, but in the end, he dispatched a symbolic number of troops into West Berlin to assure that the US would defend them at all costs. As a result, the wall stayed up, and Khrushchev backed off on his other demands.

An even more major crisis would rear its ugly head and, if not for some strategic restraint, you might not have been here to read this. In 1962, it was discovered that Cuba was housing nuclear missiles sent by the Soviets. Cuba is ninety miles away from the US mainland (Florida to be exact). Needless to say, this did not go well with anyone in the Kennedy Administration and certainly not with the military. Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba and for thirteen days, Soviet and American ships were engaged in a very tense standoff. The Americans were made aware of all of this by Kennedy himself and they were on pins and needles for the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, in the war room so to speak, military leaders were pressuring Kennedy to invade Cuba while aides were pushing for negotiations to get the missiles out of Cuba. Kennedy had learned a valuable lesson from the Bay of Pigs, and he wasn't going to get drawn into a nuclear war that nobody could win. And, as it turned out, Khrushchev felt the same way.

So, now realizing Kennedy had a lot more resolve than he thought, Khrushchev made a secret deal to get the missiles out of Cuba if the US removed their missiles from Turkey. That worked for Kennedy since they were obsolete anyway and Khrushchev was able to save face. The missiles were removed from Cuba, the world breathed a sigh of relief, and Castro threw a temper tantrum. But at least he didn't have to fear a US invasion anymore.

So, Kennedy had established himself as a very strong President when it came to foreign affairs, but what about the domestic front? Economically, things were going pretty well, and except for lowering taxes and standing up to US Steel when they wanted to raise prices, Kennedy didn't have to do much. Civil rights, on the other hand, was another matter.

By the time Kennedy became President, Civil Rights became a hot issue and Martin Luther King had a direct line to the President. But, despite the support from Black America, Kennedy was reluctant to do much more than enforcing existent laws, such as ensuring James Meredith would be enrolled at the University of Mississippi.

That all changed in 1963, however, after the legendary bigot police chief of Birmingham ordered the police and firemen to unleash firehoses on peacefully protesting African Americans. With the television camera on for all the world to see, Bull Connor inadvertently did more for the advancement of civil rights than Martin Luther King ever could.

Because President Kennedy saw it too, and so did his Attorney General brother, Robert (yeah, there was a little nepotism in the administration but at least Bobby was a good soul) and it was he who pushed his brother to finally do something.

And thus, the far reaching Civil Rights Bill was introduced which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, race, religion, or ethnic origin. Basically, it was designed to do away with Jim Crow altogether. Kennedy would push hard for this bill despite Southern opposition. Unfortunately, as most of you probably know, something tragic would get in the way.

In the meantime, 1963 was the year that Martin Luther King became about as well known as the President himself and Kennedy gave his blessing to the March on Washington in August 1963.

1963 was also the year that President Kennedy went to Berlin to a throng of cheering fans as he spoke bad German with the words, Ich Bin Ein Berliner. Not that they cared, mind you.

There was one more thing going on in the foreign theatre of course and that was Vietnam. Kennedy also inherited the issues of the Reds taking over the country and would increase US involvement by sending what were referred to as military advisors. It also turned out that South Vietnam wasn't exactly what you would call a Democratic paradise. Ngo Dinh Diem was nothing short of a dictator. So, the US backed an assassination attempt, which succeeded. What happened next would be up to the Vietnamese, or maybe President Johnson.

Because President Kennedy was not going to live to see the results of the Diem assassination nor of his civil rights bill.

[Rubber Soul]

Assassination: The 1964 election season was already underway in November 1963 and Kennedy decided on a goodwill political trip to Texas, accompanied by First Lady Jackie and Vice President Johnson. It was already assumed that Barry Goldwater would get the 1964 Republican nomination and the President made speeches that were critical of the potential candidate in San Antonio and Houston. Dallas was next after a speech in Fort Worth on the 22nd.

Kennedy had been cautioned not to go to Dallas by various people, especially United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, who had been heckled and assaulted in Dallas. Dallas authorities were also concerned, but Kennedy insisted on going to Dallas anyway.

On the morning of November 22nd, President Kennedy and the First Lady attended a breakfast at Fort Worth before embarking on the short flight to Dallas. There, at Love Field, he was greeted with a warm reception before occupying the Lincoln Continental Convertible with the top down with Governor Connally and his wife in the middle seats and the Kennedys in the back. The motorcade drove into downtown Dallas and there seemed not to be a hostile being in sight, just cheering crowds as the motorcade went by.

The motorcade turned on Houston and Elm streets. As the car was turning, Mrs. Connally remarked to the President, "You can't say Dallas doesn't love you."

Kennedy agreed. Then shots rang out. One bullet reportedly missed but another hit Kennedy in the neck (it is assumed it went through and also hit the Governor). As the President clutched at his throat, a third shot rang out. This one was a bullseye as Kennedy's head exploded. The motorcade rushed to Parkland Hospital but there wasn't really much anyone could do. The President was pronounced dead at one PM, Central Standard Time.

You would think that would be it after the funeral obviously, but the fun was just beginning. Vice President Johnson, at the protest of the Kennedy aides, had himself sworn in on Air Force One with a stunned (because of losing her husband, not because of Johnson) First Lady as a witness. It was a savvy move of course, but we'll talk about that more in his profile.

As for the investigation, the assassin had actually gotten away for a couple hours. Maybe he would have gotten even farther had he not been stopped by a Dallas police officer, who he shot and killed. Next thing you know, the world knew all about Lee Harvey Oswald and the Dallas Police spent the next two days parading him around for the press to see.

And that proved to be the biggest bonehead thing to do ever because, on Sunday, November 24th, and in front of live cameras, Lee Harvey Oswald would be cut down himself, by girlie club owner Jack Ruby, starting endless conspiracy theories that ranged from the Russians and Cubans to the Mafia and even the Vice President. None of the theories have been proven and while the Warren Commission, arranged by President Johnson, had what you could call a sloppy investigation (which was at least less sloppy than the autopsy), no one could prove anything other than Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone with no support from any entity.

So, John F Kennedy lives on as the greatest martyred President since Lincoln. It would be well over a decade before tales of affairs that would make anyone but Bill Clinton blush and a conspiracy that he had an affair with Marilyn Monroe and had a hand in her suicide in some way. And, of course, there were the Mafia rumors too (we didn't mention he was buddies with Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack member Peter Lawford was Kennedy's Brother-In-Law).

But whatever the truth may be, he goes down as one of the most idealistic Presidents in American history.

Odd notes: Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, made much of his fortune running illegal liquor in the 1920s.

Then Senator Kennedy got into a car accident with a young Larry King (https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501318/25-fascinating-facts-about-john-f-kennedy)

Final Summary: Jack Kennedy is not the first, nor the last President to have two different lives, one that was the President, and one that was, well, a scoundrel. No, Kennedy certainly wasn't the worst human being ever to reside on this Earth, even among our Presidents, but he no doubt felt a bit entitled because of his upbringing and, if I were to judge him on his character alone, frankly, he wouldn't rate very high.

But Kennedy the President is a different matter. He inspired us to be the best we could possibly be, and he always seemed to have a knack at doing the right thing such as when he finally found the courage to introduce the Civil Rights Act. When he did screw up, such as with the Bay of Pigs, he was the first one to take responsibility. He obviously took Harry Truman's buck stops here to heart. He inspired the space program, and the Peace Corps remains one of his greatest legacies. And it should also be noted that it was Kennedy, along with Khrushchev (and it probably cost him his premiership) that said enough of the nuclear arms race after the near miss of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and they were in the process of the first arms reduction treaty.

But there will always be one lingering question concerning Kennedy. What about Vietnam? Would Kennedy have escalated the war the way Johnson would? Or would he have found a way out? Yes, Kennedy was a Cold Warrior, but he was also a realist when he had to be. Maybe he would have seen the writing on the wall long before Johnson did. I'd like to think that given how he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But thanks to a whack job in Dallas, we'll never know.

Overall rating: B+

https://millercenter.org/president/kennedy

[Rubber Soul]

36. LYNDON B. JOHNSON (We're on the Eve of Destruction)




Born: August 27, 1908, near Stonewall, Texas
Died: January 22, 1973, Johnson City, Texas

Term: November 22, 1963- January 20, 1969
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President: Hubert Humphrey

First Lady: Lady Bird Taylor Johnson

Before the Presidency:  Lyndon Johnson was the oldest child of struggling farmer Sam Johnson. Sam wasn't much of a success as a farmer, but he gifted with the gift of gab, and he served five terms in the Texas Legislature before returning back to farming. The family moved to Johnson City when Lyndon was five. There, Lyndon seemed to want to follow his father's dreams and, at one point, told a classmate he wanted to be President of the United States.

Johnson's family struggled throughout his childhood, and it gave the young Lyndon a resolve that he wouldn't let farm prices drop to the point where working class families, like his own, were ruined. He graduated as President of his six member Senior class and his family managed to get enough funds together so Lyndon could attend summer courses at Southwest Texas Teachers' College. However, his grades were poor, so he was rejected.

So, he decided to sow his wild oats instead. He took off for California with some friends. He drifted a bit between California and Texas, working odd jobs along the way. It got so bad that he would be arrested in 1927. This woke Lyndon up, and this time, the teachers' college accepted him.

Johnson wasn't the best student, but he involved himself in extracurricular activities and excelled in his student teaching. He ended up being assigned to teach a small Hispanic school in a poor area. This was during the Great Depression. Johnson excelled in his position and did well financially considering the times, but he really yearned for a political career, so the teaching period was brief.

In 1931, he became an aide to a Congressman of Corpus Christi. There, in Washington, he proved to have a strong work ethic, answering every inquiry from the Congressman's constituents.

In 1934, while visiting Texas, Lyndon would find love when he met wealthy Claudia Alta Taylor. They would be married within three months, and she would be better known later as Lady Bird Johnson.

Still in Washington, Johnson was clearly a fan of President Roosevelt's New Deal and was able to procure an appointment as Texas Director of the National Youth Administration, which helped young people find employment. He excelled there as well.

Then fate stepped in. The congressman in his home district died in 1937 and Johnson jumped at the chance to run for his seat. With help from his wife's inheritance, and being a strong advocate of FDR's New Deal, he won election at the age of twenty-eight.

Congressman Johnson, due to his age mostly, was somewhat undistinguished at first though he was able to get some housing projects and dams for his district. He also was able to secure electrical power to his old Texas Hill country, something he would consider as his proudest achievement.

One of Texas' US Senators died in 1941 and Johnson tried for the seat. He was pitted against "Pass the Biscuits, Pappy" O'Daniel. Both were accused of fraudulent methods but O'Daniel proved to be better at it. Johnson returned to the House.

By now, the US was in World War II and Johnson persuaded FDR to give him an officer's commission in the Naval Reserve. Johnson was appointed as congressional inspector of the war progress in the Pacific which enabled him to keep his seat. He even went on a bombing mission and won a Silver Star. As such, Johnson was able to help out with the war effort and use his political savvy at the same time.

After the war ended, America had entered a different world. Now it was the Cold War against Communism. Johnson, as a New Deal liberal, seemed to be on the wrong side of politics by 1948. This was an issue for him as he went up against Texas Governor Coke Stevenson for the Senate seat.

Stevenson was considered a rather popular Governor due to his more conservative views. The two battled it out for the Democratic nomination, but this time, Johnson was older and wiser, and he knew all the tricks to get elected in Texas. Despite three suspicious vote tallies in South Texas, Johnson edged Stevenson for the nomination and easily defeated his Republican opponent. Lyndon Johnson was now a Senator.

And it was in the Senate where Johnson would truly make his mark and then some. Johnson's strategic skills made him one of the most powerful Senators in America by the end of his first term. Indeed, he was named the Majority Whip in 1951, after only two years in the Senate. later, when the Republicans took back the Senate, Johnson was named Minority Leader. He was now the most powerful politician in his party.

In 1954, the Democrats were able to take the Senate right back and Senator Johnson was now the Majority Leader. And few would have the power and influence that he had in the fifties. And, though he supported military preparedness, he preferred to use his clout when it came to domestic issues, particularly on spending bills that would help the less advantaged. Johnson was a populist, ultimately, though at least he tried to use it for good.

It is argued that Johnson may have been the most powerful Senate Majority Leader ever. No, he didn't manipulate the Senate the way Mitch McConnell would, but he knew how to influence other Senators to see things his way. It was called the Johnson treatment in which, basically, Johnson would lean over you as if he was stalking his prey. No one was better at the art of persuasion than Lyndon Johnson.

He also supported President Eisenhower where he could even though he was of the opposite party. As such, he helped push through the Civil Rights Act of 1957, managing to calm Southern nerves along the way. He also helped to get America into the space race after the Russians launched Sputnik.

Johnson's ambitions and hard work would come at a physical cost, though. In 1955, Johnson suffered a massive heart attack and was sidelined for a time. Like Eisenhower, heart issues would be a major health problem throughout his later life. Johnson did address it though by stopping smoking, lost weight, and tried to delegate some of his work.

By 1960, Johnson felt that he did all he could in the Senate and now it was time to go for the big prize, the Presidency.



Summary of offices held:

1937-1949: US House of Representatives, Texas

1941-1942: United States Naval Reserve, Lieutenant Commander

1949-1961: US Senate, Texas

1951-1953: Senate majority Whip

1956-1957: Senate Majority Leader

1957-1961: Senate Majority Leader

1961-1963: Vice President of the United States


What was going on: Vietnam War, Civil Rights movement, the Beatles, Space program, the Great Society, the assassinations, student protests

Scandals within the Presidency: Bobby Baker corruption charges

Why he was a good President: Only FDR can boast of a stronger domestic agenda than LBJ. Because of Lyndon Johnson, we have the Civil Rights Act that criminalized discrimination, the Voting Rights Act (or at least the part that the Supreme Court allows), Medicaid and Medicare, the Fair Housing Act, and a few other things as well. If we judged LBJ on this alone, he'd probably get an easy A.

Why he was a bad President: One word: Vietnam. While almost a savior domestically, he stubbornly waged the war in Vietnam and over 35,000 American Servicemen would die on his watch alone (Another 20,000 would die under Nixon). He had to deal with protests at home and abroad and, while Nixon would handle them worse, Johnson couldn't have been prepared for the divide he was causing.

What could have saved his Presidency: Staying out of Vietnam is the easy answer of course. Without Vietnam, he could have been Teddy Roosevelt.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Well, Vietnam pretty much did, but it could have been worse had he reverted back to the old segregationist policies.

How he became Vice President: Johnson's Presidential ambitions dated back as early as 1952 when he tried to get on the ticket with Adlai Stevenson. He again would try in 1956. Now it was 1960 and this time, he was going to go for all the marbles.

But he faced long odds, on one hand you had the popular Midwest liberal, Hubert Humphrey (who would later be Johnson's VP), and, even worse for Johnson, there was that young charismatic idealist from Massachusetts named John Kennedy. All three were Senators.

This was not going to be Johnson's year either. Kennedy outmaneuvered everybody, even the crafty Johnson, and would secure the nomination. The only question now is who he would pick as his running mate.

Johnson and Kennedy weren't exactly buddies and Kennedy didn't expect Johnson to accept the bid for Vice President (Kennedy was pressured by certain Democrats, including some of his closest advisors as a way to attract the South).  To Kennedy's surprise, Johnson accepted, and he was on the ticket. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise as Johnson campaigned hard for the ticket. In fact, it may have very well been Johnson that made the difference in one of the closest elections in American History.

So, Johnson was Vice President, but he would be frustrated that the Kennedy Administration would keep him on the back burner. In fact, it would even be rumored that Johnson would be dropped when 1964 came around. Still, Kennedy nabbed him as head of the Space Program. He also was a key advisor on military affairs, and he also chaired the President's Committee for Equal Employment Opportunity. Overall, though, he was generally shunned by Kennedy aides, something that grew more frustrating as time went.

On November 22, 1963, Vice President Johnson accompanied President Kennedy to Dallas, Texas. It was a political trip (It looked like LBJ would be on the ticket after all), and Johnson was ready to shake some hands and secure some Texas endorsements, starting with Governor Connally no doubt.

Vice- President Johnson's car was two vehicles behind Kennedy's convertible as the motorcade started just before noon.

Two hours later, Lyndon Johnson was President of the United States.

First term: The events of November 22, 1963, are controversial for a variety of reasons and not just because of the assassination. One of them involved the new President, Lyndon Johnson, who insisted he be sworn in on Air Force One. This drew protests from the Kennedy camp, especially after he asked the still shocked first lady, Jackie Kennedy, to witness the proceeding which was also going to be a photo-op. He was sworn in by judge Sarah T. Hughes, a friend of the new President. More controversy occurred as the plane landed at Andrews Air Force Base as Kennedy's casket was hurriedly removed from the plane. President Johnson gave a quick speech lamenting Kennedy and the country and, while sincere, lacked the charisma of any Kennedy speech. People worried for the immediate future.

But after the mourning period of President Kennedy passed, the new President went right to work starting with the formation of the Warren Commission to investigate what happened in the Kennedy Assassination. That too would prove controversial as they never really had all the information they needed (probably more the fault of zealous Kennedy aides and a sloppy autopsy than anything Johnson did), and a slew of conspiracy theories would soon arise. One of the members of the Warren Commission happened to be Congressman Gerald Ford of Michigan, who would also become an accidental President one day.

One thing Johnson was determined to do was to finally get Kennedy's Civil Rights bill passed. Johnson had been something of a segregationist, being a product of the South, though not as blatantly racist as the likes of Strom Thurmond for example. But he knew that the African American vote was an important bloc and he always had sympathy for the less fortunate. So, the Civil Rights Bill became his priority in 1964.

Of course, it drew a lot of hostility from the Dixiecrats, and Johnson would later say that it probably cost the Democrats the South for a generation (as it turned out, a lot longer than that). Still, he felt it was the right thing to do and, with the use of his legendary Johnson treatment, he was able to get the groundbreaking bill that banned discrimination in most shapes and forms (the LGBTQ movement wasn't in play yet). Thus, in many ways the Civil Rights Bill is much more Johnson's legacy than Kennedy's.

The other issue he inherited, of course, was Vietnam and this would be the issue that would ultimately sink Johnson's presidency. Kennedy had been very involved in Vietnam of course, but he also used a bit of restraint even as he had hawks like Defense Secretary Robert McNamara who wanted to go all in. Johnson agreed with McNamara and felt that a quick military intervention was all that was needed to stem the tide of Communism in Vietnam.

Johnson needed an excuse though and he found it in what was called the Gulf of Tonkin incident. There actually was a confrontation between North Vietnam and covert operations in the Gulf, but the second confrontation, the one that sparked direct American involvement in the war, never actually happened. It would later be blamed on miscommunication. The Congress fell for it in any event and passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving the President authority to essentially wage war, which he would do after his inauguration the next year.

The Vietnam war was not to be blown sky high just yet and Johnson would go into the 1964 election with a lot of goodwill. The Civil Rights act along with Johnson's other domestic ideas were very popular and he would be very difficult to defeat in 1964.


Election of 1964: Johnson was all but coronated as the Democratic nominee in 1964. He had a lot of goodwill post-Kennedy and even with a strained relationship with his Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, who nonetheless supported him, there was absolutely no one that was going to try to deny Johnson his bid for a term in his own right.

It was a different story on the Republican side. Barry Goldwater remained the frontrunner, but he was said to have rather extremist views, something that concerned the more moderate members of the party. No one knew it then, but Goldwater had started a movement that would shift the Republican Party much more to the right and eventually give America the gift that was Ronald Reagan.

Of course, there were other candidates to consider. There was talk of a Nixon comeback, but he had been stung by his loss for Governor of California and he really wasn't ready for a comeback- yet. There was a stop Goldwater movement that lobbied for the nominations of either Nelson Rockefeller or William Scranton. As it was, Goldwater, who was ultimately nominated, would have to pick Liberal Republican William Miller as his running mate.

Goldwater's style of Libertarianism didn't sit well with American voters and his speech about Extremism in the name of liberty being no vice didn't help matters much. The Johnson campaign exploited this with a devastating TV commercial known as the Daisy girl ad which suggested Goldwater would lead us to nuclear war.

So, it was to no surprise that Johnson would win by the largest popular vote margin in history. Some white Southerners did vote for Goldwater given he opposed the Civil Rights Bill (though for libertarian reasons, not because of any hatreds), but for the most part, it was pretty much a rout with Goldwater carrying only six states, his own state of Arizona and five in the Deep South. Lyndon Johnson had a mandate.

[Rubber Soul]

Second Term: With the election behind him, President Johnson set on his ambitious domestic agenda that promised to be the most reaching since the New Deal. He pushed for what he referred to as his Great Society programs. First though, he needed to get through the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that Martin Luther King was pressuring him to do. Johnson was concerned that getting a voting rights act through now might derail his domestic agenda in general, but again, dumb white racists made the decision for him.

For there was an incident in Selma, Alabama known as Bloody Sunday. A peaceful march across the Edmund Pettis bridge was halted by Alabama state troopers. The marchers did indeed halt, but it didn't end there. The troopers attacked the marchers with tear gas and nightsticks and, of course, the event was televised.

So, Johnson had his cause to act, and this time it wasn't manufactured. He made a speech imploring white Americans that the Black Americans' cause was theirs too. The bill passed with great bipartisan support, and it banned literacy tests among other things as well as allowing the Justice Department to intervene where discriminatory practices kept less than half of eligible voters from being able to do just that, vote. Yes, some of the bill would, decades later, be ruled unconstitutional simply because times had changed (and, of course, after George Floyd, we know that things haven't really changed at all, thanks, John Roberts). Some of the bill survives though and it is a great companion bill to the Civil Rights Act of the year before.

With the Voting Rights Act behind him, President Johnson began work on his other projects, starting with Medicare and Medicaid, something that would guarantee at least some health insurance to the elderly and the poor. Of course, the conservatives, whose idea of helping people is to let them starve, were freaking out (You should listen to Ronald Reagan's album, Ronald Reagan speaks out against Socialized Medicine, it's a comedy classic). The bill passed anyway, and the Supreme Court hasn't outlawed that as of yet (and, after okaying Obamacare twice, they probably won't), so, along with Social Security, older people have at least a little bit of security.

Lesser known, but equally important accomplishments in the Johnson Administration, include the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD for short, the National Endowments for the Arts, the National Endowments for the Humanities, the Public Broadcasting Act (PBS, if you're wondering), and the Consumer Protection Agency, and these are just the ones I can think of right off the bat.

These great accomplishments would put any other President in the far upper tier to be sure, but sadly, Johnson's foreign policy was a downright disaster.

For the Vietnam War was, to the doubt of no one, President Johnson's war. The US began to bomb North Vietnam in February 1965 and soon troop levels were increasing faster than today's gas prices. By the end of 1965, nearly 200,000 US troops were fighting in Vietnam. That number doubled by the end of 1966 and more than half a million troops were in Vietnam by the time Johnson left office.

And the war was going nowhere. Young American men had to live in fear of their lives being interrupted at best and maybe ended at worst. More and more troops were coming home in body bags and colleges were erupting in protests throughout the country. Even worse, there was still racial strife domestically as Martin Luther King was now getting resistance, first by a white mob in Chicago, then with more radical black activist groups such as SNCC and the Black Panthers that advocated violence instead of King's non-violent approach. King even alienated Johnson for a time when he spoke out against the Vietnam War.

And as such, the last two years of Johnson's presidency would end up in two of the worst years in American History. In 1967, despite some positive goings on such as the Summer of Love, there would be race riots in Detroit and Newark as well as more escalation in Vietnam. The ongoing war in Vietnam had an even bigger impact on the young as protests dominated throughout the year, some of them violent. The most notable protest however was very peaceful when protestors descended on the Pentagon in October 1967, remembered mostly for Allen Ginsburg's attempt to "lift the Pentagon."

1968 would even be worse as it wouldn't even have a summer of love. Instead, the year started out with the Pueblo Incident off North Korea where a US spy ship was captured, and the personnel were imprisoned for almost a year.

But that paled to what would happen in Vietnam the next month. In February 1968, the Vietcong pulled a surprise attack on what was called the Tet Offensive. By now, the Vietnam War was on the TV news daily the same as if you were watching a rerun of the Flintstones. So, it was to no surprise that the horrors of the war were seen by just about everyone, with a street execution shown as the exclamation point.

This was the last straw as Walter Cronkite publicly spoke out against the war on his newscast. This, along with the entry of Robert Kennedy in the Presidential Race drove President Johnson to this fatal announcement.

"I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President".

(We'll cover the rest of 1968 in a special post before we get to Nixon)

Post Presidency: The few years of Johnson's post presidency were somewhat quiet as he retired to his ranch. His heart was failing, and he never really got over the guilt of sending thousands of young men to their deaths in Vietnam. Still, he wasn't a broken man as he kept busy writing memoirs and overseeing the building of his Presidential Library. He died in January 1973, just two days after the Paris Peace Accords officially ended US involvement in the Vietnam War.

Odd notes: Before the Presidency, Johnson was a noted segregationist

Johnson had a propensity to show off his scar from a gall bladder operation.

He grew his hair out after the Presidency

Final Summary: In some ways, you can compare Lyndon Johnson to Woodrow Wilson as something of a Jekyll and Hyde. Wilson of course did his own great things, but his blatant racism ruined his legacy. Johnson, on the other hand, did so many great things domestically and African Americans can actually congregate with White Americans freely (even if some of the whites don't like it much). Johnson is the one most responsible for that.

But then there is Vietnam and that's the Hyde side of LBJ. Believe it or not, as a Cold Warrior, he did it with all the best intentions, but he was too much of a cowboy President (I didn't mention it earlier, but he ordered Marines into the Dominican Republic in 1965 to protect American Citizens), and that was his downfall when it came to Vietnam. He also was easily hurt as he felt betrayed when Martin Luther King went against him on Vietnam.

So, like Wilson, it would be easy to give Johnson and A on domestic policy and an F on Vietnam, but somehow, I think because of the domestic gains, I think LBJ deserves a little better than that.

So, I'm giving him a few bonus points.

Overall rating: B-

https://millercenter.org/president/lbjohnson



NOTE: Stay tuned as we post a special entry on Friday concerning the pivotal political year of 1968 that started the US on the slow descent that we enjoy to this day.

[Rubber Soul]

1968 SPECIAL (and it's not the Elvis Presley Comeback Special)




"I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President."

I'd like to say the troubles of the Johnson Administration ended there but, unfortunately, it was only the beginning.

The Presidential campaign was already underway as it had been obvious Johnson was not going to be coronated this time. Between Vietnam and the racial tensions, not to mention the anti-war protests at home, which was already sparking a law and order backlash, it was to no surprise that Johnson would have competition in this election.

And it came in the form of anti-war candidate Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. His insistence to get out of Vietnam hit a note with younger voters and other liberal minded Democrats were attracted to his positions as well. And, with everything going on, Johnson had every reason to fear a rejection at the Democratic National Convention, especially after Johnson barely won the New Hampshire primary.

But Johnson was about to get an even bigger headache. For the good part of a year, there was a draft to get Robert Kennedy, now a Senator from New York, to run. Like McCarthy, he was a vehement opponent of the Vietnam War, but he also emphasized programs to help the poor and disadvantaged, even visiting an economically challenged town of white folks in Appalachia. He was also visiting African American towns in Mississippi as well and people could see the genuine emotion in his face as he visited these areas. After his brother had been assassinated, Kennedy took a reassessment of himself and out of it came a compassion that has rarely been seen in anyone in politics, quite frankly.

So, after the New Hampshire primary, and realizing he had the best chance to defeat Johnson, Bobby Kennedy announced his candidacy for President.

This was likely the last straw for Johnson. He had threatened to resign before but this time, with McCarthy and Kennedy running, and Cronkite now against him, Johnson decided he had enough and wasn't going to run again. Instead, he would back his Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, as he at least shared some of his Vietnam policy, even actively campaigning for his election.

So, as April began, it looked like a three way contest for the 1968 nomination while the Republicans were trying to figure out who would hold their banner. At this point it appeared to be between Michigan Governor George Romney and, guess who, Tricky Dick Nixon, who was ready for his comeback tour. As of early April, Nixon already had the decided edge.

Now, you may ask why I'm doing 1968 as a separate chapter. It's quite simple really; there were events in 1968 that frankly went beyond politics and, in some cases, even the political events went way beyond just some mention in a Presidential bio.

For just four days after Johnson's announcement that he wouldn't run, Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis. King had been there to support a garbage workers' strike and had made an inspiring speech at a church the night before pledging that "We will get to the mountaintop." He also admitted that he likely wouldn't get to the mountaintop with them. It proved to be tragically prophetic.

Because King was now dead, and the inner demons of anger rose. Cities like my own city of Baltimore erupted in violence. Forty-three people were killed, thousands were injured, even more thousands were arrested, and there was enormous property damage in what was seen as the worst violence since the Civil War. President Johnson sent in Federal troops to quell the violence as he needed to do but worried that local authorities would use unnecessary force. He was even reported to say, "What did you expect? I don't know why we're so surprised. When you put your foot on a man's neck for three hundred years, and then you let him up, what's he going to do? He's going to knock your block off." Legislatively, Johnson was able to respond by getting the Fair Housing Act passed, the last of his many great domestic accomplishments.

By May, the riots had passed, and it was back to Vietnam and the primaries. Kennedy was doing well at first, but hit a roadblock when McCarthy pulled an upset win in Oregon. It was assumed that if Kennedy had any chance of winning the nomination, at this point being reserved for Humphrey's to lose, he would have to win the California Primary in June.

Meanwhile, there was now an attempt to finally try to get the US out of Vietnam as the Paris Peace talks were getting underway. Long story short, the talks would never get very far, and it is even rumored that Nixon may have meddled in an effort to improve his own election chances. In any event, the talks failed, and the war went on.

By June, Bobby Kennedy's campaign was beginning to take flight. It had been an idealistic campaign to be sure as he was still remembered for his comforting speech in Indianapolis the night Martin Luther King was killed. Yes, he lost in the Oregon primary, but it looked like he had a fighting chance in both California and South Dakota. The primaries were on June 4 and Kennedy had won both. At the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, Kennedy gave what would be his last speech finishing with the words "It's on to Chicago and let's win there."

As Kennedy as his entourage were exiting through the kitchen, shots rang out. After the melee was over and the assassin being held on the floor as a reporter screamed, "Get the gun," Robert Kennedy lain on the floor with a bullet wound to the head, barely conscious as a busboy tried to comfort him. Kennedy was rushed to Central Receiving Hospital. By then he lost consciousness. He then was transferred to Good Samaritan Hospital where they operated on him, listing his condition as grave as to life.

On June 6 at 1:44 AM, Robert Kennedy was pronounced dead and the idealism that in some ways started with the Kennedys died that day as well.

The summer of 1968 contrasted with the positive vibes of the previous summer. We were still mired in the Vietnam War, and we just went through two major assassinations, what else could possibly go wrong?

Well, your friendly neighborhood mayor Richard Daley of Chicago was happy to give the answer. For, the Democratic National Convention to coronate Hubert Humphrey was underway and Daley wasn't going to let a bunch of unkempt hippies ruin Chicago's week in the spotlight.

Of course, those unkempt hippies were in Chicago to protest the war and planned peaceful, if vocal protests in Lincoln Park. Daley, of course, had a problem with that and a violent confrontation between the Yippies, as they called themselves, and the more than willing Chicago Police took place.  This and a few other skirmishes set up what would become a night where the whole world was watching.

On the night of August 28, protestors marched in front of the Convention Center. The police responded the best way they knew how, with violence. Tear gas was thrown, protestors were beaten in front of a live audience. Word of the violence got into the convention as well as Senator Abe Ribicoff of Connecticut accused Mayor Daley of using Gestapo tactics. Even more telling, as a reporter was being roughed up by Daley's security, Walter Cronkite called the security personnel a bunch of thugs. By the time Hubert Humphrey came on for his acceptance speech, he was reduced to making a desperate plea for harmony.

The rest of 1968 was relatively calm as Humphrey ran up against Nixon and his Law and Order campaign (more on that with the next post) and a third party bid by traditional segregationist, George Wallace, who would have some success in the South. Needless to say, with the damage done in Chicago, Humphrey was not to be the next President which is a shame for a couple of obvious reasons, but also because he was, even with his support of the war, a basically decent guy. In any event, after 1968, the United States would never be the same.

And not for the better.

[Rubber Soul]

RICHARD M. NIXON (Here's to the State of Richard Nixon)




Born: January 9, 1913, Yorba Linda, California
Died: April 22, 1994, New York, New York

Term: January 20, 1969- August 9, 1974 (resigned)
Political Party: Republican

Vice President(s): Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford

First Lady: Patricia Ryan Nixon

Before the Presidency: Richard Nixon grew up in a small town in California. He was the son of an odd mix of parents. His father was a bit of a boor while his mother was, as he would famously put it, a saint. Young Richard was ambitious from the start and excelled at school and would excel at Whittier College and Duke University law school. Even with his impressive academics, however, he couldn't get into the FBI when he applied in 1937.

Nixon settled in Whittier, California where he met and married Pat Ryan, destined to be his long suffering wife. The Nixons moved East as opportunities began to present themselves. Nixon got a job with the Office of Price Administration in Washington.

After Pearl Harbor, Nixon enlisted in the Navy. It wasn't an especially distinguished stint, but he left with an Honorable Discharge in 1945. When he got home, his political career started when he was approached by a group of Southern California Republicans.

Nixon learned the art of negative campaigning and dirty tricks from the get-go, and he set his eyes on Jerry Voorhis, the Congressman from California's 12th District. Voorhis was a New Dealer who was also an avowed anti-Communist. No matter, Nixon's men was able to come up with a document linking him to a PAC, not a Communist backed PAC mind you, but enough to scare the votes enough to go with Nixon. Richard Nixon was going to Washington.

This was the period of the Great Red Scare and Nixon would exploit it as hard as he could. Next in his crosshairs was Alger Hiss, a prominent employee at the US State Department. He was under investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee in which Nixon was a member. Nixon went after Hiss like a pit bull, all but destroying his career (though later documents suggest that Hiss was, in fact, passing information to the Soviets). Nixon had reached National prominence.

Buoyed by the success in the Hiss case, Nixon then went for the Senate seat. This time the victim was Helen Gahagan Douglas. He came up with a "pink sheet" that compared Douglas to a Communist Party member, calling it the Douglas-Marcantonio Axis. This not only won Nixon the Senate seat in 1950 but also the derisive moniker, Tricky Dick. Yes, Richard Nixon was a despicable man even in the early days, but in the paranoia days of the early fifties, he was the next best thing next to Joe McCarthy.

And as such, he was being touted as a possible Vice Presidential candidate in 1952. Eisenhower would go with Nixon after Nixon guaranteed some California delegates. Eisenhower may have regretted it though as it wasn't much long before Nixon became the news in not a good way. A news article accused Nixon of taking illegal gifts and Eisenhower was ready to dump him. Nixon knew this too.

So, with TV now the rage, he arranged what we would now call an informercial that we know now as the Checkers speech. Here, Nixon highlighted his dog, explaining that Checkers was a gift given to him for his daughter and he wasn't going to give the dog back. It was pure manipulation at its best as Nixon came off as a warm family man. Nixon saved his place on the ticket.

And, despicable as Nixon was, he did have a soft spot for his family. His wife was devoted to a fault and his two daughters adored him. This would come into play later when his political career came to a spectacular end.

Eisenhower won the election easily and Nixon was the youngest Vice President in history. As Vice President, Nixon would become an expert in foreign affairs, visiting dozens of countries. There were two notable trips in particular. On the Latin America Trip in 1958, Nixon was met with protests and a mob in Caracas stoned his motorcade. This only made Nixon more popular.

The incident that gave him real glory happened in 1959 though when he met Nikita Khrushchev in the Soviet Union. There the two staged what was called the Kitchen Debates as they traded words about the merits of their two respective countries. Both parties looked quite positively, and it gave Nixon a reputation of being able to stand up the big boys.

Nixon even had some Presidential experience when he had to fill in as Acting President when Eisenhower suffered his heart attack in 1955. Nothing major happened and, for all extensive purposes, Nixon didn't do anything to embarrass Eisenhower when he returned.

So, when 1960 rolled around, Nixon was a prime candidate for President, and he would be nominated by the Republicans. Nixon wouldn't be ready for the glamour that was Kennedy though and this time, the same TV that saved his political career would now be his Achilles hell. The two candidates, who were also personal friends, decided on four televised debates. Kennedy was a handsome man and was able to show his charm in front of the cameras. Nixon, on the other hand, looked like he hadn't shaved, and while he may have had a better grasp of the issues than Kennedy, his delivery seemed off and people were turned off by his general appearance. As such Kennedy won the debate.

And, despite some controversy, Kennedy also won a close election. It's true Nixon could have contested it, and no one could have really blamed him, especially in the case of Illinois, but Nixon decided not to contest the election and conceded gracefully. Nixon figured he'd just try again in 1964.

But first, he would try a stab at California Governor in 1962 after writing his book, Six Crises. Nixon ran as a moderate against the staunch conservative, Joseph Shell, in the primary, and won the nomination easily. The general election was a different matter though as the Democratic Governor, Pat Brown, was quite popular. Nixon felt the press liked Brown a little too much too and, when Nixon lost big in the general election, he announced that they wouldn't have Nixon to kick around anymore.

Nixon instead spent the bulk of the sixties campaigning first, for Goldwater, then for Republicans in the 1966 midterms. For somewhat who had been supposedly retired from politics, he seemed to be ready for another Presidential run in 1968

Summary of offices held:

1942-1946:  United States Navy, Commander

1947-1950: House of representatives, California

1950-1952: United States Senator, California

1953-1961: Vice President of the United States


What was going on: Vietnam War, The Apollo Space program, Kent State, relations with China, Energy Crisis, Watergate

Scandals within the Presidency: Agnew tax fraud trial, and, um, Watergate

Why he was a good President: He was surprisingly strong on the environment, creating the EPA among other things.  It took him long enough, but he did finally get us out of Vietnam. And the space program flourished under him. Plus, he handled the inflation issue about as well as anyone could have in the early seventies. And, of course, he was very adept at foreign diplomacy, forging relations with China and signing the SALT nuclear arms agreement with Russia.

Why he was a bad President: Well, Watergate of course, but his paranoia sometimes would go amok as he wasn't afraid to curtail the civil liberties of those who protested his policies, particularly when it came to Vietnam. Plus, who remembers his infamous enemies list?

What could have saved his Presidency: A lot less paranoia and more of where he did best, with foreign diplomacy and moderate domestic policy. Oh, and a little more honesty and openness wouldn't have hurt either

What could have destroyed his Presidency: Oh, I don't know, maybe a political scandal? You know, like, WATERGATE?

Election of 1968: Nixon came into 1968 as the Republican front runner with George Romney and Nelson Rockefeller on the left and Ronald Reagan on the right. Reagan, at this point was a former actor who was now Governor of California (he did what Nixon couldn't do, defeat Pat Brown). Reagan had taken the mantle of Goldwater conservatism and it was he who would transform the United States into the wonderful wasteland it is today. For now, though, he was just beating up hippies in California.

Despite the loyal competition, Nixon's nomination never really was threatened. Romney dropped out after he turned against the Vietnam War and Rockefeller was way too liberal for these Republicans. On the other hand, Reagan's conservatism scared the pants out of them. They much preferred someone close to the center, in other words, Nixon.

So, Nixon was up against Humphrey in the general election (see the 1968 chapter for the fun on the Democratic side). A third candidate also had his hat in the ring. Mr. Segregation Now himself, George Wallace, was running on the third party American Independent ticket, and he would indeed make some noise, though he probably would hurt Nixon more than Humphrey.

As for Nixon, he ran on a law and order campaign, essentially a reaction to both the civil unrest of recent years and the student protests that were getting out of control, such as in Chicago. He also had a secret plan to get out of Vietnam (he didn't but people are pretty gullible sometimes). And, oh yeah, he also had as his running mate, Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland. Great, so Nixon would not only embarrass himself a few years later, his Vice President would embarrass my home state as well (In 1973 for sure but one can argue he started to embarrass us in 1969).

Anyway, even though Humphrey was gaining on Nixon in the days before Election Day, it was too little too late. Nixon won with a razor thin plurality (yep, yet another plurality), though he fared a little better in the Electoral Vote with Wallace gaining most of the Deep South. Nixon took the rest of the South which fulfilled LBJ's prediction from four years earlier. Hatred doesn't die very easily.

First term: Buoyed by the support of his "Silent Majority," President Nixon embarked on the first of his international trips, the first one being to Europe. Back at home, Nixon would concentrate on two things in his first year, scaling back the war in Vietnam, though not ending the involvement, just that fewer men would have to go. He also had to deal with the political unrest at home as young protesters were now being attacked by groups that called themselves Hard Hats. When you say Hard Hats, think of a lot of violent Archie Bunkers on steroids. Nixon, not a fan of the protestors, was certainly favoring the Hard Hats, at least in secret.

When it came to foreign policy, Nixon was a hands-on President, keeping his Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense out of the loop. He had a group of trusted aides around him from Chief of Staff HD Haldeman to security advisor Henry Kissinger. As such, he was often commanding the Vietnam War from the White House.

Domestically, things started out well, but inflation was becoming a major problem. By 1971, and despite Nixon's best efforts, it had spiraled out of control to the point that Nixon ordered Wage and Prize freezes over the next year in hopes to get the inflation under control. It didn't really work though as domestic policy really wasn't Nixon's forte, but he would sign off on the Environmental Protection Agency and signed the Clean Air act.

Nixon was President when NASA had its greatest moment. John Kennedy's dream of a man on the moon before 1970 had been realized as Neil Armstrong took the first steps off Apollo 11 in July 1969. More moon missions would follow throughout Nixon's first term.

But like Johnson before him, Vietnam was ultimately Nixon's Achilles Heel. Even though Nixon was now slowly withdrawing troops from Vietnam, there was still a draft, which was now a televised lottery (Congratulations to those born on September 14th, you win a free trip to Vietnam), and the withdrawal was much too slow for not only the young, but for middle America as well as many of them had now turned against the war (The 1968 Tet Offensive being the turning point for many). On top of that, Nixon replaced troop withdrawals with bombing missions in North Vietnam. By 1970, it had spread to Cambodia and Nixon announced that US planes had bombed that country as well.

College campuses all over the country erupted in protest over the Cambodia bombing and it reached a boiling point when National Guardsmen fired on protestors at Kent State University in May 1970. Four people were killed, two of whom were only observing the protests in between classes.

Nixon, to his credit, didn't overreact as now colleges were shutting down in the wake of the Kent State tragedy (another shooting incident also happened at black college Jackson State later that month). Instead, he tried to talk directly with a group of anti-war protestors at the Lincoln memorial. Yes, it was as bizarre as it sounds, and Nixon was no doubt feeling out of place as he tried to get with it.

Nixon ultimately was quite the paranoid, especially when it came to Vietnam. He had the Oval Office secretly bugged as a way to use it against those that may oppose him. Needless to say, that backfired spectacularly. He also would go back into his bag of dirty tricks as the Pentagon Papers were being published in 1971. His Attorney General, John Mitchell, was something of a pit bull and he would be used to discredit people and, in the case of Daniel Ellsberg, even try to prosecute. Mitchell also would take initiatives on his own as when he tried to deport John Lennon in 1972.

Even with all the fun and games going on around him, Nixon still had a bit of political capital going into 1972, and his trip to China would prove to be the most lasting achievement of his administration.  He struck a diplomatic relationship with Chou En Lai and Americans were seeing Red China in a positive light for the first time. Critics called it Ping Pong diplomacy, but it worked. Nixon would also have talks with Brezhnev later and he would be credited with toning down the rhetoric of the Cold War quite a bit.

1972 was, of course, election season, but it was also the year of the Paris Peace Accords. Henry Kissinger even went as far to say that pace was at hand, though that proved to be premature. North Vietnam, having the upper hand really, was still playing hardball, so Nixon ordered more bombings of North Vietnam as 1972 ended, after all Nixon was already re-elected, what could they do to him now? In the end, North Vietnam signed the accords, and the US was finally getting out of the war as Nixon's second term began.

[Rubber Soul]

Election of 1972: Despite the problems with inflation, everything else seemed to be going quite well and President Nixon was relatively popular. After his goodwill trip to China his popularity swelled even more and there didn't seem to be much doubt he'd win re-election.

But Nixon was also, arguably, the most insecure President in history as well, at least before Trump, anyway. So, his campaign group, the Committee to Re-elect the President, or CREEP for short, went back into their bag of dirty tricks.

And the biggest victim was Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine. The former Vice Presidential candidate was considered the Democratic frontrunner in February 1972. So, Donald Segretti and Ken Lawson forged a letter, known as the Canuck letter, that suggested Muskie was prejudiced against French Canadians. This was printed in the Manchester Union Leader and Muskie was forced to respond. He was a bit emotional as Americans learned the important lesson that you're not allowed to cry in politics, or you'll be considered a loony bird. Muskie never recovered from the dirty trick.

Muskie did hang on until May, though, as other candidates vied for the Democratic nomination such as George Wallace, Shirley Chisholm, Hubert Humphrey, and George McGovern. The Nixon camp badly wanted the liberal, but flighty, McGovern as he seemed to be the easiest candidate to beat in November. The Democrats knew this too as they tried to do everything they could, short of a stop McGovern movement, even trying to deny him the California delegates that would have put him over the top.

Before the fun and games at the Democratic Convention though, a couple of matters of significant importance occurred. In Laurel, Maryland, George Wallace, still pushing his law and order against blacks mantra, was shot, and paralyzed by a weirdo not unlike John Hinckley really. Wallace would win the Maryland and Michigan primaries, but his presidential aspirations were over (and, on the positive side, a lot of that hateful racism was too).

The other major event didn't get a lot of press at the time, but it would ultimately lead to the downfall of Nixon. On June 17, 1972, five men connected with CREEP were caught breaking in to the DNC offices at the Watergate Hotel. Nixon, through G. Gordon Liddy and others, tried to cover the incident up with mixed success, but enough to get them past November. This, of course, marked the beginning of the Watergate scandal.

But back to the election. After McGovern won his court battle, he was awarded the California delegates and he won the nomination. He then picked Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri as his running mate- for a week. Seems that he had been treated for depression in the past which is another lesson learned: Never see a psychiatrist or people will think you're a loony bird, just kill yourself instead. The nervous nellies of the Democratic Party dumped Eagleton as a result and went with Sargent Shriver as the running mate instead. Shriver was a Kennedy in-law so what could possibly go wrong there?

As it turned out, nothing, but it didn't matter. Nixon won in the biggest landslide to date with more than 60% of the popular vote, McGovern winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

So, America went with Nixon, and they got what they wanted, whether they liked it or not.

Second Term: The second term started out promisingly enough for President Nixon as he signed the Vietnam Peace Accords. There would still be some non-combatants in Vietnam for the next two years, but the fighting part of the war was over for Americans. Plus, the POW's were all coming home.

The glad handing that the Vietnam War was over didn't last very long, however, because after the Watergate burglars were sentenced to prison, the press, then Congress, began to jump on the scandal that was now becoming full blown. Several aides were connected to the break-in including Chief of Staff Hadleman and Attorney General (now former AG) Mitchell. Nixon too got involved by trying to cover up the cover up. He invoked Executive Privilege, ostensibly to protect his aides, but really, to protect himself. When that didn't work, he threw his aides under the bus, notably his White House lawyer, John Dean, who was willing to tell the truth about the whole mess.

And, indeed, as the Senate held their Watergate hearings, it would be John Dean that would expose the scandal for what it was as he told the committee that he told Nixon that it was a cancer on the Presidency. Even worse, it was confirmed that Nixon had been taping practically everything in the White House. By now a special prosecutor had been assigned to the Watergate case and there was a battle between Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, Congress, Judge John Sirica, and the White House, for rights to hear the tapes. Needless to say, the White House was stonewalling.

Meanwhile, Watergate wasn't the only crisis brewing. In 1973, Israel was at war with Syria and Egypt again, this time in the Yom Kippur War. Again, Israel won out, but this time, the Arab nations decided they were going to stop selling gas to the West, thus, the Energy crisis had begun.

And yet, there was another scandal in the Administration, and it had nothing to do with Watergate. You see, Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland (don't remind me), was being investigated for taking kickbacks from when he was a County Executive. As a result, he pleaded Nolo Contendre and resigned as Vice President.

Now, after Kennedy had been assassinated, they pushed through an Amendment giving the President the right to pick a new Vice President upon confirmation by the Senate. Nixon got to be the first President to do just that, but he also had to have the approval of the Democratic controlled Senate, so he wasn't going to get one of his buddies in, that was for sure.

So, upon the advice of fellow Republicans, he made what may have been the best decision of his Presidency. He chose House Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan, a conservative to be sure, but also a man of impeccable character. He would win confirmation easily.

Now back to Watergate and the beginning of the end. Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox was still demanding the tapes and Nixon continued to stonewall to the point that Cox took him to court. Cox was also defying Nixon's orders to basically lay off and drop the subpoena.

So, on October 20, 1973, Nixon ordered his Attorney General, Eliot Richardson, to fire Cox. Unfortunately, for Nixon, he appointed an honest man and Richardson refused and resigned. Likewise, so did his deputy AG when he was ordered. Finally, he got Robert Bork to do the dastardly deed. This act even outraged some Republicans and for the first time, serious talk of impeachment was on the table.

And impeachment hearings were the rage in 1974. The House now had their own special committee. Hillary Rodham was actually one of the aides. They were spirited hearings to say the least as the Republicans were split between Nixon loyalists and the ones more outraged at his behavior. Even the Democrats had a couple of Southern sympathizers (Nixon still held some popularity in the South).

After some back and forth between Nixon and the courts, the Supreme Court finally ordered Nixon to give up the tapes. He did, but not before the House Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment. It was a foregone conclusion he would be impeached.

And, after hearing the tapes, it was pretty obvious the Senate was going to remove him from office as well as not only did most of Nixon's defenders turn on him, but Senator Goldwater also told Nixon that there were only  four Senators that would vote to acquit him- he was not one of them.

So, on August 8, 1974, Richard Nixon announced he would resign the Presidency the next day. As such, he became to first President to truly leave the White House in disgrace.


Post Presidency: After leaving Washington, the first thing people wondered was if he would be prosecuted. A pardon by President Ford would answer that question and, after a serious bout of phlebitis, Nixon set on his way to redeem his image. In 1977, he did a series of interviews with David Frost where he infamously said, "It's not illegal when the President does it" Still, he was reluctantly accepted as an elder statesman and often would be asked about international issues, sometimes by the President of the day.

Though never fully regaining his dignity, Nixon would die less broken than he had been twenty years before.

Odd notes: Nixon had a bowling alley installed under the White House

Nixon almost won Charles Manson a mistrial

Nixon was in a photo op with Elvis Presley



Final Summary: Okay, this one is a little tough. It would be easy to give Nixon an F just for Watergate and the enemies list alone, but he does have some foreign policy accomplishments. He did do things to make the environment a little better (the first Earth Day was during his Presidency).

Still, even without Watergate, I don't seem him rating better than a C (conservatives will probably disagree with me on this). He was paranoid to a fault, and it did affect how he ran the White House (it's also probably why we got Watergate to begin with). He encouraged secret files on those he didn't like, and he did play dirty when it came to politics, just ask Edmund Muskie.

But it is ultimately Watergate that not only brings Nixon down as a President, but as a man. And, really, when you rely on destroying people's lives to get what you want rather than relying on your own strengths (which he actually had in abundance, he just never trusted himself), you just come off as a little man.

And, in the end, that's what Richard Nixon was, a little man.

Overall rating: D

https://millercenter.org/president/nixon

[Rubber Soul]

38. GERALD FORD (I beg your pardon...)



Born: July 14, 1913, Omaha, Nebraska
Died: December 26, 2006, Rancho Mirage, California

Term: August 9, 1974- January 20, 1977
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: Nelson Rockefeller

First Lady: Betty Bloomer Ford

Before the Presidency: Gerald Ford was born as Leslie King, Jr., in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a wife beating alcoholic and the mother moved to Grand Rapids Michigan when Leslie was three. There she met Gerald Rudolph Ford who raised young Leslie as if he were his own son. He only learned as a teenager that the elder Ford was not his biological father. It didn't matter to him, though, and he would change his name to Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.

Ford excelled well in school, starring in football, and finishing in the top five percent of his class. He worked his way through college, majoring in economics. He was also one of the better football centers in the country and it won him a scholarship to the University of Michigan. He excelled at football and both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions offered him a contract. He turned them both down because he wanted to enter law school. He ended up being an Assistant Coach at Yale so he could attend law school there. He graduated with honors in 1941. While at Yale, Ford became acquainted with a who's who of future politicians including Robert Taft, future Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, and future Secretary of State Cyrus Vance among others.

Ford returned to Michigan in 1941 to open a law practice. Of course, this was also the time World War II broke out in the Pacific and, like most of the Presidents of his generation, he joined the Navy. He proved to be a dependable officer, being involved in a handful of naval battles with the Japanese. He was awarded ten battle stars and came away with the notion that the US must stay engaged in international affairs.

When Ford returned home, he got involved in politics. He met and married Betty Bloomer and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1948.

Ford was a popular congressman within his own district as he would be re-elected twelve times. He also gained importance in the House as the years went, first becoming a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He was a staunch anti-Communist and supported both Republican and Democratic Presidents that hoped to contain Soviet and Chinese power.

Congressman Ford also developed a reputation for being able to work with both parties. He was known as a hard worker with a lot of integrity and gained the trust of his congressional colleagues. Of course, he was a Republican and he supported the Presidential bids of Eisenhower and Nixon. Ford, in fact, was one of Nixon's biggest defenders when Nixon was embroiled in controversy in 1952.

Heavy losses in 1962 and 1964 meant changes in the Republican Party and Ford would benefit from it. As one of the most respected people in Congress he served on the Warren Commission that investigated the Kennedy Assassination. In 1965, he won the election for House Minority Leader where he quickly became one of President Johnson's biggest critics on his Great Society programs. A moderate conservative, he endorsed George Romney for President in 1964 but happily switched to Goldwater when he procured the nomination.

Ford also supported the Vietnam War, his biggest criticism being that Johnson didn't prosecute the war vigorously enough. Ford, of course, and like most Republicans, supported Nixon's bid for President in 1968 but the Nixon White House viewed Ford as an intellectual lightweight (and they should know, right?). Ford, nevertheless, supported Nixon's policies, notably, Nixon's initiatives for welfare reform. He also supported the détente with the Soviet Union and stronger relations with Red China.

Ford won his last election in 1972 and had decided he would serve two more terms then retire in 1977.  He had served Congress as honorably as one could, and he had nothing else to prove.

But Spiro Agnew got in the way.

Summary of offices held: 1942-1946, United States Navy, Lieutenant Commander

1949-1973: House of Representatives, Michigan

1965-1973: House Minority Leader

1973-1974: Vice President of the United States.




What was going on: Post-Watergate, Fall of Saigon, Swine Flu vaccine fiasco, Energy crisis

Scandals within his administration: Earl Butz racist comments

Why he was a good President: He healed the country after Watergate, pure and simple.

Why he was a bad President: Though he certainly meant well, he made some tactical errors, plus he was very reluctant to open the purse strings making one think in another time, he could have been Herbert Hoover.

What could have saved his Presidency: A stronger economic backbone maybe. He failed at getting the US out of a recession just like Nixon and later Carter.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: He could have been Spiro Agnew

How he became Vice President: Watergate was the dominant news event of 1973, of course, but another scandal was also emerging. This had to do with Vice President Spiro Agnew. He resigned as part of a deal to avoid prison for accepting bribes as County Executive, Governor of Maryland (I could have a field day with corrupt Governors of Maryland), and Vice President. Under the 25th Amendment, the President could appoint a new Vice President with confirmation by the Senate and the House. Of all the men on Nixon's short list, Ford was the only one that a majority of both houses would deem worthy, so, he was tabbed as the new Vice President with an overwhelming majority of both houses confirming him. He took the oath on the House floor.

As Vice President, he would at first vigorously defend the President, but as more information came to light, he would temper his remarks. As it was, Ford was able to stay distant from the Watergate controversy itself. Ford, in fact, was one of those who urged Nixon to release the tapes. He finally broke with Nixon days before his resignation noting it was impossible for Nixon to claim it wasn't an impeachable offense.

Ford, now seeing the writing on the wall, spoke with his advisers in anticipation of becoming President upon Nixon's resignation or removal. On August 8, 1974, Nixon announced his resignation.

And, on August 9, Gerald Ford was the 38th President of the United States.

First term: As Ford was sworn in, he announced that, "Our long national nightmare is over." Deep inside, he knew he had only one job to do, and that was to restore faith in American Government. In some ways, he got off to a rocky start, however, when he decided to pardon Nixon. This especially upset the Democrats and they held hearings to determine if something improper had been done. President Ford himself testified before the committee, the first President to ever do so, and he acquitted himself quite well, saying that the country had to heal. It was easily his most controversial decision, and some think it may have ultimately cost him the presidency in 1976.

Nevertheless, Ford was able to get Watergate into his rear view mirror, and he was able to address the immediate needs of the country. For starters, the US was still in an energy crisis and he, along with Congress, found ways to alleviate the pain by keeping Daylight Savings Time throughout the winter for example. Ford also granted a limited amnesty to draft evaders on the condition they perform alternative service. Unfortunately, not many would take that olive branch and it would be his successor, Jimmy Carter, that would make amnesty more palatable.

Ford, like Nixon before him and Carter afterwards, struggled with inflation. He was no more successful than Nixon had been with his Whip Inflation Now program and by the time he left office in 1977, the United States would be in the throes of a recession.

Other domestic issues that Ford failed to address included busing, and the racial violence that surrounded it and the New Yok City bailout, which Ford opposed to the point that one paper's headline read: PRESIDENT FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD. Ford would eventually relent, however, and New York City was saved from default.

President Ford fared better when it came to foreign affairs. He favored détente with the Soviet Union and signed the Helsinki Accords in 1975.  Like Nixon's pardon, it grew plenty of criticism, this time from both parties, but it did put us another step away from nuclear war.

A bigger headache though would be Vietnam. Yes, the American troops were home, but the US was still economically supporting South Vietnam's military, though on a limited basis. By 1975, the North Vietnamese were making its final drive on Saigon. Ford asked Congress for more military assistance, but they offered humanitarian aid only.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway; Saigon fell in late April 1975 and the US was out of Vietnam once and for all. A month later, the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia seized the cargo ship Mayaguez, creating an international incident. Ford ordered a commando raid to free the crew and 40 Americans died as a result, but the Khmer Rouge did ultimately release the vessel.

While President, Ford learned that the CIA was not quite the squeaky clean organization that he thought. He appointed Vice President Rockefeller to do an investigation. Meanwhile, the Senate had a select committee of its own. In no real surprise, Rockefeller cleared the CIA while Senator Frank Church more or less condemned them. Ford took the middle road, firing director William Colby and replacing him with George Bush.

In popular culture, Ford garnered quite a bit of sympathy. He seemed clumsy at times, tripping on the Air Force One steps for example, and Chevy Chase in particular, savagely lampooned him. Ford took it in stride, however.

In more serious notes, Ford would survive two assassination attempts in September 1975 and even be involved in an auto accident the following month. It seemed like the poor guy was cursed. But he took it in stride; he knew how to be the President when it really mattered.

Ford's last year in office had him partly busy with battling Reagan and Carter for the Presidency but it was also the year of his last political blunder, that of the Swine Flu vaccine. There was a bit of a scare with the swine flu virus and President Ford, well to be fair, everyone really, was pushing for everyone to take the new Swine Flu vaccine. Unfortunately, it had some pretty severe side effects and 32 people died before the vaccinations were stopped.

So, it wasn't the luckiest two and half years for President Ford, but he did manage to bring trust and integrity back to the office. That has to count for something.



Election of 1976: Ford, wanting to be elected in his own right, announced his candidacy in late 1975. One would have though the Republicans would have been behind him since he essentially followed their policies, albeit with not a lot of success.

But Ronald Reagan, who we're going to hear a lot about from now on, decided that maybe 1976 was his time. Indeed, he had a lot of backing from conservatives who disagreed with Ford's détente policies as well as his economic policies (their mantra was, America, drop dead). It promised to be a rough and tumble contest.

In the end and after a closely fought primary season, Ford narrowly won the nomination, but Reagan left with quite a bit of clout as he okayed Ford's pick for Vice President, Bob Dole of Kansas (Rockefeller had more or less been pushed out).

We'll cover the Democratic side a little more when we cover Jimmy Carter, but he would prove to be a formidable opponent. Carter was not really a liberal, actually he was more like a born again moderate but, like Ford, he oozed with integrity. And America needed a fresh face after the Hell that was Watergate.

It was a civil but hard fought campaign on both sides. Both sides also agreed on debates, starting a tradition of sorts as there have been debates in each election cycle since then. For the most part, the debates were draws, except for the one gaffe Ford is always remembered for when he asserted that there was no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. Of course, he later recanted that comment, but he never really got out from under that gaffe. And that, along with the pardoning of Nixon, likely was the difference as he lost a relatively close election to Carter.


Post Presidency: Ford was more or less retired after leaving the White House in 1977, which had been his original plan as a congressman anyway. He stayed publicly active, however, lecturing on college campuses and even doing commentary for NBC briefly. In 1980, he was boosted as Ronald Reagan's running mate, but the deal went sour when Ford insisted on a stronger presence. Reagan rejected that and went with George Bush. Ford, nonetheless, remained a respected elder statesman in the GOP. He also served on various commissions and corporate boards. He also would make occasional appearances with former President Jimmy Carter, who he would ultimately become friends with.

In 1999, President Clinton gave Ford the Presidential Medal of Freedom for "binding the nation together after the nightmare of Watergate." He died in 2006 with no one ever questioning his sense of basic decency.

Odd Notes: He once locked himself out of the White House (https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/548853/facts-about-gerald-ford)

Chevy Chase doesn't look a bit like him.


Final Summary: Honestly, Ford isn't remembered for a lot of personal accomplishments. He obviously wasn't an economic wizard. He had to sit idly as helicopters were dumped in the South China Sea. There were other things he seemed powerless to accomplish as well.

And, yet he wasn't an ineffective President. He made the controversial decision to pardon Nixon, not because he deserved it, or he owed him somehow. But it was because it was the right thing to do. He was desperate to heal the country whatever it took and, while it seemed to divide the country more at first, healing was exactly what it did. Even Ted Kennedy, perhaps his biggest detractor, acknowledged that Ford did the right thing.

And Ford was self-depreciating at a time when it was needed. We didn't get much of that out of Lyndon Johnson and we got none whatsoever from Nixon. But most importantly, he brought a sense of integrity and decency back to the White House not seen since, quite frankly, Eisenhower.

I caught a TV show on the Presidents where Ford had hoped he would leave the country in better shape than when he entered the presidency. So, I guess the question is, did he leave the country in better shape in the end, putting politics aside, of course?

Absolutely.

Overall rating: C+

https://millercenter.org/president/ford

[Rubber Soul]

39. JIMMY CARTER (Smile, though you're heart is aching)



Born: October 1, 1924, Plains, Georgia
Died:  At 98, he's still with us albeit on hospice. The oldest ex-President in American history

Term: January 20, 1977- January 20, 1981
Political Party: Democrat

Vice President: Walter Mondale

First Lady: Rosalyn Smith Carter

Before the Presidency: James Earl Carter was the son of a peanut farmer. He grew up in the small town of Plains, Georgia where he learned the value of a hard work ethic from his father, who was a successful businessman. His mother, Lillian, was trained as a nurse and counseled poor African American women on health care matters at a time when whites and blacks were not allowed to mix.

Young Jimmy knew the value of hard work and saving money at a young age. He sold produce from the family farm as early as age ten. At age thirteen he was able to buy five houses that were sold on the cheap. The family then rented the houses out.

Teenage Jimmy became enamored with joining the Navy after receiving letters from his uncle. In 1941 he submitted an application to the United States Naval Academy. That same year, he graduated at the top of his small high school class.

Though World War II had broken out, Carter had to wait two years before being admitted into the Naval Academy. Three years later, he would graduate in the top ten percent of his class.

Carter, now married to Rosalynn Smith and with family, had figured on a career in the Navy. Lieutenant Carter served in the submarine service. An incident in Bermuda gave a glimpse of Carter's character when British officials offered a party invitation to white crewmembers only. Lieutenant Carter refused the invitation and his crewmembers followed suit, giving a glimpse at both the respect he garnered as well as his basic support of civil rights, something that seemed unusual for a Southerner.

Carter later worked under the famed Admiral Hyman Rickover. Rickover was something of a brutal taskmaster, but Carter came to admire him, even comparing him to his own father (stern but loving basically).

Carter's naval career was cut short due to tragedy in the family. His father was dying of cancer and the fam was in decline. Carter resigned from the Navy so he could help on the family farm.

Carter returned to Georgia at a critical time in civil rights history. Brown v. Board had been decided by the Supreme Court in 1954 and the Montgomery Bus Boycott would begin over a year later. Times were changing in the South, whether the whites liked it or not. Carter was one of the few whites that actually did like it. As such, he was the only businessman in town to refuse to join the White Citizens Council and it cost him quite a bit of business as he was boycotted. But he stuck to his guns and the boycott slowly fizzled out.

With the farm back up and making a profit, Carter was able to serve on local boards for hospitals and the like. In 1962, he decided on politics and ran for the Georgia State Senate. He initially lost until it was discovered that Carter was the victim of fraudulent voting. A court overturned the election and Carter was in the Georgia Senate.

During his two terms, Carter was known as a hawk when it came to wasteful spending. He also voted with his convictions as a born again Christian as he helped to repeal discriminatory laws against African- Americans. He went even farther as, while his church in Plains voted to keep African Americans out almost unanimously. It was the Carters and a third person that prevented the vote from being totally unanimous.

In 1966, Carter was considering a run for Congress. He opted to run for Governor instead. By now, there was a large white backlash and Carter would lose the nomination to the controversial Lester Maddox. Carter, though, gave it another try in 1970. This time, he knew he had to get some segregationists to vote for him if he was going to win and he distanced himself from African Americans to the point that the Atlanta Constitution called him a racist. It's something of a sad commentary that you had to be labeled a racist to win in Georgia, but it worked. Jimmy Carter was now the Governor of Georgia.

And imagine the surprise of the segregationists when it turned out Carter wasn't a racist at all. He called for an end to segregation at his inaugural speech, making national news as a result. He was seen as the symbol of the New South, a much more tolerant version that rejected groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Carter was definitely a progressive as blacks were much more prominent in state government under him. He also hated wasteful spending as he streamlined a number of state agencies. It wasn't perfect, as he often clashed with the State Legislature. Indeed, Carter was also seen as a bit arrogant among his peers, but the intentions were always good, and he still was able to make great strides in the environment and education.

Carter would develop National ambitions as he studied the George McGovern campaign in 1972. He was saddened that McGovern had been successfully labeled as an extremist and realized that a new Democrat would be needed in 1976 with maybe more views closer to the center but still nowhere near the right.

And maybe Jimmy Carter was that man.

Summary of offices held:

1946-1953: United States Navy, Lieutenant

1953-1961: United States Navy Reserve, Lieutenant.

1963-1967: Georgia State Senator

1971-1975: Governor of Georgia


What was going on: Energy crisis, Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown, Iranian Hostage Crisis, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Begin-Sadat peace talks

Scandals within the administration: Bert Lance banking scandal, Debategate

Why he was a good President: Like Ford before him, he brought honesty and integrity back to the White House. His ideals on energy and human rights remain timeless to this day. And, of course, there were the Camp David Accords

Why he was a bad President: He was in over his head with Iran. He also had a rocky relationship with Congress. And maybe he was a bit too hands on for his own good.

What could have saved his Presidency: A successful end to the Iranian Hostage Crisis a little earlier might have been enough.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: A failed Camp David Accords. He could have turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Election of 1976: Jimmy Carter came in as a dark horse for the Democratic nomination. The Democrats had held out hope that maybe Ted Kennedy would give it a run, but he wasn't ready quite yet.

So, the field was ripe with favorites such as Frank Church of Idaho and Henry Jackson of Washington. By now, the parties depended on voter primaries to nominate the candidate, though they were often fixed to favor the preferred candidate or for whoever had the power at the time (such as Hillary Clinton in 2016). And the voters were trying to run away from Watergate, still fresh on peoples' minds, as far away as they could. They saw in Jimmy Carter, a sense of honesty and decency, almost as if he were an innocent really, and he proved to be a major candidate once the primaries started. His outsider status scored him victories in the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary, perhaps the two most important primaries in any election. Carter campaigned hard as the others slowly dropped out, his only real opponent at the end was the maverick Governor of California, Jerry Brown, and he was a latecomer.

Carter didn't have enough delegates to win the nomination going into New York City but by now the super delegates were sold on him and he won nomination on the first ballot. He would choose Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota as his running mate and Mondale, along with a close working relationship with Carter, would revolutionize the Vice Presidential position by making it much more than just being a stone's throw away from the Presidency.

After a bitterly fought campaign on the Republican side, Carter would square off with the incumbent President, Gerald Ford. It was, for the most part, a civil campaign on both sides as both candidates were beyond reproach. Of course, as in any election, they had their criticisms of each other, but Ford had to carry the burden of Watergate giving Carter a decided edge.

That edge disappeared though as Carter was also pretty adept at making missteps. In one, he admitted having lust for women in a Playboy interview. That only brought the polls to a dead heat. Ford then made his famous gaffe about no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe.

Then there was the October surprise when Carter's church denied entry to an African American minister despite Carter's pleas to allow him in (Carter later nearly left the church over the incident).

It was a close election, the closest since 1960, in fact, but when it was over, Carter would win. The future seemed bright with large Democratic majorities in both houses and the Republicans still trying to recover from Watergate.

And, of course, they would.

First term: President Carter started out with a lot of good will. He had planned on accomplishing a lot during his Presidency and started by unconditionally pardoning Vietnam War draft evaders. The US was still mired in an Energy Crisis and Carter was having his own version of fireside chats, urging the American public to turn down their thermostats.

The honeymoon didn't last very long. Carter would have difficult relations with his own party in Congress as they expected the pork barrel projects to continue while Carter railed against wasteful spending. No, he wasn't about to slash welfare benefits or anything like that; he just wanted to know where the money was going.

Carter's popularity slipped rapidly among the public and Congress took advantage of it by shooting down programs they would have ordinarily supported such as a Consumer Protection Bill. They obviously wanted to get rid of Carter that bad (and they asked so hard in 1980, they got it, the dummies).

That didn't mean Carter didn't have his accomplishments. Despite dealing with low poll numbers and a political scandal involving his budget director, Bert Lance, he was able to make the US less dependent on foreign oil. And even with his struggling relations with Congress, he was able to get many of his initiatives through, even more than LBJ had in fact, but because of Carter's basic modesty, he got very little credit for it and publicly came off as a rather inept President.

There was controversy within his family too. His sister, Ruth Carter Stapleton, was a well-meaning evangelist who thought she could somehow convert porn king Larry Flynt into a devout Christian. This drew more than a few laughs.

A bigger problem for him would be his n'eer do well brother, Billy Carter. He, needless to say, was not an evangelist. Indeed, he was everything his brother Jimmy was not, a beer drinking good ol' boy. Carter cringed wondering what would come out of Billy's mouth next. Billy became something of a celebrity and was marketing his own beer known as Billy Beer. In the end, Billy would step over the boundaries too far and he would be under investigation for his business dealings with the Libyans (he would later be cleared).

President Carter, for the most part, managed to stay above the family fracas and he would make his greatest accomplishment in 1978. For decades there were wars in the Middle East involving Israel and the other Arab states, notably Egypt and Syria. But by 1977, Egypt's President, Anwar Sadat, had enough, and offered an olive branch to Israeli PM Menachem Begin. Though a staunch war hawk, Begin accepted the offer and the two began negotiations. Of, course, both sides were far apart and there were accusations from both sides in the press. Sadat, by then, had a bit of a diplomatic relationship with President Carter and he and Begin both asked for his help. Carter, being something of a peacenik, gladly accepted.

And President Carter more or less took charge, practically locking the two leaders in a cabin at Camp David until they could reach an agreement. And, in September 1978, an agreement was reached. The Camp David Accords was the result and, while not perfect (Israel still has skirmishes with the Palestinians in particular), there has been a lasting peace between Israel and Egypt and Middle Eastern wars in general (Save Iran and Iraq maybe) have been in decline. Begin and Sadat would share the Nobel Peace prize in 1978 but many, including Sadat, thought the prize should have gone to Carter.

If the Camp David Accords signaled the Carter administration at its peak, then it was all downhill from there. Carter did have some success when he returned the Panama Canal back to Panama (a pretty controversial issue at the time), but other world events would signal doom for the Carter Presidency in 1979 and 1980.

For decades, the United States had supported the right wing regime of the Shah of Iran. By the late seventies, the Iranians had enough of the Shah and was hell bent on overthrowing him. Their leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, returned to Iran from exile and the writing on the wall was for all to see, including the Shah.

Carter was no big fan of the Shah, but he felt obligated to honor the commitments of previous Presidents, so when the Shah fled from Iran and was diagnosed with cancer in Mexico, Carter allowed the Shah to enter the United States for treatment. This enraged the fundamentalist Islamists that now ruled Iran, and, in November 1979, a throng of Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and took sixty-six Americans as hostages.  They demanded the return of the Shah, all assets that the Shah had taken, and an apology from the nation they were referring to as, "The Great Satan."

Carter did no such thing, of course. Instead, he froze all Iranian assets while staging secret negotiations. Meanwhile, the press had jumped on the hostage crisis like never before and Nightline, an ABC news program, began a running total of days the hostages were held in captivity. 

And it got to the point where the incident that probably proved the nail in the coffin took place. Frustrated, Carter went along with a plan for a helicopter rescue of the hostages in 1980.  It was not a well thought out plan to begin with and the mission was aborted after the helicopters were well inside Iran. It should have ended there, but one of the helicopters suffered mechanical problems and crashed, killing eight soldiers. After the incident, Iran moved and dispersed the hostages making it virtually impossible for another rescue. Worse, for Carter, it solidified his reputation as an inept President.

Carter had a little better success with the Soviet Union. Taking a page out of Lyndon Johnson, I guess, the Soviets thought they could prop up a Communist regime in Afghanistan, so they invaded the country. This drew international outrage and President Carter called for an Olympic Boycott (the 1980 Olympics were being held in Moscow). It drew a mixed reaction from Americans and a slew of protests from the athletes themselves, but Carter stuck to his guns and the US would not participate in the Olympics that year. And, while it didn't get immediate results, The Soviets would take an economic hit and when they boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, their ploy would backfire spectacularly. More to the point, Afghanistan became the Soviet's Vietnam, and they would finally withdraw with their proverbial heads between their legs in 1988.

Despite some accomplishments, Carter's popularity was rather low. By 1980, the US was in another recession, there was international embarrassment from the ongoing hostage crisis, even as Carter continued to negotiate, and there was a feeling of malaise, as Carter put it in an infamous address in 1979. Re-election did not seem to be in the cards.

But he was going to give it a try anyway.


Election of 1980: Before the election season even started, President Carter would suffer the humiliation that few incumbents had suffered, a credible challenge within his own party. Senator Ted Kennedy had been coy for years about running for President and, with two brothers having been assassinated, you could understand the trepidation. But Kennedy saw the weakness in Carter and saw 1980 as his opportunity at last, so he entered the race. Carter reacted by saying he'd whip his ass. The Democrats were split between the two factions and the New York press seemed giddy when Ted won the state. Indeed, it was a closely fought contest throughout, but in the end, Carter would wind up with the nomination.

Carter's weak renomination (he had to give up a lot to Kennedy's platform) contrasted negatively to the practical anointment of Ronald Reagan for the Republicans. Of course, the Republicans had their factions too and one, liberal Republican John Anderson, would break off to run as a third party candidate. Of course, we'll have a lot more on Reagan (and Anderson) later.

Carter never really had much of a chance as the economy and the hostage crisis kept his poll numbers low. He didn't do himself any favors either when he boycotted the first debate because he didn't want Anderson on the podium. When he did get to debating Reagan, it was more or less a disaster as Reagan kept going, "There You Go Again."

And so, in no real surprise, Carter got thumped in the general election, winning all of six states plus DC. Ronald Reagan was to be the next President of the United States. The Democrats finally got Carter out of the White House and now they had to uh, reap the rewards?

One more note about Carter to show you what kind of man he was. A one term President may have more or less coasted his way out, but Carter didn't do that. Instead, he was determined to get the hostages out of Iran, and he worked for their release up to the morning of Reagan's inauguration. And, though the Iranians timed the release for the inauguration as a way of humiliating Carter, history doesn't work that way. In some ways Carter's efforts at getting the hostages out was as important as the Camp David Accords had been.

And Jimmy Carter left with his dignity intact.

[Rubber Soul]

Post Presidency: I like to talk about dual personality Presidents but up to now that was basically a good vs. evil dynamic. Carter is a little different, for while you can argue Carter was a bad President, he was never certainly a bad person.

What he was, and is, though, is a great ex-President, maybe the greatest ever. For Carter didn't pack his bags and retire to his peanut farm, which no one would have blamed him for.  Instead, he put his Christian values where his mouth was and started what became known as Habitat for Humanity. This was an organization where volunteers, including Carter himself, would build houses for the poor and underprivileged. He was often seen on television, and it helped to promote the cause of helping the less fortunate.

He also stayed active with foreign affairs in ways other Ex-Presidents didn't dare venture. Everyone has an opinion, but Carter actually went to work. He often monitored elections in nations known for their fraudulent practices. When monitoring the Nicaraguan elections in 1990, Daniel Ortega was legitimately defeated. One wonders what may have happened had Carter not been there, but Carter, now a respected elder statesman was, and Ortega accepted his defeat graciously.

Carter would also mediate between countries with their own axes to grind, sometimes at the request of the State Department, sometimes on his own, and sometimes with rebuke from a sitting President such as with Clinton with North Korea for example where he briefly was able to ease nuclear tensions with the rogue nation.

In 2002, Jimmy Carter finally won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Odd notes: Carter was once attacked by a swamp rabbit

Carter has consistently insisted that he has seen a UFO.

Final Summary: If I could judge Jimmy Carter as just a human being, he'd be an easy A. Few ex-Presidents, if any, have been as exemplary as Jimmy Carter. He took advantage of his elder statesman status like no other, using his status to improve the lives of people rather than to try to improve his own personal standing (like Nixon for example).

Even if I were to rate him on just his Vice President, Walter Mondale, who strengthened that office and truly became a partner of the President (See Gore, Cheney, and Biden on that note), he'd get an A.

But, alas, I have to rate Carter just for his presidency and, let's face it, the guy was in way over his head. There is no doubt he truly wanted to do good, but he learned the hard way, that if you want to make it in Washington, you're going to have to grease some palms.

When he was able to do good, he could do it spectacularly such as in the Camp David Accords. But the late seventies probably wasn't the right time for Carter with some of the things going on such as Afghanistan and Iran as well as the Three Mile Island disaster back home. He couldn't figure out the economy either, to be honest.

But even saying that, the decency that is Jimmy Carter still goes a long way. Maybe he wasn't exactly Abraham Lincoln, but he wasn't James Buchanan either. And he sure wasn't Richard Nixon.

And even if the country wasn't necessarily a better place because of Carter, the President, the world certainly is because of Carter, the ex-President.


Overall rating: C+

https://millercenter.org/president/carter


Postscript: On February 20, 2023, it was announced that Jimmy Carter was put on home hospice care. Prayers have been forwarded as the man appears to be dying. Will update as warranted.

[Rubber Soul]

40. RONALD REAGAN (Da Doo Ron Ron)




Born: February 6, 1911, Tampico, Illinois
Died: June 5, 2004, Bel-Air, California

Term: January 20, 1981- January 20, 1989
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: George Bush

First Lady: Nancy Davis Reagan

Before the Presidency: Ronald Reagan was born in an apartment in rural Illinois. His father was an alcoholic, though not an especially abusive one. He also came from a family of Democrats and he himself started out as a New Deal liberal. His father, in fact, was named as director of the local WPA by FDR. Reagan noted that his father also forbade his children to see Birth of a Nation and he was very tolerant of other races and religions. Reagan's mother was known as a do-gooder and was a devout Christian. Reagan admired her so much that he moved her to Hollywood after his father died.

Reagan was rather athletic growing up, playing football and basketball in High School. He also was the Student President. He worked as a lifeguard for six summers and reportedly saved 77 swimmers from drowning. He later attended Eureka College in Illinois. An average student at best, he stayed active with the extracurriculars, excelling in sports as well as joining the drama club, editing the college yearbook, was member of the debate club, and was Student Council President. He also washed dishes at his fraternity to earn his keep.

After graduating college, Reagan landed a job as a radio sportscaster in Davenport, Iowa. He learned much of his speaking skills there and would be hired at WHO in Des Moines, Iowa where he announced recreations of Chicago Cubs games and where he was also a staff announcer.

In 1937, the acting bug hit the handsome Reagan and he moved to Hollywood to start his acting career in films. He found luck when he was hired by Warner Brothers where he would enjoy a substantial twenty year movie career. While never the big box office success of say, Jimmy Stewart or John Wayne, Reagan still enjoyed a successful career in films such as Knute Rockne-All American and King's Row. Reagan was considered a competent actor known for his punctuality and was very good at memorizing his lines. A man who was good at self-depreciation, Reagan jokingly referred to himself as the Errol Flynn of B- movies. He knew he wasn't the greatest actor, but he knew how to perform within his limitations.

Reagan was drafted during World War II, but he was nearsighted, so he stayed stateside. He had been a reservist for the US Army Calvary, and he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He helped to produce and appear in propaganda films for the war effort. He also narrated training films for new recruits during his three year stint.

Reagan had always had an interest in politics, starting out as a New Deal Democrat, but he would become more conservative, staunchly conservative, in fact, as he got older. By the late forties, it was alleged that he was ratting out alleged Communists within Hollywood for the FBI, this while he was President of the Screen Actors Guild.

Reagan had been married to actress Jane Wyman until they divorced in 1948. Four years later, Reagan met another actress, Nancy Davis. The two were married and she would go on to be, perhaps, one of the most devoted first ladies in history.

By 1954, Reagan's movie career had fizzled somewhat, and he gave TV a shot. He narrated and occasionally acted on General Electric Theatre. He would later become one of the hosts of the Western Anthology, Death Valley Days.

Reagan was a staunch Anti-Communist but even he was concerned about the tide of McCarthyism. He worried that innocent lives were being affected. Though he was responsible for the blacklist that the SAG came up with, he made pains to keep names out that he felt were innocent.

Though now a conservative by the 1950's, he continued to campaign for Democrats including Helen Gahagan Douglas who ran against Richard Nixon. He changed horses by 1952, however as he supported Eisenhower as a Democrat for Eisenhower. He stuck with the Republicans in the 1960 election, supporting Nixon (though he personally despised him). He finally switched parties in 1962 when he supported Nixon when he ran for California Governor in 1962.

Reagan truly came to the forefront from a political standpoint in 1964 when he campaigned for Barry Goldwater in 1964. Reagan embraced Goldwater's arch-conservative policies, maybe out of a sense of greed (Now affluent himself, Reagan somehow compared having to pay higher taxes and a loss of personal freedom as the same thing). Goldwater was crushed in the election that year, but he, and Reagan, would succeed in the long run as the Conservative movement had just begun.

And it was that conservative movement that landed Reagan his first office when he upset Governor Pat Brown of California. Reagan was quite the controversial Governor, being somewhat hostile to student protestors in particular. He was also something of a pragmatist, however, and he worked with Democrats to push the most important aspects of his agenda such as cutting domestic spending. He was re-elected in 1970 and he made most of his accomplishments in that second term. In 1971, he got the Welfare Reform Act which tightened eligibility requirements but increased benefits. He also got some property tax relief passed (though the radical Prop 13 movement would make all that moot some years later).

Reagan would have some Presidential aspirations and he first was a factor in the 1968 campaign. That was Nixon's to lose, however, and Reagan was content to get some more experience as Governor.

By 1976, however, Reagan was a free agent, and he gave President Ford a serious run at the nomination. Indeed, as both candidates stumbled from time to time, the nomination was still in doubt by the time of the Convention in Kansas City. Reagan tried one last hail mary when he picked liberal Richard Schweiker as his running mate but by then, Ford had just enough delegates to put him over the top. The Reagan Revolution would have to wait for 1980.

And by then, they were loaded for bear.

Summary of offices held:

1947-1952, 1959-1960: President, Screen Actors Guild

1967-1975: Governor of California


What was going on: The cold war, AIDS crisis, Challenger Explosion, War on drugs, War on terrorism

Scandals within the administration: HUD scandal, Wedtech, Savings and Loan scandal, Sewergate and, of course, Iran- Contra

Why he was a good President: Reagan was a very persuasive President, and he had a knack of comforting the public during times of tragedy, such as when the Challenger exploded. He also helped to speed up the end of the Cold War.

Why he was a bad President: His policies in general. By his success at shifting the center to the right, he didn't anticipate that the right would be shifted closer into fascism. He also wasn't the most tolerant when it came to freedom from religion.

What could have saved his Presidency: A more moderate approach to domestic issues. He certainly should have done more to address the AIDS crisis, but he was betrothed to the Moral Majority, I guess.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: In some ways, the Democratic Congress saved Reagan from himself when it came to Contra Aid. One wonders if he would have gone full blast with American troops in Central America. That would not have gone well. Also, if his rhetoric against the Soviet Union had backfired and we would have had another Cuban Missile Crisis.

Election of 1980: Reagan came in as the favorite to win the nomination despite some trepidation about not only Reagan's age (He was 69 in 1980), but his views which seemed to be a bit out of the mainstream. As such, Reagan had some stiff competition from liberal Republican John Anderson, who would later run as a third party opponent, and Senator Howard Baker among others. But his toughest opponent would be George Bush of Texas, who came off as a moderate conservative. Bush upset Reagan in the Iowa caucuses and was seen as an alternative to Reagan's occasionally right wing positions.

Nevertheless, the Conservatives won the day, and Reagan would be nominated on the first ballot. He had impressed Republican voters with his stands against what was being seen as the establishment such as when he insisted that all the candidates be allowed on a debate podium at an event his campaign paid for. There, he famously and sternly said, "I paid for this microphone." This combative side of Reagan would do wonders for him not only in political campaigns, but as President as well.

Reagan won the nomination easy, then asked the more moderate Bush to be his running mate. This proved to be a solid combination.

Not that it was necessary. Reagan was facing a very unpopular incumbent, Jimmy Carter. The United States was in the middle of the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the nation was in yet another recession. Carter didn't do himself any favors when he refused to participate in a debate with both Reagan and Anderson (Carter wanted a one on one with Reagan). Reagan went on to debate with Anderson and both candidates basically jumped on Carter.

Carter did manage to close the gap as Reagan was seen by some as too extremist, not unlike Goldwater in 1964. But when Carter did get his one on one debate with Reagan, it would prove to be a disaster for him. While Carter came off as tense and grim, Reagan seemed genuinely affable, not charming like a Kennedy, but more like a kind grandfather. And he had his ammo ready by responding to Carter's attacks with, "There you go again." The big moment came when Reagan simply asked the American Public, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" This would also prove to be a successful ploy for Clinton, Obama, and even Biden as well. But Reagan did it first.

And because America wasn't better off than it was four years before, Reagan ended up winning in a landslide. The United States would never be the same.

First term: The impact of the Reagan Revolution began on practically the first day. The Iranian Hostages came home during Reagan's inauguration speech, and he was able to announce the good news.

And he had plans to reverse what he saw as a too permissive course. The first things he did was to advocate increased defense spending and to push for massive tax cuts as well as cuts in domestic spending. There was a time he considered maybe even doing away with Social Security until he was convinced by aides that messing with Social Security was political poison.

Reagan's crusade to cut programs designed to help the poor (a criticism of the Democrats) was put on the back burner briefly. After an appearance at a DC hotel, shots were fired at Reagan's entourage, one bullet severely injuring Press Secretary James Brady. President Reagan was hit in the chest and was rushed by limo to a local hospital. Reagan, with bravado, was able to walk in on his own before he collapsed on the hospital floor. He regained consciousness soon after and never lost his composure as he cracked jokes such as, "Honey, I forgot to duck," to a worried Nancy and, to the doctors that operated on him, "I hope you're all Republicans." The warm side of Reagan came out through this ordeal, and he was granted a lot of goodwill when he returned to the Oval Office.

And off to work he went. Though known, sometimes derisively, as a part time President (he didn't really work long hours), he knew what he wanted to accomplish. So, he worked with the Democratic majority in Congress to score compromises on his budget mainly.

Of course, Reagan was something of a strike buster as well. In the summer of 1981, the Air Traffic Controllers went on strike. Reagan threatened to fire them if they didn't return. When they defied his order, Reagan did, in fact, fire them; few would get their jobs back. It started a trend of union busting and Unions, in general, would have less clout as the years went on.

There was also a Supreme Court vacancy in President Reagan's first year and he fulfilled a promise to put a woman on the court. He went with conservative Arizona judge, Sandra Day O'Connor. As a justice, she was probably a little closer to the center as she supported abortion rights for example.

Abortion was a major issue in the Reagan Administration. During the 1980 campaign, Reagan had courted the Moral Majority, led by Jerry Falwell. Reagan had promised that he would find a way to get Roe vs. Wade reversed as well as letting the Equal Rights Amendment ratification process expire. Needless to say, Reagan was not popular with the socially liberal set.

On the foreign front, President Reagan was scaring just about everybody. He took a hard line against the Soviet Union, even referring to them as the Evil Empire. In 1983, he sent US troops to Beirut to have a presence in the war torn region. It proved disastrous as two bombings left nearly 300 Marines dead.

Indeed, Reagan was something of a cowboy President, especially when it came to fighting Communism. He was sending aid to Contra Rebels in Nicaragua and El Salvador, and he ordered troops into Grenada to overthrow a military government that had just overthrown a US backed government.

Reagan's first two years were not his most popular, politically speaking, though people liked him personally. But the economy improved greatly in 1983 and the President's popularity rose with it. By 1984, re-election looked like it was Reagan's to blow.

[Rubber Soul]

Election of 1984: There was no doubt as to the renomination of Reagan and Bush as Reagan was now seen as very popular, especially among conservatives and independents and even some of what were known as "Reagan Democrats." The only question being, how big would his victory be in the general election.

The Democrats would reluctantly go with Walter Mondale, who had the baggage of having been Carter's Vice President. He did have some competition with upstart Gary Hart of Colorado and activist Jesse Jackson, but the nomination was really Mondale's to lose.

With not the most popular of candidates, the Democrats needed something to spruce things up. In the end, it was decided that it was time for a woman to be on the ticket and they went with Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro of New York. This may have not been the best choice as her husband would be under investigation for a variety of issues.

But the election was all about Reagan. Economically the country was in the best shape in years, maybe even decades, and only a Reagan stumble in the first debate gave Mondale any hope. That was eradicated in the second debate however when Reagan, now 73, responded to a question concerning his age that he would not exploit Mondale's youth and inexperience. The audience responded favorably to the joke and even Mondale laughed, but Mondale knew it was all over after that.

And, indeed, Reagan would win in the largest electoral landslide in history, Mondale winning only his home state of Minnesota and DC.

Second Term: President Reagan would make a lot of history this term as the Soviet Union was in a bit of an upheaval. After three consecutive deaths in the early eighties, the Soviets finally went with youth and they nabbed the reformer, Mikhail Gorbachev, as its new Premier. Gorbachev would implement economic reforms as well as Glasnost, or openness. He also wanted to improve relations with the United States, and Reagan responded to the olive branch. The two would hold two spirited summits, one in Iceland which ended in no agreement, and a second one in Moscow, this one much friendlier, and they made an agreement to notify each other before performing ballistic tests as well as some economic agreements. Reagan now considered Gorbachev a personal friend and the Cold War had thawed considerably.

Reagan's other moves though were more controversial. He bombed Libya after Gadhafi backed a terrorist act that downed a plane in Lockerbie, Scotland. Even more controversial was the support of Contra rebels in Nicaragua still. By now, Reagan had a Republican Senate but even they didn't really want to go along with more aid. Reagan was also overridden when he vetoed a bill imposing sanctions on Apartheid South Africa, Majority Leader Bob Dole announcing on the floor that Reagan was wrong.

But Reagan's biggest crisis would be the Iran-Contra scandal. In what was the biggest political scandal since Watergate, Reagan aides were implicated in an arms for hostages deal with Iran as a way to support the Contras. Hearings were held and there was bi-partisan criticism on how the situation was handled. Oliver North became something of a rock star for conservatives as a result of these hearings, but he, like several other people implicated, would later face criminal charges. Worst yet, this also affected prominent cabinet members even though they actually opposed the deal, notably, Secretary of State George Shultz, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, and even Vice President Bush, the latter two who would be investigated by a special prosecutor during Bush's presidency. As for Reagan, he said he didn't recall though he admitted that as President, he should have known.

Reagan had another justice to appoint after the retirement of Lewis Powell. First, he managed to get William Rehnquist elevated to Chief Justice. Then he appointed the controversial Robert Bork to take Rehnquist's spot on the Supreme Court. Bork was the guy who followed Nixon's orders to fire Archibald Cox in the Saturday Night Massacre. He also had views that were even to the right of Reagan and there was some fallout even from a few Republicans. In the end, Bork would be rejected by the Senate by a surprisingly large margin.

So, Reagan went with another conservative, Douglas Ginsberg. He too was headed for a rocky confirmation hearing, but he would withdraw when it was discovered he had smoked marijuana. In the end, Reagan abandoned his determination to nominate a justice who was just as conservative and settle for the more moderate Anthony Kennedy.

Reagan would also have to deal with other domestic issues of the day such as the AIDS crisis, which he largely ignored, and a brief economic crisis when the stock market crashed in 1987 (it would quickly recover). But all in all, Reagan left as one of the most popular Presidents in history.

At least for some, anyway.


Post Presidency: After the Presidency, Reagan retired to his home in Bel Air, California. He often would visit his ranch in Santa Barbara. For the most part, he stayed out of the public eye except for a controversial speaking engagement in Japan where he was paid two million dollars. After that incident, he no longer gave foreign speeches.

In 1994, Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. After a heartfelt letter where he sympathized for what his wife, Nancy, would have to go through, Reagan disappeared from the public eye for good, his name only being brought up by Conservatives who thought he was the Greatest President of all time. Reagan died at the age of 93 in June 2004.


Odd notes: Reagan once starred with a chimp. Anyone hear of Bedtime For Bonzo?

Reagan once was a sportscaster who broadcast Chicago Cubs games out of Iowa.

Final Summary: This is a tough one, as my politics are totally opposite to Reagan's and many of his policies are still with us today and not for the better in my opinion. Reagan was obviously very strong in his convictions, and it showed in both his rhetoric and his actions. On the bright side, he did engage in talks with Gorbachev, and it really did thaw tensions between the two nations.  I can even overlook some of his economic policies including the ridiculous trickle down theory (If you give rich people more money, they're just going to keep it, stupid, even David Stockman knew that).

But his social policies, his refusal to address the AIDS issue both medically and socially and some policies that were detrimental to minorities in general (though he didn't really reverse the clock; he merely stalled it). I can't give him a good grade, I just can't.

Yes, Reagan did have a way with words and I'm sure he was a very nice guy outside of politics. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the average Conservative will give him a much better grade than I will, and liberals like Batty will probably give the guy an F.

But I have to try to be at least a little objective so, with points off for not being moderate enough for my tastes...

Overall rating: C-

https://millercenter.org/president/reagan

[Rubber Soul]

41. GEORGE HW BUSH (Watch out for that tree)





Born: June 12, 1924, Milton, Massachusetts
Died: November 30, 2018, Houston, Texas

Term: January 20, 1989- January 20, 1993
Political Party: Republican

Vice President: Dan Quayle

First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush

Before the Presidency: George Bush was born into a wealthy family. Though wealthy, his parents insisted on modesty and public service. In fact, George's father, Prescott Bush, would become a well-known Senator from Connecticut.

As a teenager, Bush attended a boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts. There, he excelled at soccer and baseball and was the Senior Class President. Upon graduation from the school on his eighteenth birthday, Bush signed up for the United States Navy.

Bush became a Navy pilot in 1943, earning the distinction as the youngest pilot in the Navy. He flew fifty-eight missions and was even shot down by Japanese fire. Luckily, he was recovered by a submarine and would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Back home and still in the Navy, Bush married Barbara Pierce. They would raise six children including sons George W. and Jeb, both of whom would follow in their father's footsteps. After his discharge from the Navy, Bush entered Yale University where he majored in economics. At Yale, Bush captained the baseball team and was a member of the secretive Skull and Bones society.

Bush was an adventurous sort and he moved to Texas in 1948. Two years later, he would form an oil company with a friend of his. By 1954, the company had expanded into Zapata Off-Shore Company. Buoyed by the success, Bush moved the family to Houston.

In Houston, Bush started his own political career as the chair of the Harris County Republican Party. Bush was a conservative and he had a way of working with people. In 1964, Bush ran for the Senate against incumbent Senator Ralph Yarborough, but he couldn't escape the carpetbagger tag and Yarborough would be re-elected.

Bush fared better in his run for a House seat in 1966. Running as a Moderate Republican, he would be elected to two terms. He could have been elected to a third, but Bush thought he could beat the very liberal Yarborough in the 1970 Senate election. But the Democrats thought so too, and they nominated Conservative Lloyd Bentsen instead. Bush was going home.

He wasn't home for long though. In December 1970, President Nixon appointed Bush as US Ambassador to the United Nations. He wasn't very effective as he wasn't part of Nixon's inner circle (luckily for him in retrospect) but he was able to make friends and connections on his own and he proved to be quite adept at his position.

Nixon removed Bush as UN Ambassador in 1973 and asked him to be Chairman of the Republican National Committee, mainly because he was what Nixon wasn't, honorable and with great integrity. Bush tirelessly defended Nixon throughout Watergate until the tapes were released. It was then Bush who advised Nixon that he had lost the support of his own party. Though not the final straw (that was likely Goldwater), it did eventually help Nixon on his decision to resign in 1974. Bush, subsequently, resigned as RNC Chairman soon after.

Bush's career was far from over, however. President Ford quickly appointed him as the US Envoy to China. Bush was in his element there as he absorbed the culture especially. The liaison position would be short lived, however, as President Ford had a new position for him, CIA Director. The CIA was in desperate need for reform and Bush was seen as someone that could bring integrity back to the organization. Bush's tenure there wouldn't be long either as Ford would lose the 1976 election to Carter. So, the Bushes returned for Houston.

But the political career wasn't over. He was already eying the 1980 Presidential nomination and he announced his candidacy in May 1979. Though considered the underdog to Reagan, he was seen as the more moderate (and thus, more electable) alternative. And, as a dark horse favorite, he surprised everyone by winning the Iowa Caucus and would be Reagan's toughest competitor in the 1980 primaries.

In the end, though, it was Reagan's nomination to lose, and he clearly didn't. But Reagan was also a pragmatist in his own way, and he asked Bush to be his running mate. Bush accepted and the rest is history.

Bush proved to be a loyal Vice-President to Reagan as his own positions began turning to the right, especially on the abortion issue, something that put him at odds with his pro-choice wife. He also became a personal friend of Reagan's and the two had weekly lunches. The Vice President also traveled widely and was on a number of task forces. He also was involved in foreign discussions and could be influential on such matters.

He also, though likely inadvertently, got tied up in the Iran-Contra Affair. And though there was never any proof, there were suspicions that he was not out of the loop as he insisted, and he would be investigated by a Special Prosecutor during his own Presidency.

In the meantime, Bush was getting ready for a Presidential run of his own.

Summary of offices held:

1942-1945: US Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade

1963-1964: Chairman, Harris County, Texas Republican Party

1967-1971: US House of Representatives

1971-1973: US Ambassador, United Nations

1973-1974: Chairman, Republican National Committee

1974-1975: Chief of the US Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China

1976-1977: Director, Central Intelligence Agency

1981-1989: Vice President of the United States


What was going on: Invasion of Panama, Fall of the Berlin Wall, The Gulf War, recession, end of the Cold War

Scandals within his Presidency: Post Iran- Contra investigations and subsequent pardons

Why he was a good President: He can get some credit for the end of the Cold War as most of the Communist nations fell during his administration. While it is questionable whether we had a right to go to war with Iraq in the first place, he did show some restraint at the end. And there is also the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Why he was a bad President: He was a social conservative for the most part, and the Clarence Thomas nomination for the Supreme Court is now having some pretty chilling effects on basic freedoms today, all over the abortion issue basically. He also didn't have a clue on how to handle the economy and seemed standoffish when people told him they were hurting.

What could have saved his Presidency: More of the kinder gentler conservative that he yearned to be at the GOP convention. A better grasp of the economic situation that he seemed to be ill prepared for.

What could have destroyed his Presidency: If the Gulf War turned out to be a disaster. Like it or not, the Gulf War is Bush's lasting legacy and it saved him from being less than average.

Election of 1988: It was a foregone conclusion that Bush would run for the Presidency in 1988 but the nomination wasn't etched in stone like it had been for Reagan. For one thing, he had to contend with the strong Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, and he would launch an aggressive campaign against Bush, who had been seen by some as a softie. Evangelist Pat Robertson was also making a quixotic run for the nomination but, realistically, it was between Bush and Dole.

With the help of James Baker, a Chief of Staff of Reagan's and one of Bush's closest advisers, and down and dirty campaign manager, Lee Atwater, Bush overcame a slow start and was the clear choice by the time the Republican Convention took place in New Orleans. He picked the youthful conservative, Dan Quayle of Indiana, as his running mate and it would prove to be his only blunder in the general campaign. Bush also hoped to blunt out the harsher aspects of the Reagan Administration as he called for a kinder, gentler, nation. He also made the ill-fated pledge, "Read My lips: No new taxes."

In the meantime, the Democrats seemed ready to take back the White House and close to a dozen candidates had their hat in the ring ranging from Jesse Jackson to Tennessee Senator Al Gore to Colorado Representative Pat Schroeder among others. Even a young Joe Biden was in the race briefly.

But it was former Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis who had the edge. He was a traditional liberal, but he was also seen as kind of bland. He certainly didn't have the charisma of Jesse Jackson in particular or even the nerdy appeal of Illinois Senator Paul Simon. But he was strong as a policy wonk and, after what ended up as a three way race between, he, Jackson, and Gore, Dukakis emerged as the Democratic Candidate.

The general campaign was perhaps one of the nastiest in recent memory, not on Dukakis' end so much, but on Bush's. They successfully painted Dukakis as an extremist liberal (and, in many ways, a long political war against liberalism was beginning), and Bush famously confronted liberal newscaster Dan Rather in a TV interview.

The lowest point though was the Atwater led advertisement depicting the story of Willie Horton. He had been released under a Dukakis furlough program. Horton went on to rape a woman in Maryland. The Bush campaign jumped on the story and aired a commercial that clearly had racial overtones. It hurt Dukakis badly, but it also set race relations back a bit, even as Bush himself had African Americans in his inner circle.

And Dukakis didn't do himself any favors either. After an Ill-advised photo op in a tank to prove he'd be tough on defense, he stumbled on a debate question about what he would do if his wife had been murdered. This was asked because Dukakis was an opponent of the death penalty. Dukakis didn't give a straight answer, he simply iterated his opposition to the death penalty. It proved to be his death knell despite Dan Quayle's screw up in the Vice Presidential debate when he tried to compare his experience to that of John Kennedy. Lloyd Bentsen, Dukakis' running mate, pounced on the misstep when he declared that Quayle was no Jack Kennedy. Democrats afterwards wondered if Bentsen should have been their candidate instead of Dukakis.

But, alas, he wasn't, and Bush would win an easy election in November.



First term: The first year of Bush's term was very much a transformative year from a global standpoint as there were pro-democracy protests in China that Bush supported and the planned reunification of Germany which saw the Berlin Wall come down late in 1989. He also came up with a bailout plan during the back end of the Savings and Loan crisis that started in Ohio and Maryland in 1986 but by now had gone national. Another issue would be the ballooning deficit from the Reagan years that Bush had to decide how to handle.

But it would be foreign affairs and how to use the military that dominated Bush's term, or at least the first half of it. By 1989, it was obvious that strongman Manuel Noriega of Panama was using his power to sell illegal drugs to cartels in the United States. Bush wanted to capture and try Noriega on drug charges in the States but that would mean violating International Law. No matter, just before Christmas 1989, The United States invaded Panama and Noriega would surrender just two weeks later. He would be tried in the States and convicted in 1992. He remains in prison to this day.

The most famous, or arguably infamous, period of Bush's term would concern one Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Neighboring Kuwait was rich in oil reserves and Hussein decided he wanted the reserves for himself and Iraq. So, in the summer of 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

The Western World, and Bush in particular, were against the invasion, mainly because they thought it would affect oil prices in general but also because Iraq clearly violated international law. But the US only used invasion of Iraq as a veiled threat while forming a coalition that included not only most of Europe and a Soviet Union in transition, but also some key Arab states. Hussein responded by holding the British Embassy hostage and even, in a sinister way, stroke the head of some poor diplomat's kid that outraged the British and Americans to no end. Invasion seemed inevitable.

And after one last demand for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait was denied, the Coalition invaded Iraq in what became known as the Gulf War. Bush was able to convince Israel to use restraint if attacked (and Iraq would attack the country with SCUD missiles in a vain hope that Israel would retaliate, and the other Arab countries would join him. Israel didn't retaliate and the Arab countries didn't turn towards Saddam). As for the war itself, it was over in a month and Saddam agreed to withdraw the troops from Kuwait. It was the high point of Bush's Presidency, and he enjoyed record popularity numbers that were even higher than Reagan's had been.

There was an argument on whether the US should have kept the war going until they had captured Hussein, but Bush and most of his advisors argued against that noting they would then have to win the peace if they actually occupied Iraq. A truly prophetic conclusion in wake of what Bush's son would do a decade later.

In 1991, Bush's numbers were at an all-time high, but all good things have to end. If Bush was a master at handling foreign affairs, he was all but a disaster when it came to the economy. He had already reneged on his no new taxes pledge when he signed a tax hike later in 1991. Even worse, the economy was taking such a hit that by 1992, the US was in yet another recession, the biggest since the early eighties. The war hero Bush was now seen as out of touch with the American Public and, despite signing the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act and seeing the reunification of Germany and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Bush's election chances were not all that high.

Election of 1992: Bush had no trouble winning renomination but there were rumblings from the right wing of the party, who supported Nixon-era firebrand Pat Buchannan. Buchannan, in fact would prove to be a bit of an annoyance to the Bush family for years.

A bigger problem for Bush though would come from the maverick billionaire, H. Ross Perot, who decided to run as an independent. He formed the Reform Party and was gaining popularity as a tell it like it is centrist.

And, of course, the Democrats had their own candidate in former Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. Clinton was a charismatic sort who had a knack of feeling empathy with the average voter while Bush came off as a bit unfeeling and even cold. It was something that was obvious in the three way debate between Bush, Clinton, and Perot as the differing personalities were front and center in front of a national audience. While Perot confused people with his down home slogans and Clinton looked like he almost wanted to hug people in pain, Bush stuck to his platform instead of empathizing and kept looking at his watch. It didn't make for good optics. And Quayle, as usual, wasn't much help either as we learned he couldn't spell potato and he condemned a fictional character for being a single mother (guess she should have had an abortion then?).

We'll never know how big a loss it would have been for Bush or if he would have been able to make the election closer thanks to Perot's strong third party showing, but in the end, Clinton would score a fairly solid victory. President Bush was a one term President.


Post Presidency: After the Presidency, the Bushes returned to Houston where they lived quietly for the most part. That's not to say Bush didn't stay active, however. He stayed involved with various boards while also spending time at their Kennebunkport, Maine home.

Bush also would get involved in politics again as two of his sons were now pursuing political careers. Son Jeb seemed to be the one with the brighter future and the elder Bush aggressively campaigned for him in his quest for Governor of Florida, which he would win. George W., in the meantime, was running for Governor of Texas and Bush campaigned for him as well. Soon, he would have two sons as State Governors.

And in 2001, one of those sons would become President after a controversially close election. And though the younger Bush's policies were sometimes conflicting with the elder's, the Elder Bush let his son make his own mistakes.

Bush also teamed up with former President Bill Clinton with a campaign for relief after the Tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004. Bush also had an organization known as the Thousand Points of Light Foundation that specialized in humanitarian endeavors.

In the end, Bush 41, as he was now called, became about as respected an elder statesman as one could possibly be, even going against the Republican tide when he acknowledged voting for Hillary Clinton instead of Trump in 2016.

George HW Bush died on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94.

Odd Notes: George Bush notoriously threw up on the Japanese Prime Minister.

Bush met Babe Ruth while playing baseball at Yale.

Final Summary: Again, I have to admit my liberal bias here, but socially, Bush would not lead my list of favorite Presidents. I'm also not a warmonger, so Bush doesn't get many points on that score either.

But even if he acted indifferent in the public arena, he really did have a heart of gold. The Americans With Disabilities Act is enough proof of that plus some of his post presidency endeavors. No, he wasn't exactly Jimmy Carter, but he didn't just rest on his laurels either. Even when it came to race, as despicable as the Willie Horton ad was (and it may be partially responsible for the civil divide we have today), Bush himself wanted a diverse administration and he was especially close to his Security Advisor, Colin Powell. And he did raise taxes when he knew he'd take a big political hit. With him, America really did come first.

I just wish he had been a bit more moderate.

Overall rating: C

https://millercenter.org/president/bush