How could anyone put LBJ? He was a monster.
Oh yes, passing Civil Rights. What a shame
Congress passed Civil Rights. Kennedy could've and would've. And as if that outclasses any of his atrocities.
Wilson "passed" women's suffrage. Is he a great president?
I hate arguing with immature and ignorant libs who blindly support anyone with a D behind their name.
Well, there's a point I think both sides miss.
First, Johnson certainly did preside over one of the most unjust, unecessary and horrific American wars. It is fair to point out that our involvement in SE Asia began under Eisenhower. But Johnson, once sworn in, did a 180 from the direction Kennedy was moving -- getting us out of Vietnam. (Read
JFK And Vietnam for a thorough assessment of this.
Johnson's blind anti-Communism deluded him. So you will find, in this liberal, a sharp critic of the Johnson foreign policy. I don't think it can be condemned strongly enough, at least with regard to Southeast Asia.
But Lief's point about Civil Rights is quite apt. Johnson did not just
sign the Civil Rights Act into law. He fought for it. He cajoled, browbeat, prodded and begged key lawmakers in both parties to get behind it. This was a man convinced to his very bones of the need for added protections for people of color. Kennedy did not embrace Civil Rights with anything resembling the enthusiasm or passion of LBJ. This is probably because he believed we weren't ready. Or perhaps, as some Kennedy critics have suggested, because he was just too much the blue blood. I don't know.
But while Wilson may have grudgingly signed Suffrage, Johnson made Civil Rights a cornerstone of his administration. And then went on to reflect his concern for Civil Rights with his economic policy.
So take the man for what he was...on both counts.