If not for Vietnam....

[LBJ Revivalist]

I think yes.
He had all the best qualities that FDR had without the worst. You won't find the black mar of internment camps or court packing in LBJ's record, and he was arguably a much more adept politician than FDR was--He got things through a lot easier. I think that if not for Vietnam, Liberalism would continue to define this country, and LBJ would be regarded rightfully as the true heir to FDR--Perhaps even exceeding him in popularity.

If not for that damn war...So much potential for a truly Great Society washed away by a little country in south east Asia. One war shifted the nation from the right path on a slow road back to Laissez-Fair capitalism. Truly a shame.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Since you obviously love LBJ, look at this guy's website:

http://deadpresidents.tumblr.com/

He accepts questions about presidents, and he loves LBJ, so go ahead and ask him and not us.

(By the way, tumblr's sreach feature sucks, so just type the url into google and add "site:" in the front of the url then type whatever you want to search for [for example:LBJ] and enjoy.)

[LBJer]

In my opinion, LBJ was still at least a near great president overall, even factoring in Vietnam.

[Frodo]

Absolutely -right up alongside Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman. 

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Vietnam or not he was one of the worst presidents behind Wilson and Carter.

[LBJer]

Vietnam or not he was one of the worst presidents behind Wilson and Carter.

Oh yeah, right, civil rights was nothing.  Jim Crow had never been a big deal anyhow.  Silly me.

[dead0man]

He'd probably be judged a lot better than he is now. But Vietnam by itself did not turn the USA towards "laissez-fair capitalism" or whatever the fuck you're rambling about now.

I put "laissez-fair" in quotations because what we have now is nowhere near what you think it is.

Pretty much what I was going to say.

[LBJ Revivalist]

Vietnam along with Watergate along for the distrust in government that led to Reagan coming to power, and the general distrust and fear of "Big Government" that still exists. People respected and trusted the government until Vietnam because from FDR's time until then it seemed to be able to provide both prosperity at home, security for the aged, and peace abroad. With Vietnam a cynicism and distrust of government opened, which the right wingers played upon and exploited. The right now frames the political scene in this country. There are liberals, sure, but the GOP is trying to undo most of the Liberal legislation of the last 100 years. Just look at the Ryan plan or all of the anti-union laws being passed in GOP states.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Why shouldn't we mistrust our government?

[Franzl]

Why shouldn't we mistrust our government?

There's a difference between healthy mistrust and the way a lot of people in the U.S. tend to view government.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Vietnam along with Watergate along for the distrust in government that led to Reagan coming to power, and the general distrust and fear of "Big Government" that still exists. People respected and trusted the government until Vietnam because from FDR's time until then it seemed to be able to provide both prosperity at home, security for the aged, and peace abroad. With Vietnam a cynicism and distrust of government opened, which the right wingers played upon and exploited. The right now frames the political scene in this country. There are liberals, sure, but the GOP is trying to undo most of the Liberal legislation of the last 100 years. Just look at the Ryan plan or all of the anti-union laws being passed in GOP states.

So... waht did you think of Dead Presidents?

[TheGlobalizer]

No, but he was pretty good for America, at least as progressives go.

[Antonio the Sixth]

He was a great President even despite Vietnam.

[Mercenary]

Vietnam or not he was one of the worst presidents behind Wilson and Carter.

This, although I'd say Wilson and FDR rather than Wilson and Carter.

[opebo]

Why shouldn't we mistrust our government?

Because the way americans do it is erroneous, missing the point.   The enemy is the owner, not 'the government' which serves him.  Its like hating the gun for shooting you and not the guy who is pulling the trigger.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

No.  If we hadn't have gotten into Vietnam in 1965 in a big way, I can't see us not getting involved in 1968 in the aftermath of the Tet Offensive (or earlier if Tet had happened earlier).  LBJ would likely have gotten reelected in 1968, but whatever happened in Vietnam during LBJ's final term would still have tarnished his legacy.

The knock on effects are interesting.  For instance, unless Reagan agreed to be Rockefeller's running mate in 1972, I doubt he would have ever gotten to be President in such a timeline.

[Dr. Cynic]

Vietnam really hurts my opinion of him. Either way, it's hard to deny that he was an unlikeable turd.

[TJ in Oregon]

I never realized LBJ was considered one of our best presidents. He always struck me as sort of a sad old man, clinging to a seemingly hopeless war in Vietnam (Note: NOT sarcastic at all). I always thought he was generally unpopular because most liberals (in the modern US sense of the word) oppose Vietnam and because most conservatives don't like the Great Society. Not that I want to slight LBJ or anything, I respect a man who hangs on to lost causes in a heartfelt way even though it seems hopeless as he did in Vietnam.

I don't agree with all of his policy decisions (though I definitely support the Civil Rights Act) but I sort of respect him in an odd, nostalgic way.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Vietnam or not he was one of the worst presidents behind Wilson and Carter.

Oh yeah, right, civil rights was nothing.  Jim Crow had never been a big deal anyhow.  Silly me.

You think he supports civil rights?

Remember, it's libertarian to support allowing businesses to bar black people from ordering products there. Certainly not racist, just free-market.

Actually, an excellent argument could be made about Libertarians being at least partially rooted in Dixiecrats.

[TheGlobalizer]

Actually, an excellent argument could be made about Libertarians being at least partially rooted in Dixiecrats.

More like both are rooted in American originalism, for different philosophical reasons.

[LBJer]

Vietnam really hurts my opinion of him. Either way, it's hard to deny that he was an unlikeable turd.

I actually like LBJ as a person a lot.  It's clear that he could be very mean and ruthless to people, and it would be very difficult to be a member of his staff.  But the man was such a colorful character, crudities and all, that I find him very likable.  I guess it's probably easier to like him from a distance than it would be close up. He once urinated on one of his own secret service agents! But it should be noted that those who worked with him said that his abuse of people was not the sum total of him.  Many things he did, like inviting people into the bathroom, his many sexual conquests, and his ensuring that everyone in his family had the initials "LBJ" (even his two dogs were named Little Beagle Johnson and Little Beagle Junior) actually make me like him more because they make him seem like a very genuine, human person.