LBJ’s Political Personality

A Look Inside His Convictions, Imperfections & Virtues

Ailin Vilches Arguello

English 286 - Presidential Rhetoric

April 27, 2022

 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 1

The assassination of former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on November 22, 1963

brought a period of despair and disorientation for the American people who would now

encounter a new and hitherto unknown figure. Lyndon Baines Johnson would become the 36th

president of the United States (1963 - 1969) who would lead the nation through this new stage

with countless challenges and an uncertain future.

When it comes to LBJ, there are multiple fascinating aspects that this new figure has

brought to American political life which characterize and distinguish him from both his

predecessors and successors in the White House. Not only his political trajectory, but also his

personality and leadership character are essential features to fully understand Lyndon Johnson as

a leader, his presidency and what set him apart from other presidents. For this reason, this paper

seeks to comprehensively and critically analyze LBJ’s political personality through his different

stages in American politics. Throughout this research, his convictions, defects and virtues that

have characterized and distinguished his political performance will be delved into with the aim

of understanding how he has been able to build and maintain an intimate circle of people who

were almost blindly loyal to him despite not being an easy person to work with.

Following the unexpected end of JFK’s presidency, LBJ had to face high expectations for

a figure as imposing and beloved as the one his predecessor had built. Throughout his political

career, John F. Kennedy successfully defied all established parameters and preconceptions thanks

to his charisma, oratorical skills, eloquence, and seemingly innate leadership ability that

appeared to have made him born for politics. For instance, his 1960 presidential triumph clearly

illustrates how he was able to overcome all obstacles and prejudices to finally win the

unconditional love of the American people. Not only did he win the presidency over Nixon’s
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 2

8-years of experience, but he also drastically challenged the traditional idea of ​an average

American president with his religion, age and economic status.

In this sense, Kennedy personalized all the values ​of the country not only with his

heroism in the Pacific during World War II, but also with the victory of all American virtues that

his triumph meant: fairness, tolerance, equal opportunities, freedom of religion and separation of

church and state. What’s more, even though some people might see him as superior due to his

social class and economic status, he knew how to talk to all people and appeal to them. For this

reason, many politicians and scholars have referred to him as “the president of the people” since

he not only respected the average American, but he also managed to understand, listen and

include all people, which allowed them to feel part of the presidency.

Although it cannot be said that JFK managed to unite society as Dwight D. Eisenhower

did during his presidency, it is worth noting the deep relationship of trust and affection that he

built with the American people. Along with Franklin D. Roosevelt, it has been argued that they

were both “the presidents of the century.”

Given this previous context, LBJ assumed an unintentionally unfinished presidency in

which he had to prove to society that he was capable of leading them through this difficult period

in order to gain not only authority and power, but also their trust and support. In this way, LBJ

faced great expectations and pressures of having to be able to fulfill not only Kennedy’s

promises and initiatives, but also to be able to continue his legacy and maintain a political

performance of such high standards.

Prior to his presidential period from 1963 to 1969, Johnson worked as a high school

teacher and a congressional aide. In 1937, he won the election to the United States House of

Representatives on a New Deal platform, effectively aided by his wife, the former Claudia “Lady
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 3

Bird” Taylor, whom he had married in 1934. However, his political involvement was interrupted

by World War II, during which he served in the Navy. Due to his bravery in combat in the South

Pacific, he was awarded a Silver Star in recognition of his service as Lieutenant Commander.

After the war, he served additional terms in the House of Representatives for a total of six

consecutive terms until his 1948 election to the US Senate. In 1953, he became the youngest

Minority Leader of the Democratic party in Senate history, and the following year, when the

Democrats won control of the Senate, he became the Majority Leader.

In 1960, after losing the Democratic nomination against John F. Kennedy, LBJ accepted

JFK’s offer to be his running mate in the presidential election. Despite having won the popular

vote and the affection of society in this close election, JFK’s administration had a short and tragic

life. In 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath of office on Air Force One following John F.

Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas. At that time, however, many Americans viewed him as

illegitimate. Since he was unknown to the majority of the society, the presidential oath did not

grant him the recognition of the American people.

Once in office, LBJ’s vision was to be able to build “A Great Society” for American

citizens. He wanted to be the father of America and leave a mark and strong impression on

history, but he hated the fact that he was not chosen “legitimately”, but instead by a tragic

chance. Yet Johnson officially won the presidency in 1964 with 61 percent of the vote, the largest

popular margin in American history. Therefore, this great popular support allowed him to obtain

a majority both in Congress and in the Senate, which gave him the possibility of passing almost

all his initiatives or legislations. Nevertheless, as his support and authority progressively

decreased, growing polarization and social unrest led to continuous political disagreements and,
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 4

thus, many of his proposals being blocked due to his inability and lack of power to reach

consensus.

During the early years of his administration, he first obtained the enactment of several

measures that former President Kennedy had been working for at the time of his death: a new

civil rights law and tax cuts. Over the years, he successfully continued Kennedy’s proposals to

enforce and revive JFK’s memory and legacy, while he was also building his own personal mark

on American history. In this sense, he obtained the approval of one of the most extensive

legislative programs in the Nation’s history with the goal of building “a great society, a place

where the meaning of man’s life matches the marvels of man’s labor.” In his speech “We Shall

Overcome” on March 15th, 1965, LBJ addresses Congress on his proposed Civil Rights Bill and

Voting Rights legislation, arguing against the willful oppression and denial of the most basic

rights to African-American citizens. In what became one of his most famous speeches, he

identified the clash in Selma as a turning point in US history akin to the Battles of Lexington and

Concord in the American Revolution. Throughout this speech, one of his most powerful and

effective phrases to rhetorically capture the audience is the following:

There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There
is only an American problem. [...] Their cause must be our cause too. Because it’s not just
Negroes, but really it’s all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.
And we shall overcome. [...] There is no moral issue. It is wrong — deadly wrong — to deny any
of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country. There is no issue of States rights or
national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights. I have not the slightest doubt what
will be your answer.

The Great Society program included aid to education, college construction, protection of

wilderness areas, urban mass transportation, medical care for the aged, large-scale fight against

poverty, and control and prevention of crime and delinquency. Under his presidency, the country

also carried out spectacular space explorations, achieving major scientific advances.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 5

However, his greatest contributions were the enactment of two major bills that guaranteed

voting rights and equal opportunities with the aim of eliminating segregation from society. He

not only vigorously fought for civil rights, but he also never forgot the brace of poverty, both of

which were essential initiatives during his presidency.

Even though foreign policy and international affairs were not of his interest, he could not

avoid facing the escalation of the Vietnamese conflict. Increasingly acute and serious, LBJ must

have been the protagonist of a war that he had not started, but rather that he had inherited from

his predecessors. Since the Vietnam War represented the fight against the communists while

portraying all the values ​and fears of the cold war, it gave him an essential role in history. He

thought that if he had a strong and successful stance on this issue, he could gain the legitimacy

from the American people that he so longed for.

At this point, it is important to note that he never asked Congress to declare war, though

he did certainly face one, but instead he introduced several legislations that extended his power

without the need for Congressional approval. The bombing of Vietnam was not an erratic

decision, but rather the product of critical thinking and extensive debate in order to ensure that

every action was worthwhile. However, he dropped more bombs on North Vietnam than were

dropped in World War II when, in fact, he had run as the “peace” candidate during the nuclear

debate in the 1964 campaign.

LBJ was open to listening to different opinions and willing to consider new points of

view, but he had no instinct of his own. Given his lack of experience and interest in foreign

policy, he had no sense of timing nor sense of right and wrong, which ended up being tragic for

his political future. During 1968, he could only travel to military bases without fear of protest.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 6

Despite the fact that all his efforts and work over the years to reach the presidency now

depended almost entirely on this international conflict, World War II had taught them the need to

stop an invasion when it starts, not when it is too late. What’s more, the country’s reputation,

authority and respect were being questioned as it would show the world how the United States

would react to any attempt that put at risk the free world they fought so hard for.

Expanding the war practically in secret, LBJ did not tell the truth to the American people

for fear that it would be the end of the Great Society. According to what his advisers had

explained to him, he knew that they were not going to win this war, but he decided to hold on to

the smallest possibility that existed. By all means, he did not want this conflict to undermine his

domestic progress (civil rights and education), but he found himself with no feasible positive

outcomes since, whatever he decided, it was going to result in deaths. “Gallup found 50%

disapproving of Johnson’s handling of the situation in Vietnam while only 35% approved.”1

On April 7, 1965, at Johns Hopkins University, President Johnson gave a speech listing

the reasons for the growing involvement of the United States in Vietnam after he launched a

bombing campaign in North Vietnam and sent 3,500 Marines to South Vietnam that previous

March. Through this speech, LBJ sought to lay the political groundwork for a major commitment

of US troops in which he said:

Why are these realities our concern? Why are we in South Viet-Nam? We are there because we
have a promise to keep. [...] We are also there to strengthen world order. [...] We do this in order
to slow down aggression. We do this to increase the confidence of the brave people of South
Viet-Nam who have bravely borne this brutal battle for so many years with so many casualties.
And we do this to convince the leaders of North Viet-Nam—and all who seek to share their
conquest—of a very simple fact: We will not be defeated. We will not grow tired.

1
Jamieson, Kathleen Hall. Packaging the Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential Campaign
Advertising. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996: 222.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 7

Over the years, Johnson’s career was built on a continuous and fierce effort to avoid

confrontation and choice, as well as to avoid passionate and emotional divisions over political

issues. Nevertheless, the Vietnam War not only magnified the polarization within the society, but

it was also the breaking point of his presidency. At this point, the constant struggle to balance the

demands between the country’s internal affairs and international conflicts consumed all his

political efforts, deteriorating his popular support. Unlike FDR who managed to implement

major social reforms during his presidency while winning a war abroad and maintaining the love

and support of the American people, LBJ did not have the ability to successfully overcome all

these crises that tested his leadership.

In this context of the 1960s, American society, previously united as a powerful front in

the world, underwent a profound process of polarization that has practically led to what seems to

be two broad social groups of utterly opposing realities as we see today with an ever-widening

gap. However, it is not fair to attribute this deep social division to Johnson’s administration,

although it is worth noting that, like his future successor Richard M. Nixon, he did not do

anything to lessen that social gap nor did he have the ability to do so.

Facing low levels of popularity, he decided to reject the 1968 re-election as he did not

believe he was able to unify the country again. Even though he wanted more time to build his

Great Society, he was running out of possibilities and alternatives to overcome these obstacles.

The Vietnam War not only undermined his popular support by highly polarizing society, but

internal social conflicts further deepened this split in the country.

Within this atmosphere of social turmoil with growing protests and riots, Martin Luther

King Jr.’s assassination posed another controversy that reaffirmed LBJ’s inability to bring peace

and unite the American people by giving them hope and faith in the future. Despite Johnson’s
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 8

good heart and intentions, he was unable to truly understand what was happening since he found

a new civil rights movement with different dynamics and demands than those he had previously

experienced - which he saw almost as a personal attack on his administration. He knew the

reality of Texas, but this movement represented a much more extensive cause by encompassing

the reality of those discriminated and disadvantaged people from all over the United States. In

this way, he failed to comprehensively understand this big picture and effectively appeal to this

new civil rights movement as a whole.

By the time he left the presidency, the world was beginning to see the emergence of peace

talks which LBJ did not live to see succeed. For more than 30 years in which Washington had

been his home and politics entirely his meaning in life, he now had to face the change from a

constantly active life to a much more passive lifestyle in which he found no meaning or purpose

that motivated him daily. At the age of 64, this sedentary lifestyle in which he experienced

chronic depression and unhealthy habits, like drinking and smoking, sadly doomed him to a

young death. He died of a heart attack in his hometown of Texas on January 22, 1973.

Republican Richard M. Nixon eventually won the presidency becoming the 37th president of the

United States (1969 - 1974) by virtue of, according to various politicians and academics, his

determined promises to withdraw US soldiers from Vietnam, thus addressing one of the most

widespread and forceful demands of the American people.

Despite the fact that he left office with low approval ratings and a deeply divided society,

several politicians and scholars tend to refer to Johnson as an above-average president. Not only

did his national programs transform the United States and the role of the federal government by

expanding its scope and intervention, but also many of them have great relevance in our days.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 9

Additionally, LBJ was considered one of the Senate’s most effective leaders since he not

only understood perfectly well how the Senate works, but he also knew all of the senators’

desires, goals and intentions. In this sense, he was able to successfully use this extensive

knowledge to his advantage and harness it to achieve his own goals. By turning his limited

influence in the Senate into one of its most powerful positions, he was able to enact several

important laws on labor, housing, civil rights, defense, among many others. As Doris Kearns

highlights: “[d]espite the failure to institutionalize his power, [...] Johnson did bring the Senate

during his reign to unprecedented heights of effective function.”2

Even though Johnson was an intelligent, experienced and skillful politician, he did not

have professional oratorical skills, which was a major obstacle throughout his presidency.

History has shown that the more successful a president is in his use of rhetoric, the more

successful he will be in his presidency overall. In this way, presidents like FDR and JFK have

taught us not only the far-reaching power of public speaking skills, but also their necessity for

successful leadership. At this point, a strong leader must know how to communicate with the

society as a whole and, in turn, with each person individually. Therefore, a president must not

only respect and appeal to his people, but he also needs to know how to listen to them and make

them feel heard so that even the average citizen feels included.

As opposed to Kennedy’s innate appeal on TV, LBJ did not know how to communicate

with nor appeal to the public and take advantage of all the possibilities that the rise of television

brought to the political world. He had a more intense and aggressive speaking style combined

with an inflated use of rhetoric that made his speeches neither dynamic nor engaging.

On several occasions, he demonstrated the ability to deliver more energetic and powerful

speeches when it came to extemporaneous presentations in which he could improvise and be

2
Kearns, Doris. “Lyndon Johnson’s Political Personality.” Political Science Quarterly 91, no. 3 (1976): 395.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 10

more relaxed. In this sense, this speaking style provided a more accurate depiction of him, as

opposed to the standard rigid and authoritarian political figure he thought he should portray

himself. However, it is worth noting that despite the fact that he was not good at formal

speeches, his “Let Us Continue” opening speech upon assuming the presidency after Kennedy’s

assassination was truly effective and strategic as it successfully invoked JFK’ memory and

legacy. On November 27, 1963 at the US Capitol (Washington, D.C.), he addressed Congress

and the American society as a whole by saying: “Today in this moment of new resolve, I would

say to all my fellow Americans, let us continue. [...] This is our challenge - not to hesitate, not to

pause, not to turn about and linger over this evil moment, but to continue on our course so that

we may fulfill the destiny that history has set for us.”

On the other hand, Lyndon B. Johnson as president of the United States and controversial

political character has generated multiple and varied depictions, opinions and judgments about

himself throughout his career. In this way, his name produces antagonistic narratives and points

of view within an already deeply polarized society. As Robert A. Dallek, an American author and

historian specializing in the presidents of the United States, has clearly illustrated: “Johnson was

much loved and greatly hated - not just liked and disliked, but adored by some and despised by

others. Some people remember him as kind, generous, compassionate, considerate, decent, and

devoted to advancing the well-being of the least advantaged among us. Others describe him as

cruel, dictatorial, grandiose, and even vicious.”3

Not only did LBJ have a strong ambition for power, but he was also obsessed with being

successful. For instance, the fact of losing the presidency destroyed many of his ambitions,

which was completely frustrating for him since the vice-presidency did not give him the control,

power or attention that he was looking for. Once in office, the Vietnam War was the final turning
3
Dallek, Robert. Lyndon B. Johnson Portrait of a President. Oxford University Press, 2004.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 11

point that destroyed his actual chance to fulfill many of his aspirations. At this point, his inability

to effectively deal with this conflict was not only due to his lack of experience and knowledge in

international affairs, but also to various aspects of his personality. Given that he was overly

susceptible to criticism and saw opponents of his Vietnam policies as disloyal to him and the

country, he considered this as personal attacks which did not always allow him to

comprehensively analyze reality in its entirety.

Unable to relax, he was an eccentric person who had multiple personalities. Although he

could be cruel and unsympathetic, he also managed to keep close people who were truly loyal to

him. From an early age, LBJ was seen as a child who needed constant approval, attention,

affection and company. Throughout his life, this sense of emptiness was reproduced in all of his

attitudes and behaviors to seek validation and a sense of self-worth. In his political career, for

example, he always had the need to be the best and surpass others - whether they were

predecessors or successors, rivals or allies, threats or friends - to be exceptional and to prove his

value and potential to others.

However, many historians and politicians claim that this same sense of emptiness and

deep ambition to be the best was a key driving factor in his fierce desire to help the most

vulnerable. Not only LBJ always identified himself with the least advantaged people, but he also

knew how to understand them, which is why he dedicated great political efforts to make a

difference for these people.

In her thesis “Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study”, Stephanie L. Vacchio

ascribes Johnson’s controversial personality to what she introduces as the “Cycle of Parental

Oppression”, which “illustrates how the way in which parents raise their children can have a

significant and negative impact on their child’s life well into adulthood.”4 According to her, LBJ
4
Vacchio, Stephanie L. “Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study.” Honors Theses. Union College, 2011.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 12

was exposed to a parenting style based on conditional love as a way of rewarding or scolding the

child based on his behavior and achievements. In this way, Johnson tried to live up to his

parents’ demands and expectations throughout his life. However, this lack of unconditional

affection is the key factor for which he constantly sought alternative means of approval and

self-worth. “[D]ue to a continual lack of encouragement and love that was not conditional,

Johnson fell into a pattern of self‐doubt and insecurity.”5 In this sense, the power and

authority within the political world were seen as potential means that could help him build his

self-esteem. Since he liked being the center of attention and he wanted to be respected, political

power offered him the potential opportunity to gain a sense of personal achievement and

admiration from others.

Throughout his political career, Johnson displayed an extraordinary ability to persuade

people in private settings in stark contrast to his persistent inability to effectively appeal to large

public audiences. Given the massive exposure and intrinsic impersonality of the speeches and

press conference dynamics, these settings did not allow him to build a true bond with the people

through which LBJ individually appealed to their desires, goals and aspirations, showing them a

genuine understanding. Therefore, the eccentricity of Johnson’s personality gave him an

exceptional advantage when it came to building interpersonal relationships and connecting with

people. However, he did not know how to adapt these qualities to address public audiences,

before whom he had to present only one version of himself and appeal generically without using

the individual aspects of each person in his favor. Even though he was not accused of lying, there

was a credibility gap in society due to widespread skepticism created by his versatile personality,

as people did not know what to believe or feel. In this way, the American people felt that they

did not know the real Johnson.

5
Vacchio, Stephanie L. “Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study.” Honors Theses. Union College, 2011.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 13

Although relationships have always been an essential aspect of his career, they have had

highly different dynamics over the years based on his political position, needs, aspirations and

goals. During his time in the Senate and the House of Representatives, Johnson enjoyed his

innate ability to change who he was depending on which member he wanted to appeal to, in

order to successfully achieve his goals and interests. Nevertheless, he was generally unable to

implement this practice in the White House as there was much less privacy. As president, his

personal relationships constituted a fundamental feature in his ability to govern effectively or not

since they were a key component in the decision-making processes.

Not only because of his unpredictable personality changes, but also because of his

demands and high standards, working with LBJ was, most of the time, a consuming position if

not overwhelming or exhausting. For his assistants, a standard work day included early morning

to late night shifts, usually seven days a week, but they also had to be available during their off

hours in case of an emergency. Despite the fact that Johnson worked day and night, he was never

satisfied with the goals and progress he was making. Consequently, there was always more to

accomplish and more work to do.

As he wanted to be the best and he had great aspirations to fulfill, he expected the best

from his assistants, in whom he looked for efficiency and optimization, but above all, for loyalty,

commitment and honesty. He did not just want to see perfection in them, but he also wanted to

find the same motivation and focus that drove him. Illustrating his inexhaustible will and effort

in pursuit of goals, Johnson once said, “I seldom think of politics more than eighteen hours a

day” which, in turn, also gives a clear idea of ​how demanding it was to work for him. However,

as much as he demanded from his assistants, he always worked even harder. “Johnson’s loyalty
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 14

and magnanimity, along with his underlings’ profound sense of purpose in what they were

working toward, more than offset their daily hardship.”6

When it comes to building relationships, one of the most troublesome qualities of LBJ’s

personality is his need to be loved by everyone or otherwise he felt those feelings of sadness,

disapproval and loneliness from his childhood again. Contrarily, he also had an inner drive to

outsmart anyone he knew to get ahead, proving himself better.

Despite the fact that this need for unconditional love strongly influenced his decisions

over time, through which he tried to avoid rejection from others, in contrast to his need to always

be better than other people, he was surprisingly capable of maintaining honestly loyal

relationships over the years. By having understood his political and personal background, as well

as the basic aspects of his personality that have been studied by several scholars and politicians,

we can now analyze the main question about how and why he was able to build these

long-lasting loyal relationships.

The fact that LBJ built an intimate circle of strong and loyal relationships challenged all

popular stereotypes and prejudices that represented his image as a political leader and ordinary

person, which portrayed him as so cruel and unsympathetic that it was almost impossible even to

have a conversation with him. While no one denies his strong personality that sometimes led him

to be harsh on people, he was also capable of inspiring strong bonds even with people who knew

him for who he was. Mary Elizabeth S. Carpenter, who became the first female aide to a United

States president, said “You have to face the fact that he was that way. You had to accept him

warts and all.”

6
Updegrove, Mark K. “Cruel to Be Kind: LBJ behind the Scenes.” The Alcalde, January 22, 2013.
https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2012/02/cruel-to-be-kind-lbj-behind-the-scenes/.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 15

Upon assuming the presidency after JFK’s assassination, Johnson understood that he had

to be compassionate not only to win the trust and support of those followers who would now

work for him, but also in order to progressively build his authority and legitimacy. However,

loyalty was always a priority for him throughout the years, so he wanted to make sure that those

who worked loyally for Kennedy would also be blindly loyal to him because they could not be

part of his staff otherwise. Therefore, he gave them a mourning period (what can also be

considered as a “grace period”) so that they could cope with their loss, remembering and

honoring their leader. Over time, he began to continuously demand higher and higher levels of

loyalty that he constantly tested to make sure they were strong and authentic. In this sense, it can

be seen how all the personal insecurities that he developed throughout his life, as a result of his

childhood and relationship with his parents, led him to be an excessively paranoid and distrustful

person. Consequently, his persistent demand for loyalty was a way of ensuring that people’s

affection for him was sincere and lasting. One of Johnson’s most famous phrases says: “I want

real loyalty. I want someone who will kiss my *** in Macy’s window, and say it smells like

roses.”

As much as he expected unconditional loyalty from his assistants, he also gave it back -

which is why he was able to build strong and honest relationships with those who really knew

him. Not only was their relationship reciprocal, but he also tried to bring out the best version of

each of them and their maximum potential by being like their mentor. Even though his methods

and manners may be questionable and not suitable for everyone, those who honestly accepted

him - for what he was and nothing more - were able to obtain great benefits and make the most

of their time with him. For instance, it may be that he did not know how to directly apologize or

admit a mistake, but the people closest to him already knew how to interpret and read his
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 16

intentions and feelings. “He never said, ‘I’m sorry,’” recalled Bill Foster, a navy officer who

filmed much of Johnson’s public presidency as his official duty. “But he always made sure he

made it up to you.”7 In this way, his difficulty - almost inability - to emotionally express himself

due to his self-doubt and personal insecurities caused his relationships to be built on a much

deeper and truthful understanding than the authoritative image he showed to the public.

In conclusion, I think that LBJ’s different personalities and images caused the public to

misunderstand and misjudge the person he truly was. However, not only are these prejudices

understandable to some extent because not everyone could know him in private, but I do not

think that he wanted everyone to know him that way either. At this point, it can also be argued

that being who he really was could make him feel vulnerable and less powerful, which explains

his difficulty opening up to people and his selectivity of who to open up to as well. For this

reason, Johnson showed the public image of leadership that he believed society wanted to see.

Although his bizarre style did not help him appeal to the press and he was not the

standard traditional depiction of an American president, we will never know if that same style

would have worked better or worse for him in his relationship with the American people.

Personally, I do not believe that this style would have disqualified him as a serious, powerful and

respectable president as he thought, but rather I think it might even have given him greater

credibility and popular support.

Taking into consideration that there was much more to Johnson than was publicly

displayed, I do not think it is surprising that there were people who stayed with him, despite all

his imperfections, loyally and constantly in the face of all challenges and obstacles. On the

contrary, I consider that the fact that he was able to build such strong and long-lasting

7
Updegrove, Mark K. “Cruel to Be Kind: LBJ behind the Scenes.” The Alcalde, January 22, 2013.
https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2012/02/cruel-to-be-kind-lbj-behind-the-scenes/.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 17

relationships says something very valuable about him as a leader and as a person. Over the years,

those who worked with him and came to really understand him have said that they truly enjoyed

meeting this version of Johnson, with all the aspects that were not shown publicly like his sense

of humor. Not only did he genuinely care about people, but he treated them like family.

From my perspective, I think people forgot Johnson’s great achievements and positive

aspects during the last years of his presidency due to the national and international social

upheaval. Therefore, I believe that his latest mistakes and the escalation of conflicts that he had

to face upon the end of his administration completely undermined all of his previous

accomplishments. However, I consider that both his achievements as well as his persistent effort

and dedication must be recognized when judging his presidency, which does not mean ignoring

his mistakes, but neither does it mean giving them disproportionate importance compared to his

administration as a whole. For example, I think the fact that he rejected the possibility of a

second term is often overlooked when, in reality, his capacity for self-criticism and not being

blinded by ego or ambition, a quality that not every leader has, should be acknowledged. By

studying LBJ, I think one can easily realize how difficult it must have been for him to reject a

second term, not only because of his personality and aspirations, but also because he rejected the

possibility of continuing to build the legacy in history that he so dreamed of. On March 31, 1968

at the end of a speech, he announced that he would not run for re-election nor accept the

nomination of the Democratic Party if offered by saying:

With America’s sons in the fields far away, with America’s future under challenge right here at
home, with our hopes and the world's hopes for peace in the balance every day, I do not believe
that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes or to any duties
other than the awesome duties of this office - the presidency of this country. [...] Accordingly, I
shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your
president.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 18

Like almost everything in life, I think that whether he was a good or bad president

depends on who says it and how it is analyzed. In my opinion, I believe he was both a good

president because he had times and problems that he handled successfully, and a bad president

because he had times when he performed very poorly and problems that he did not know how to

skillfully handle. Yet I think he was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting and complex

presidents and political figures ever seen in the White House who has definitely left a mark on

American history.
 Ailin Vilches Arguello, 19

Bibliography

Dallek, Robert. Lyndon B. Johnson Portrait of a President. Oxford University Press, 2004.

Freidel, Frank, and Hugh Sidey. The Presidents of the United States of America. Washington,
D.C.: White House Historical Association, 2006.

Jamieson, Kathleen Hall. Packaging the Presidency: A History and Criticism of Presidential
Campaign Advertising. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Kearns, Doris. “Lyndon Johnson’s Political Personality.” Political Science Quarterly 91, no. 3
(1976): 385–409.

Smith, Curt. Windows on the White House: The Story of Presidential Libraries. South Bend
(Ind.): Diamond communications, 1997.

Updegrove, Mark K. “Cruel to Be Kind: LBJ behind the Scenes.” The Alcalde, January 22,
2013. https://alcalde.texasexes.org/2012/02/cruel-to-be-kind-lbj-behind-the-scenes/.

Vacchio, Stephanie L. “Lyndon Johnson: A Psychological Character Study.” Honors Theses.

Union College, 2011.

Valenti, Jack. A Very Human President. New York: Pocket Books, 1977.