Presidential Trivia...LBJ

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Lyndon Baines Johnson....better known as Light Bulb Johnson....didn't run for reelection for 2 reasons...One of them is well known that the oposition to the Vietnam war caused him to drop out....

But the second reason is not so well known and that is...if he had been reelected to the Presidency in 1968 the MD's said he would never live to see the end of his 2nd term....He would have died of a Heart Attack....Johnson had a history of heart problems, suffering his first HA in 1955, as it was Johnson died in January 1973 of a Heart Attack...He was 65.

Another aside about Johnson which I always remember is:

When Johnson first went to Congress back in the 1940's his mentor was Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn....Johnson one day told a fellow Congressman to "Go to He11"....Rayburn told Johnson, "Never tell anybody to go to he11 unless you can put them there."

[Superman]

Johnson was a talented man. A true deal-maker. He paid a heavy price at times, but he nearly always was able to "get the job done." There are mistakes that, ahem, certain presidents might make that LBJ simply could never make. He was totally detail-oriented and he turned over each and every stone. By the time he fired a political "shot," the battle was already over. whether you like his politics or not, he was a man who could get to the finish line.

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Johnson and Herbert FBI Hoover were neighbors and were friends...after Kennedy was assinated the first thing LBJ asked his old friend was, "Were they shooting at me?"

[widebody911]

I thought "El BJ" was Clinton?

[Adam]

El BJ! LMAO!!

[rrpjr]

LBJ was as thoroughly haunted as it is possible a man to be -- in his case by Robert Kennedy, and the Kennedys in general. I believe his decision not to run was influenced primarily by RFK's specter in the race; that he could not imagine himself either blocking Kennedy or being defeated by him. One would have haunted his conscience, the other his pride. Perhaps health had a role, but I believe a secondary one.

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Look at the date LBJ died...it was January 23, 1973....of a Heart Attack..thats exactly 2 days after Richard Nixon took office eg the end of what would have been LBJ's 2nd term...if NOT having the stress of being Presidnet only gave Johnson 2 days longer than he would have served than you know he was sicker than anybody realized. Thus your Kennedy analogy doesn't hold the water you make it out to be...

Further if memory serve me well RFK only decided to step into the race AFTER LBJ said he would not run again...

BTW a family member had dealings with RFK and thought he was to quote her, "A Dog."

On the other hand I had another family member serve in the same PT Boat squadron as JFK in the Pacific during WW2 and as such got to know him very well ... He said of JFK.."That he was a unique indivdual..."

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Now the question is...Would RFK have made a Good President and how would the history of the USA been different?

On another vein it really is strange that within 6 years 3 major political figures in the US were assinated and by the LONE GUNMAN....that no other indivduals were involved in any of there murders.

Perhaps what happened is that these indivduals were considered to be out of control of the system...that they would act upon conscience of what they thought was right and that put them not only at odds with the forces of what is...but also out of the control of the those forces...Thus they had to go.....

[rrpjr]

"if NOT having the stress of being Presidnet only gave Johnson 2 days longer than he would have served than you know he was sicker than anybody realized. Thus your Kennedy analogy doesn't hold the water you make it out to be..."

I did not say Johnson's decision freed him from his demons. I did say Johnson was haunted either way, by his conscience for running (if he had run), and by his pride for not running. Johnson did not have the majesty of a tragic figure; he was closer to pathetic, and his lifespan could be actuarially adjusted accordingly. That he died when he did is only surprising in that he didn't die sooner.

Also, the timing of RFK's decision to run was irrelevant. Everybody knew he was going to run. Johnson knew. In truth, Johnson had to make his decision before RFK made his -- it was the only way not to look like he was running scared.

Jimmy Hoffa said that RFK was the toughest little bag of carpet nails he ever met, and I'm sure that many fine and noble liberals who crossed paths with RFK were shocked when he did not prove to be the tender and woolly-headed minstrel of compassion the media made him out to be. He could be a tough SOB when it came to issues of right and wrong, and he may have been the last liberal I could trust because of it.

[jm951]

Old school liberal, I guess they just don't mak'em like they used to.

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Originally posted by rrpjr


Also, the timing of RFK's decision to run was irrelevant. Everybody knew he was going to run. Johnson knew. In truth, Johnson had to make his decision before RFK made his -- it was the only way not to look like he was running scared.

I disagree with this statement....RFK was unsure whether he was going to run or not....and Johnson if in better shape as party leader and the SOB he was....WOULD HAVE BEEN THE PARTY STANDARD BEARER.... in 1968...

RFK might have done a Reagan in 1972 by throwing his hat in the ring.....and bidding his time till 1972..after all RFK was a young man...and had time on his side...

Let me put it to you this way ...RFK was a spoiled brat....and that in essence was why Hoffa HATED RFK..because nobody ever gave Hoffa anything...

[rrpjr]

RFK's decision to run cannot really be analyzed outside the unique political phenomena of the time. Yes, it would have been correct political form for RFK to wait until 1972. But anti-war sentiment was becoming a larger force in the party and country than anybody expected. When the incumbent bowed out, all bets were off and RFK, no small opportunist, saw his opening. When the activist emotional momentum swung to Eugene McCarthy, who was already running, he realized he had to act.

We must also remember the sense of inheritence that many felt about RFK and which made his candidacy not only seem inevitable but probably, in reality, become so. How could he not have felt it around him, in the very air? This is why I say everybody, including RFK, knew he would run.

I'm sure many people saw RFK as a "spoiled brat." He had the background of one to be sure. But there are among the privileged class a few who take upon themselves an obligation in proportion to their advantages. I believe RFK was such a man. He always preferred the company of men who fought and worked their way up, men for whom "up" meant only more and harder work on behalf of others. Perhaps there was some psychological demon in all this. Clearly he was a compulsive character.

Hoffa hated RFK because he, RFK, came after him in a way that one had, no one in government anyway. Whatever words Hoffa used to describe RFK can all be traced to this simple truth. "Spoiled brat" is simply the easiest.