LBJ Won Utah

[demwing]

UTAH, for crying out loud!

Johnson also successfully painted his opponent, Republican Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, as a right-wing legislator who wanted to abolish the social welfare programs created in the 1930s (such as Social Security). LBJ advocated more such programs, and after 1965, instituted three: Medicare, Medicaid, and the War on Poverty. With these factors working for him, Johnson easily won the Presidency, carrying 44 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. As of 2009, Johnson's 22.6 percentage point-margin of victory in the popular vote is the fifth-largest such margin in Presidential election history (after the margins of the 1920 election, 1924 election, 1936 election, and 1972 election). Johnson won 61.1% of the national popular vote, which remains the highest popular-vote percentage won by a U.S.presidential candidate since 1820. The election is also remembered because of Goldwater's status as a pioneer in the modern conservative movement.

No post-1964 Democratic candidate has managed to best LBJ's 1964 electoral result.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1964

So what has changed since then? Was it Viet Nam? The Civil Rights Act? Reagan? The death of the Fairness Doctrine? 9/11? Or is it that the Democratic leadership has been playing defense ever since 1968, and Americans love to see a candidate fight for a set of principles.

When LBJ was faced with an assault on our Social Safety net, how did he respond? Did he survive by compromising? FUCK NO, he doubled down and proposed MORE social programs. He fought for what he believed in, he didn't bargain, he didn't retreat, and by god he didn't lose either. In fact, he won an historic victory.

LBJ.kicked.ass.

Now, Obama makes compromise after compromise, and Dem voters are left trying to find some satisfaction in the fact that we haven't lost Planned Parenthood!!

How has such a simple but essential thing, which should be an absolute given in any sane society, become the weak standard by which we judge success?

Obama seemed to be the one who would return us to LBJ's Great Society and War on Poverty, but either he misjudged his mandate, or we misjudged his motivations. In either case, it no longer seems like the party leadership wants the same things we want.

So answer me this - when BOTH of our current voting choices support variations of "promote the wealthy at the expense of the poor" how in the world do we turn this around and achieve "safety for the poor with the support of the wealthy"? None of the Republicans support the poor, and neither, it seems, do the Dems.

So tell me again, how do we VOTE our way out of this mess?

[leftstreet]

1. That's only because Nader didn't run

:o

K&R

Excellent post - good questions

[Ken Burch]

2. Yeah, if Johnson had lost Florida, we'd have had President Goldwater

1964 was a cliffhanger.

:sarcasm:

[rpannier]

3. He won by a landslide because he controlled the message. He defined his opposition

and if you crossed him he f*cked you over -- ask Frank Church

[upi402]

4. lol, good one

:rofl:
I blame Canada

Sheila: Times have changed
Our kids are getting worse
They won't obey their parents
They just want to fart and curse!
Sharon: Should we blame the government?
Liane: Or blame society?
Dads: Or should we blame the images on TV?
Sheila: No, blame Canada
Everyone: Blame Canada
Sheila: With all their beady little eyes
And flapping heads so full of lies
Everyone: Blame Canada
Blame Canada
Sheila: We need to form a full assault
Everyone: It's Canada's fault!
Sharon: Don't blame me
For my son Stan
He saw the darn cartoon
And now he's off to join the Klan!
Liane: And my boy Eric once
Had my picture on his shelf
But now when I see him he tells me to fuck myself!
Sheila: Well, blame Canada
Everyone: Blame Canada
Sheila: It seems that everything's gone wrong
Since Canada came along
Everyone: Blame Canada
Blame Canada
Copy Guy: They're not even a real country anyway
Ms. McCormick: My son could've been a doctor or a lawyer rich and true,
Instead he burned up like a piggy on the barbecue
Everyone: Should we blame the matches?
Should we blame the fire?
Or the doctors who allowed him to expire?
Sheila: heck no!
Everyone: Blame Canada
Blame Canada
Sheila: With all their hockey hullabaloo
Liane: And that bitch Anne Murray too
Everyone: Blame Canada
Shame on Canada
For...
The smut we must stop
The trash we must bash
The Laughter and fun
Must all be undone
We must blame them and cause a fuss
Before somebody thinks of blaming uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus!!!!

SABAZZ!

[Hamlette]

5. Utah was a Democratic state then.

And had a Democratic governor from 1965 (maybe earlier) to 1985. The legislature was democratic too.

That LBJ won has NOTHING to do with him being a risk taker etc. He won because Utah voted for Democrats.

Hard to find many democratic Mormons anymore. They would say it is abortion but I'm not so sure.

[demwing]

7. Since 1944, Utah has Voted Republican

in 1944, 1952-1960, 1968-2008, for a total of 16 times

Utah voted Democratic twice - once for Truman in '48, and once for LBJ in 64.

So how was Utah Blue?

[Keith Bee]

6. Goldwater would've been a great President!

He would live up to his name: The water would have a glorious golden glow from the radioactive fallout.

[demwing]

13. "Goldwater"... is that a metaphor for piss?

and would "trickle down" ever have entered our vernacular under him?

[EmmettKelly]

8. Keepin mind that in '64 Viet Nam really wasn't on anybody's radar

yet and we were still in shock as a nation from from JFK. As to his legislative successes LBJ was no neophyte, 2 year Senator from Il. He had been wheeling and dealing in DC as a Rep, Senator and VP for almost 30 years by that time. He knew the buttons to push, the favors to call and hand out and where the bodies were buried.

Obama has neither the stature or equivalent experience to operate in that environment.

[demwing]

9. But aren't those exactly the skills you would want in a President?

And that still doesn't answer how we get out of this mess.

My guess is that our current poblems come fom the death of the Fairness Doctrine, and the Citizens United Ruling - and we can't VOTE our way out of either of those issues.

So how DO we overcome these obstacles?

[BzaDem]

10. If Charlie Sheen ran against Obama, Utah would likely vote for Obama. n/t

[hfojvt]

11. some of that is how much Goldwater sucked

Another part IS civil rights. If you look at the states that LBJ lost, they were Arizona (Goldwater's home state) and also Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Those were all traditionally Democratic states before civil rights, now they generally go the other way, except in 1976 when they voted for the Southerner, but even an Arkansan like Clinton only managed to win Louisiana.

Also since 1964, Democrats have suffered three spectacular electoral college drubbings. In 1972, Republicans got 96.7% of the electoral college vote, in 1984 they got 97.6% and in 1980 they got 90.9% against an incumbent? Even 1988 was quite a debacle as well. Although the popular vote was closer than the last two, being 53.4% to 45.65%, in the electoral college - the score that really matters, Republicans took almost 80%.

1980 sorta proved, and 1984 and 1988 cemented that Reaganomics was a winning message and increasing taxes was a losing message. Proved it to the satisfaction of party "leaders" anyway, and so much so, that Clinton ran as a Reaganite - he promised a "middle class tax cut" AND he attacked Bush Sr. for caving to the Democrats and raising taxes. And Clinton won twice, again proving that Reaganomics works as a message. Obama also ran as a Reaganite. Unlike Mondale, Obama promised to not raise taxes for 95% of the people. In fact, he promised to cut them in a variety of ways, and he attacked McCain as somebody who would make you pay taxes on your health insurance.

Finally, as another poster mention, 1964 was before 1973, and 1973 was the year of Roe v. Wade and abortion has been an issue that has eroded some of Democrats traditional base - Catholics, and has galvanized an opposition.

As for supporting the poor, Democrats still do a much better job than Republicans. Also, there is no proof that even Democratic voters consider that a priority. Edwards made it a key part of this campaign, but he still came in a distant 3rd in the primary.

[StevieM]

19. Clinton won Lousiana twice. But he also (narrowly) won Georgia in 1992 (eom)

[xchrom]

12. recommend

[demwing]

14. I appreciate all the responses, but am still looking

for an answer to my final question: "How do we VOTE our way out of this mess?"

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. Abortion and gun control were not associated with the Democratic Party back then

[customerserviceguy]

16. Nixon's so-called 'Southern strategy' made the difference

It convinced Southern whites to give up their hatred of the Republican Party for all of the evils of Reconstruction. While George Wallace carried the South in 1968, by 1972, it all belonged to the Repukes, and pretty much has ever since.

Of course, LBJ's support of civil rights didn't do much to crimp the 'Southern strategy'.

[WinkyDink]

17. Goldwater was an extremist. But his ghost is laughing now.

[NuttyFluffers]

18. people who need daddy figures blindly follow strength.

easiest vote segment to pocket. they follow more obediently than an ox with a ring through its nose. probably even better than sheep.

so how do we vote our way out of this mess? lead. the sheep will follow.