Johnson was not a natural speaker, and biographers report that he was always embarrassed by his Southern drawl, certain that he was not being taken seriously.
The years as vice president were especially difficult in this regard; how could a tall, gangly, drawling Southerner not fail to be overshadowed by an attractive, tanned, charismatic JFK.
However, Johnson’s speeches once he became president are impressive. He softened his drawl, slowed his cadence, and seemed comfortable speaking as leader, not as follower. That fits his career; Johnson was never comfortable as a subordinate.
The editorial cartoons show Johnson in a much harsher light. This isn’t surprising; by the time cartoonists really started to take on Johnson, his administration was coming under heavy criticism. And, maybe only rivaled by Nixon, LBJ had a face that provided editorial cartoonists with a lot of canvas to satirize.
Videos and Speeches
- The Daisy Ad http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1964
- Congressman Johnson speaking on the war http://uneditedpolitics.com/congressman-lyndon-johnson-speech-1942/
- Long, Johnson’t speech to Congress on Nov 27, 193 after JFK’s assassination http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/153590-1
- The War on Poverty Speech 1/8/1964 http://uneditedpolitics.com/category/historical/presidents/johnson-d/
- The “We Shall Overcome” speech to a joint session of Congress on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEauRq1WxQ
- 3/31/1968 Johnson announces on TV his decision not to seek reelection http://uneditedpolitics.com/category/historical/presidents/johnson-d/page/2/
Editorial Cartoons
- From the Library of Congress’s Herblock Collection
Johnson’s Guns and butter policies shortchange the great society http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/s03411u.jpgEscalating US involvement in Vietnam: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/s03465u.jpg - A pretty vicious collection of anti Johnson cartoons, all about the Vietnam War http://www.sirnosir.com/archives_and_resources/galleries/cartoon_pages/johnson.html
- Johnson checks his scar (Mad Magazine, anti Vietnam cartoon) http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/02/03/business/0204-MAD_12.html
