Cincinnati Post: Bush Following LBJ's Path (plummeting below 40% approval)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

"U.S. President George W. Bush (R) rolls up his sleeves as he is introduced by speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) at the Caterpillar-Aurora Facility in Montgomery, Illinois, August 10, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed"

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050812/EDIT/508120320/1003

During the last two years of his presidency, LBJ was losing much of the political advantage he had gained for domestic accomplishments that have had enormous impact on the lives of Americans, including Medicare and Medicaid, landmark civil-rights legislation, the economic opportunity act and other successful initiatives after winning a landslide election in 1964. The nation's preoccupation with the disaster that was Vietnam and the radicalization of American youth shoved every other Johnson milestone to the rear, where they remain to this day.

Johnson's decision to quit rather than face humiliating defeat in 1968 came after political advisers reported that voters in key primary states wanted nothing more to do with him. He was devastated, left only with hope for the one thing all outgoing presidents desire - a favorable place in history. But history's treatment of Johnson, who by the end of his tenure was practically a prisoner in the White House, has been far less kind than that of John Kennedy, his predecessor whose policies produced the conflict and whose tragically abbreviated presidency included none of Johnson's domestic achievements. In fact, in many instances historians either downplayed Johnson's contributions or vilified him beyond what normally could be expected of even a president during an unpopular war.

That Bush faces the same sort of assessment unless there is some major break in the Iraq situation is evident in the new surveys that show his approval rating on the war and its conduct plummeting to below 40 percent. His overall approval has declined to 42 percent, the lowest of his presidency. Those numbers could spell real trouble for Republicans in next year's congressional elections, and if the killing of U.S. troops by fanatical insurgents continues at its current pace into the presidential-election season, the GOP's chances of holding onto the White House in 2008 could be slim to none.

Present are the same elements that turned Johnson's presidency from the heights of positive to the depths of negative - false assumptions that led to disastrous consequences. The decision to invade Iraq was based on the erroneous belief that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was likely to use them - just as the Vietnam War was based on the similarly erroneous domino theory.

[Greeby]

1. The major difference

LBJ realized what he had done, and didn't insult the American people by asking for their vote again

[racaulk]

2. Very good point! n/t

[kwolf68]

6. Another difference is

LBJ was to face the voters in 1968 to be held accountable for his actions.

Chimp doesn’t have the specter of another election come up.

Also, the people who took down LBJ were the peace movement, the folks who ostensibly supported him in 1964.

[ashling]

8. Another MAJOR difference

domestic accomplishments that have had enormous impact on the lives of Americans, including Medicare and Medicaid, landmark civil-rights legislation, the economic opportunity act and other successful initiatives after winning a landslide election in 1964.

[shoelace414]

10. Bush's domestic policies will have enormous impact

hopefully before the earth is uninhabitiable for humans we'll be able to overturn them.

[lisby]

17. Dear Jeebus

I sure hope so, too.

:scared:

Lisby

[spooky3]

18. Another: The media was independent of the WH back then

When they finally "got it" (e.g., that Vietnam was a mistake) they hammered LBJ.

[Eurobabe]

3. yeah, too bad this fucknut won't quit

fat chance in hell.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Wait until we have invaded Iran and gas is $10/ gallon.

Talk about buyers remorse.

[etherealtruth]

7. Yeah, but, but ...

...he's against abortion,gay marriage, and evolution .... :sarcasm:

[Vincardog]

5. The PNAC planned to invade and occupy Iraq for it's oil and to be

the base to project US military power into the Mid East. The propaganda used to invade Iraq was based on the erroneous story that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was likely to use them.
The CIA Knew and told aWoL there were no WMDs.

[Poiuyt]

13. I believe that oil was just a side benefit as far as Bush was concerned

He wanted to invade Iraq because he wanted to be known as a war president. He felt (correctly at first) that being at war would give him the political power to push through his ultra conservative agenda and get re-elected. Even though his poll numbers are now dropping he is still able to get whatever he wants through Congress.

I base my thoughts on what he said to his biographer in 1999 ("If I get the chance to invade Iraq...").

[Tummler]

9. He looks like he's preparing to rectally probe America

Or maybe just Hastert.

[stillcool]

11. Major difference between now and then...

is now you need much bigger boots to wade through the shit.

[newscott]

12. Must have something to do with Texas.

[Lexingtonian]

14. I agree in a general way, but....

LBJ was definitely the man who completed- in accomplishments- all that the FDR-defined Democratic Party was able to do. And I like Dubya as the completion of the Nixon-defined Republican Party...though the accomplishments (as such) of Right/conservative parties are measured by the stifling, stalling, and obstruction of genuine Change until the more miserable half of the population can bear it.

On the specifics of the analogy, that Iraq is quite like Vietnam as a driving political force, I'm more skeptical. Every policy area is about equally bad news for the Bush people, Iraq is just the most visually dramatic of them.

[ProudDad]

15. Fucking Union Busting assholes

Both of them.


:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[PunkPop]

16. I don't buy this comparison AT ALL.

It's specious bullshit.

Trying to imply that both men's approval was lowered by an unpopular war no matter what happened, or happens, domestically is a bunch of apologist crap for Bush.

Bush is a COMPLETE DISASTER. Americans are not experiencing this war the way Vietnam was brought into people's homes, and if everything was so sweet on the homefront, Iraq would not be enough to put nimnod's approval ratings in the toilet.