LYNDON JOHNSON & RONALD REAGAN.   Term Paper ID:22543 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Compares historical settings, ideologies, strategies, economic & social policies, legislation of two presidencies.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Compares historical settings, ideologies, strategies, economic & social policies, legislation of two presidencies. Paper Introduction: THE JOHNSON AND REAGAN ADMINISTRATIONS This research paper describes and contrasts the political ideologies and strategies and the economic and social policies of the presidencies of Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1968) and Ronald Reagan (1980-1988). There were some parallels between their presidencies. Both men achieved their greatest legislative accomplishments during their early years in office. They each built successful political coalitions and won landslide mandates for a second term. Neither of them managed the economy well. The contrasts were even more striking. Johnson and Reagan pursued fundamentally different political strategies, economic and social policies because of the conditions they faced, their differing backgrounds, political and management styles and their opposing basic political philosophies and ideologies. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. labor, Negroes,intellectuals and those whose minds generally fell into the Northeasternpattern of thinking" (25). [became] one of the biggest debtors in the world, as high interestrates drew in floods of foreign money, while we ran the highestinternational trade deficits in history" (262). Neither of them managed the economy well. at the expense of the less . Johnson's political strategy ultimatelycollapsed. Troubled Journey From Pearl Harbor to Ronald Reagan. . Dallek said that "noPresident in American history entered the White House more determined toreduce the role and size of government than Ronald Reagan" (63). The Unfinished Journey. During the 197 s, the country was plagued witheconomic difficulties, declining international competitiveness and rates ofindustrial productivity, rising inflation and stagnation in growth, andgrowing budgetary and trade deficits. THE JOHNSON AND REAGAN ADMINISTRATIONS This research paper describes and contrasts the political ideologiesand strategies and the economic and social policies of the presidencies ofLyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1968) and Ronald Reagan (198 -1988). The projections of Reagan'seconomists proved to be grossly inaccurate. After theWatergate disclosures, increasing numbers of Americans were alienated fromthe political process. "Reaganism and the Search for a Public Philosophy." In John L. The Policy Setting The conditions under which Johnson and Reagan took office differedmarkedly. Works CitedChafe, William H. . Only 47 percent of those eligible voted in the 198 presidential election. Johnson was forced to scale back the waron poverty. Urban Institute Press: Washington, DC, 1986, 91-12 .Siegel, Frederick F. Perspectives on the Reagan Years. . . The Democraticmajority in Congress frustrated his attempts to make deeper cuts. It had resulted inan increase in the number of middle class families from 22 percent in 195 to 55 percent by 1966 (Chafe 232). (Ed.). Crime, teenage pregnancy andfamily disintegration became major problems. Between 1964 and 1966, LBJ pushed through Congress the Kennedy taxcut, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Medicare. Lyndon B. Unlike Johnson, international events, thedemise of the Soviet Union, worked in his favor, enabling him to leaveoffice still popular. His political strategy, Goldman said, was to "present himself as thebroadly liberal leader, attuned to the politics of modernity" (25). Lyndon Johnson & the American Dream. Asa politician, Kearns says his "forte lay in one-on-one relations behindclosed doors" (179). Many millions of Americans had notshared in the rising prosperity. Palmer (Ed.), Perspectives on the Reagan Years. Under his New Federalism, on which he made little headwayin Congress but which is alive and well today, much of the burden ofassisting the poor was shifted to the states and localities and to privatecharity, what Reagan called "a communion of hearts that rings the country"(Heclo 45). eroded public confidencein his policies. Kennedy'slegislative program had been stymied by conservative forces in theCongress. Knopf, 1969.Heclo, Hugh. Reagan's new political coalition cut into the formerDemocratic base among such groups as workers, the elderly, the young andthe middle class. New York: New American Library, 1966.Goldman, Eric F. Chafe said that"Reagan was brilliant presenting his program as simple verities,"the,restoration of American greatness and sense of an unquenchable thirstfor success and purpose,, patriotism and self-reliance (455). Much ofReagan's defense of the right's cultural/social agenda on such issues asabortion and school prayer was rhetorical. Chafe said,"he exorciated the Great Society, denounced environmentalists, condemnedwelfare recipients as too 'lazy' to get a job (and] lambasted the SovietUnion as an 'evil empire' (469). . Kennedy'sassassination, the New Deal coalition of the Solid South, labor, farmersand minorities was deteriorating. . "Reaganomics in Retrospect." In John L. Affirmativeaction for minorities and equal rights for and women, rising divorce rates,increased sexual freedom and the legalization of abortion were trends whichmany Americans regarded as a threat to traditional values, such as family,religion, the work ethic and patriotism. Johnson and Reagan pursuedfundamentally different political strategies, economic and social policiesbecause of the conditions they faced, their differing backgrounds,political and management styles and their opposing basic politicalphilosophies and ideologies. Hiseconomic advisors told him that through "Keynesian 'demand management,'they had discovered the secret of constant noninflationary growth" (Siegel155). The Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson. In the social arena, "issues of socialchange exploded into the nation's consciousness as blacks, women andeconomically disadvantaged minorities pressed for reform" (Chafe 221). . Elizabeth Drew said, "Reagan is apolitical phenomenon --a man who by force of personality and marvelousstage management super-imposes himself over his own mistakes" (Chafe 473).He became known as the Teflon president, who successfully used hisremoteness from the everyday business of government to shield himself frombeing tagged with grievous errors in managing the economy, and foreignpolicy failures in Beirut and the Iran contra affair. Therewere some parallels between their presidencies. Reagan failed to tacklemiddle class entitlements; and his economic program had "littleintellectual coherence" (Sawhill 1 8, 96). A strong reaction developedon the right, fueled in part by the rise of an Evangelical and FundamentalChristian movement, to the consequences of social change. A boom developed which primarilybenefitted upper income groups and failed to address most structuralimpediments to growth. . During his first year in office, Johnson "offered himself as aninstrument for carrying forward the mission of the slain leader" (Chafe229). It reflected anideological conviction that "free enterprise is the key to economicprogress and personal liberty" (Heclo 39). JFK was narrowly elected in 1962, largely because hewon the support of many Republicans and independents who were members ofthe expanding suburban and urban middle class (Goldman 16). According to Goldman, "specialattention [was] given to winning the confidence of . New York: Harper & Row, 1976.Palmer, John D. Whereas Johnson had supreme "confidence in the capacity ofgovernment to improve all conditions of society" (Kearns 219), Reagan saidin his inaugural address that "government is not the solution to ourproblem; government is the problem" (Dallek 63). The primary objectives of Reagan's 1981 tax cuts was to slow thegrowth of social spending and at the same time to stimulate economic growthwhich supply-side economists forecast would result. quiteunprepared by anything that could be called a political philosophy" (51).Reflecting the views of his Texas constituency, Johnson had been moderatelyconservative on economic and social issues and had gained a reputation as awheeler dealer who was unusually adept at forging political consensus. New York: Hill and Wang, 1984.----------------------- 1 The social goals of the Reagan presidency were very different.Dallek said that "his presidency has been a celebration of old values.Autonomy, self-help, hard work, production, morality, religion andpatriotism" (7). Thecontrasts were even more striking. He made"the first serious step in half a century to arrest the growth ofgovernment and return in substantial measure some choices and some dollarsto the private sector" (Donovan 255). In May, 1964, Johnson introduced his concept of the Great Society,his "unconditional" war on poverty and racial injustice. That coalition was successful in the 1964election, returning Johnson to office with a 61 percent majority and a moreliberal Congress. Social Policies Johnson's Great Society was designed to produce "an America in whichevery person shared in the progress . He was forced into retirement because his escalation of the warin Vietnam, and the social divisions it generated. Reaganomics was eventually discredited and one ofits legacies, the 199 -1993 recession, led to the defeat of George Bush-in1992. New York: Alfred A. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.Evans, Rowland and Robert Novak. at the expenseof the less wealthy . Economic Policies Johnson at first sought to achieve economies in government. Kearns said that "the Great Society became the sacrificial lambof the rising inflation" (297). He was successful inpersuading Congress in 1981 to pass his 25 percent tax cut, $5 billion inreductions in social spending and his defense buildup. By the end of the 197 s, anunderclass emerged, which was poor, dependent on welfare and largelyconcentrated in the inner cities areas. In contrast, Ronald Reagan was an ideologue as well as a pragmaticpolitician. When Reagan became President in 198 , the situation had changedconsiderably. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard U P, 1984.Donovan, Hedley. Between 1964 arid1966, legislation on a broad front, including aid to education, masstransit, rent supplements for the poor, food stamps, job training, andlarge grants to community groups to improve the lot of the poor, was rushedthrough Congress, which "was a curious study of conformity after decades ofsemirebellion" (Evans 493). Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press, 1986.Sawhill, I. To their supporters, they represented a sensible recognitionthat experiments like Johnson's in social engineering had failed, theDemocratic party had become fiscally irresponsible and "had abandoned itsroots as the voice of the common people" (Chafe 459). . of the country and (in which]everyone should be not only guaranteed an equal chance but insured againstthe possibility of defeat" (Kearns 215-216). by greed and by an unquenchablethirst for success and . As a public speaker, Kearns said that with"his facial muscles frozen in place, except for a simpering smile, heprojected an image of feigned propriety, dullness and dishonesty" (3 3). Donovan said that "Johnson was not a compellingnational campaigner" (1 5). That program, which was beset with waste and managementproblems, nevertheless helped achieve a reduction in the number of familiesbelow the poverty level from 4 million or 22 percent in 1959 to 25 millionor 13 percent in 1968 (Chafe 242). Urban Institute Press: Washington, DC, 1986, 31-63.Kearns, Doris. However, LBJ's refusalto raise taxes to pay for the rising costs of the Vietnam war led toinflation. Themain effort went into domestic affairs. Its free market radicalism was based on the assumption that"it is the producing members of society who count" (Heclo 46). . by a genuine concern for the plight of thosewho shared his childhood poverty" (152). New York: Oxford U P, 1986.Dallek, Robert. affluent"(Dallek 1 4). It reflected a broad beliefamong-liberals in the obligations of society through governmental action toimprove the lot of the less privileged. (Sawhill 99). The economy recovered from therecession in time for the 1984 election. As a politician, Reagan was the Great Communicator who "madeconservatism respectable and even popular" (Donovan 254). Between 1965 and 197 , discretionaryspending for social programs rose from $7.6 billion or 6.4 percent of thefederal budget to $29.7 billion or 15.1 percent of the budget, but it wasovershadowed by a rise in defense expenditures from $46 billion to $77billion during that same period. Conclusion Despite some similarities, the Johnson and Reagan administrationspursued fundamentally different political strategies and economic andsocial policies, reflecting contrasting public philosophies. LBJ's complex personality, his tendency towardsecretiveness and his "labyrinthine manueverings" as well as his outrightdeception of the public and the Congress of his war plans in Vietnam, ledto a credibility gap and contributed to his downfall (Goldman 41 ).Siegel said that Johnson "was driven . Johnson: The Exercise of Power. Political Ideologies and Strategies Goldman says that Johnson "had come to the White House . Very fewof his legislative initiatives in his second term, to which he was electedby a 59% majority, succeeded. Initially, this policy succeeded in generating high (7-9 percent)growth in 1964-1966 without increasing inflation. He succeeded two relatively weak Presidents, Jerry Ford andJimmy Carter, whose predecessors, Johnson and Richard Nixon, toward the endof their terms "found themselves unable to govern" (Donovan 9 ). . Both men achieved theirgreatest legislative accomplishments during their early years in office.They each built successful political coalitions and won landslide mandatesfor a second term. By the time Johnson became President after John F. Ronald Reagan. The post-war economic boom was continuing. The Republicans had made substantialinroads in the South. Donovan said that "theU.S. To its critics, Reagan's policieswere "aimed at serving the interests of the wealthy..... Palmer (Ed.), Perspectives on the Reagan Years. Restrictive monetary policybrought down inflation from about 12 percent in 198 to about 4 percent in1984, but at the cost of a severe recession in 1982-83 and mounting federaldeficits of over $1 billion p.a. . . It was supplemented by keyappointments and by executive action. Roosevelt to Reagan. . If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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