"I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president,"
- President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968
There has been a political shift within the White House as President Joseph Biden stepped aside for a second political term. Financial donors refused to endorse his candidacy and leaders from his political party urged Biden to step down. Since 1789, this type of situation has rarely occurred as Americans have mostly experienced presidents enter and leave this office either through winning election/reelection, losing, death from sickness or assassination, or since 1951, reaching their two-term limit. Vice President Kamala Harris will secure enough national delegates to be the choice of the Democratic Party, historically there are only a few examples of this political situation.
In 1945, as World War II was ending in Europe and the Pacific, Harry S. Truman was the new American leader after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As Truman approached this monumental victory, he had the difficulties of ordering the atomic bomb to end the war against the Japanese, restoring the economy toward a civilian one that had massive inflation, and the start of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. He recognized the State of Israel and desegregated the Armed Forces after World War II. Truman threatened to draft striking railroad and coal workers into the army if they did not return to their jobs and it was estimated that he would not win reelection in 1948. This president won a hotly contested election against New York Governor Thomas Dewey that saw this stubborn Missouri politician win this office in spite of being behind in the polls.
Truman had to contend with the fall of China to Communism, the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s reign of suspicion against Americans and calling him weak on Communism, the Soviet creation of the atomic bomb, the start of the Korean War, and the unpopular move to fire General Douglas MacArthur. This president faced numerous problems, where there were practically no precedents to help guide his decisions. With a sagging economy, being at war in Korea, and the continued rise of McCarthy, Truman did not run for the presidency in 1952. At first, he supported General Dwight D. Eisenhower, but both men grew to detest each other, and this popular military leader became the Republican choice to oppose Democrat Adlai Stevenson. With his trademark grin, use of the first television campaign advertisement, Eisenhower easily won his primaries and Stevenson was no match during the presidential victory in 1952. While it was likely that Truman would not have been reelected, these were unfamiliar political waters for our leaders and people during these tumultuous moments.
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson was already five years into the presidency, after taking over after the death of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and winning his own political term. Through his “War on Poverty” and the “Great Society,” LBJ passed more legislation to help Americans than FDR. A powerful politician from Texas, who served during World War II, LBJ emerged from poor beginnings, as he later promoted important social, economic, political, and racial reforms. Winning by a huge margin of votes in 1964, by the end of this term, LBJ was completely fatigued from the social and military pressures that hurt his presidential legacy.
When LBJ listened to the news report of noted journalist Walter Cronkite questioning his policies in Vietnam, the president stated that if he lost Cronkite, that he lost the nation. This once highly popular president faced his demise through the escalation of the Vietnam War and the major anti-war and Civil Rights protests that engulfed this nation by 1968. The North Vietnamese and the Vietcong utilized the ferocity of the Tet Offensive that was seen on a nightly basis on American televisions. Before this major enemy assault, about 50% of Americans believed that the United States was on the right leadership course in Vietnam, during and after Tet, these numbers deteriorated to less than a third. It did not help LBJ that Robert F. Kennedy made speeches that America should seek a peaceful resolution in Vietnam. Even as LBJ inherited the start of Vietnam from JFK, by 1968, America was in a quagmire over this unpopular war. Whereas LBJ was the vice president under JFK, both men were from different backgrounds, and they hated each other, as Kennedy’s pursuit toward the White House in 1968 only reignited this resentment within their own political party.
This was one of the harshest years in American history, as 1968, watched the shooting death of Martin Luther King, RFK, the refusal of LBJ to run again, and the reemergence of Richard M. Nixon. As cities were burning from riots, with no clear path in Vietnam, this nation was at a harsh crossroads. Through this chaotic election between Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, Nixon, and George Wallace, Americans also watched the major protests, violence some 56 years ago when police handled violent crowd disputes during the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Whereas, Nixon won this election through his goals of ending the Vietnam War and restoring law and order, there are some similarities that are seen today. There are the major differences in candidates through former President Donald Trump's desire to cut taxes to stimulate business, expanded oil drilling, pressure on NATO nations to spend more money on their own defense, opposition toward paying for the Ukrainian War, and the concerns of the border that has been practically open. Harris is a proponent of the Green New Deal, has been at odds over the war in the Gaza Strip, as she was not present to hear Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, has at times sided with protestors, holds opposing views on the stability of the border and law enforcement authority, and believes that more money should be spent on social programs.
Like in 1968, we are witnessing different politicians, who share the same message that democracy is in peril. While this is not the case, history has demonstrated both in 1952 and 1968 that our country will traverse hazardous social, economic, and political conditions, but America will continue to endure. As Biden is considered a “lame duck” figure, the next couple of months to the general election will surely be an interesting moment that will not be easily forgotten by our citizens.