All the Way With LBJ!

While Lyndon B. Johnson may not be remembered as that good of a president, public opinion about him in the 1964 election was quite different.

Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Johnson was sworn into office as the 36^th president of the United States of America. When he ran for reelection, LBJ entered the campaign with experience in office already under his belt. He promised to the people that he would continue and finish what President Kennedy had started. This include an array of social reforms such as tax reform and civil rights.

Supporters used the line “All the way with LBJ!” to promote his reelection. This line hints at the desire to keep the policies of Kennedy alive. The best way to do this according to the slogan line is to keep Johnson in office.

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Naturally rhyming slogans had a higher chance of getting stuck in voters’ heads and were easier to chant or cheer. “All the way with Adlai” was used by Adlai Stevenson in his 1952 and 1956 attempts at presidency. JFK also used a similar chant because "k" rhymes with "way." “All the way with…” talks about the process of getting the candidate through the primaries, nominated by the party, and eventually to the White House. LBJ was fortunate to have his initials fit the rhyme pattern and rhythm of “all the way with….”

Barry Goldwater and Johnson had a rhyme competition in the campaign slogans. Goldwater supporters claimed that “In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right.” Johnson supporters fought back with “In Your Heart You Know, He Might” and “In Your Gut, You Know He’s Nuts.” These rhyming taunts played on Goldwater’s policy of wielding more nuclear power. Johnson’s campaign focused on labelling Goldwater as a radical who could start a nuclear war. With the Kairos of the time period, this attempt to discredit Goldwater worked extremely well.

But, Johnson’s campaign is best remembered for the Daisy ad. The ominous tone of the video advertisement played on the constant fear of the Cold War and international nuclear threats. Following the disturbing images of nuclear detonations and mushroom clouds, the narrator comes back in with the line “the stakes are too high for you to stay home.”

Johnson’s campaign really made the voters go all the way with LBJ. He won reelection in a landslide victory winning 44 states versus Goldwater’s 6. The popular vote was 61.1% in Johnson’s favor.

However the attitude shown by the voters did not last through LBJ’s second term. The Vietnam War became a major issue and protests severely tarnished his reputation at the time. Nevertheless, his term as elected president saw progressive social policies that established a base for future developments.