Benjamin France

American Presidency- Exam #1

March 2, 2016

Fierce Urgency of Now

The Great Society was a term used by President Lyndon Johnson that coined
his presidency and a set of bills that were to help with civil rights, medical care, and
poverty. All these bills passed in a time that was known as the liberal hour. These
bills passed with President Lyndon Johnsons persuasiveness and strength, or so it
has been taught. In this unprecedented liberal hour it was not solely spear
headed by the Presidents strength but with extreme help from congress, civil rights
leaders, and the political/social uneasiness of the time.
While President Kennedy had wanted and attempted to tackle civil rights in his
presidency, he was unable to get anything started without backlash from his own
party. President Kennedy was stuck between a rock and a hard place with his party
and the civil rights leaders. Vice President Johnson sat in the background while
Kennedys plans fell apart or did not even come together and he was furious. When
President Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson sworn in, the first move he had as
president was addressing his advisors on his plans for civil rights. This was the first
thing that helped President Johnson with getting the ball rolling with civil rights
legislation, many felt that it would be symbolic to pass some sort of legislation in
honor of President Kennedy1. Johnson used this to his advantage and got a bill
written up that would end discrimination based on race. This is where his troubles
and not accomplishments began to pile up.
President Johnson faced a democratic party that was split in ideology. In the
north his party was sympathetic of the cause of civil rights and believed it was time
for a bill, while in the south the party believed that segregation was a way of life
and it was fine the way it was. The south also helped Kennedy win the election of
Nixon2, so Johnson was fearful to turn against them. Johnson had to turn to his
experience in the senate and congress to muster up votes from the Republican

1Julian E. Zelizer The Fierce urgency of Now Pg. 56

party. This is truly where the majority of the credit should be due to the passage of
the Great Society. President Johnson worked endlessly with Senate Majority and
Minority leaders, Mike Mansfield and Everett Dirksen. These men helped President
Johnson by making behind closed door deals that allowed Johnson to get what he
wanted on the table but allowing sympathetic republicans to be interested by
getting credit for co-writing the bill and making sure it did not get watered down by
southern democrats3. This allowed the democrats in the south, as well as the
republicans to be outnumbered in the House and the Senate, thus creating a vote
that would ensure the passage of the bill. Though it was not just credit that made
enticed or persuaded the Republicans to give to their vote to the other side of the
isle but Barry Goldwater and the advent of live reporting 4.
Barry Goldwater was the ideal Republican of the time, segregationist, hated
Johnsons New Deal, and was the advent of resurgent of American Conservatism.
Through the election against Johnson, Goldwater proved to be more of a unstable
candidate then a strong conservative politician. The White House used this as an
advantageous to smear the republican party as crazy and unethical. Apart from
being against the civil rights bill, Ku Klux Klan members outwardly supported him. A
KKK member was once quoted denouncing all of Johnsons ideals and ranting about
African Americans but ending it with, Yeah, but we like and support Barry
Goldwater.5. While this was campaign was going on, thousands of people around
the country were seeing the police brutally against civil rights activists in the south,
and the seething hatred of white citizens cheering on the beatings of the police.
With Barry Goldwater and the police brutality it terrified moderate republicans and

2Julian E. Zelizer The Fierce urgency of Now Pg. 78

3Julian E. Zelizer The Fierce urgency of Now Pg. 126

4Julian E. Zelizer The Fierce urgency of Now Pg. 146

5Julian E. Zelizer The Fierce urgency of Now Pg. 138

ones who were on the fence with the legislation. The republican party did not want
to be a racist party but one founded by Abraham Lincoln 6. Barry Goldwaters
humiliating defeat and democrats huge take over in numbers in the both the House
and the Senate paved the way for Johnsons Great Society legislation to be
passed. Though just four years later the steam engined had slowed down and the
Vietnam war escalated. Eventually President Johnson would publicly announced he
would not run for re-election. 7
President Johnsons Great Society legislation passed not solely because of his
strong persuasiveness but with a combination of outside forces such Kennedy's
assassination, Barry Goldwater as the republican nominee, and brutality on civil
rights activists that woke America up. But also inside politics with back door deals
and strong intimidation from Congress and the Senate. Without these factors adding
up in President Johnsons favor his prized possession, Great Society legislation,
would have never been more then just a dream and a frustration to him.

Presidential Mandates
Presidential Mandates are the assumption that since the President got the majority
of the vote to become president, that he should be able to enact and pass laws in which
his platform for nomination was built on. The myth that the President should be able to
pass laws since a majority of the people voted for him is a myth that does not work well
in the U.S government. The minority party does not stay the minority party by agreeing
with the President. Most elections are decided by a large electoral college margin but a
small popular vote margin8. Finally just because a voter votes for a certain candidate
does not mean that voter endorses every plan of that candidate.
When President Obama won in 2008 by 10,000,000 popular votes (only equates to
7% more0 and again in 2012 by 6,000,000 votes (only equates to less than 4%), one

6Julian E. Zelizer The Fierce urgency of Now Pg. 209

7Julian E. Zelizer The Fierce urgency of Now Pg. 278

8 Robert Dahl, The Myth of the Presidential Mandate

would thing that since he has one popular election twice that he should have strong
support in the government but this has been the opposite. The Republican party has
attempted to block and stall every single thing that the President has tried to enact or
pass, he has resorted to Executive orders for something but this will only last until the
next president over rules these orders. The reason why Presidential mandates are a
myth is because the Republican or Democratic party, who ever is in the minority, would
disappear if they agreed with the sitting president9. Partys have different ideas and that
is what makes them parties. Mandates in the American political party system is more
just a fairy tale than an actual idea. In terms of votes, the President may win in a
landslide in the electoral college but to refer back to the numbers on votes in 2008 and
2012, these vast numbers only equates to a small percentage of American Voters. If
the presidential mandate were true, would the sitting President just ignore upwards of
40% of the American people? In Elections like 1992, not one candidate actually got the
majority of the vote10. They could not just cater to the 46-48% of the country who voted
for them. Another factor to this myth, is that while most people vote for a candidate
because they best resemble their ideals, some voter just vote because the candidate is
the toughest or most supportive of a certain aspect that the voter truly cares like the
environment, education, etc.11 but while disagreeing with other stances the candidate
cares about. What this means is if the presidential mandate were true, presidents would
essentially only be enacting and passing laws that a fraction of their voters truly care
about on a national level. Making the myth of the presidential mandate, truly a myth
since their policy is only supported by a fraction of their voters.
Though the myth of the presidential mandate seems unattainable, the only
solution to make it happen would be a winner take all system. Which ever party won the
White House they would also win the House, and the Senate completely. This would be a
way which voters could closely aline with a certain candidate on everything to make

9Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson (eds.), Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive Pg 86

10Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson (eds.), Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive
Ch.4 Pg 45

11Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson (eds.), Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive Ch
6 Pg 65

sure that they would want everything the president would want to pass and enact.
Though this solution will not happen any time soon, it is an interesting idea. Till then the
presidential mandate is a myth that is perpetuated by the American voting system, the
American party system, and essentially American democracy since it allows for other
voices to be heard, whether that is a good or bad thing is always up to a debate.