Lyndon Johnson

[kashifsakhan]

I was wondering what would have happened to LBJ had Kennedy never been assassinated, or had somehow survived the assassination "attempt" in november 1963.

What would LBJ's career have been like after november 1963? Would he have run for president after Kennedy completed his second term (assuming he wins in 1964)? Would LBJ have been on the ticket in 1964, and if he was, would he have won the 1968 election?

[dazzleman]

I think he would have been on the ticket in 1964.  It's costly politically to remove a VP because it offends the constituency that the VP was picked to appeal to the first time around.  I don't think there would have been any reason to remove him, and plenty of reason to keep him.  Keep in mind that Kennedy's fateful trip to Dallas was essentially a campaign trip, and he was looking to heal a rift in the Texas Democratic Party that was a threat to his political fortunes there.  I doubt removing LBJ would have helped in that regard.

For 1968, it's very hard to say.  If Kennedy's second term had been anything like LBJ's term, then I'd say LBJ would have been handicapped in 1968.  But that was such a volatile period, and nobody really knows what Kennedy would have done differently than LBJ in Vietnam, though all credible evidence suggests he would have followed roughly the same course.

[Bugs]

A Kennedy-led Vietnam War could not have put Johnson in office.  Had Kennedy followed the same course in Vietnam that Johnson actually did, neither Johnson or RFK could have been nominated in 1968. The Democrats would have had to look to someone else, possibly Humphrey.   A different response by Kennedy to the situation in Vietnam probably would have paved the way for Johnson to be nominated in 1968, but Nixon still would have won.

[Inmate Trump]

Kennedy would have been reelected and Johnson would probably never have been president.  That would've been ashame because Johnson was one of our better presidents, and did a lot more good than JFK (which isn't really fair to say since he couldn't finish his full term).

[gorkay]

If Kennedy had lived, I doubt LBJ would ever have become President. He would have been on the ticket in 1964 if he'd wanted to be, but I don't think he would have had Kennedy's support in '68 if he ran for President since he wasn't that close to the Kennedys. He actually got along better with Jack than with Bobby, but Jack would have relied heavily on Bobby's counsel. It's possible that Bobby would have run in '68 with Jack's blessing and support. Of course, there's no telling what might have happened to change things. If Kennedy had taken the same course in Vietnam that LBJ did, he might have found himself as unpopular as LBJ was by '68. Maybe LBJ would have wound up running for President as an anti-administration, anti-war candidate, and RFK would have opposed him as a pro-war choice!

[MaC]

Kennedy definitely would've won if he were alive to win in 1964.  That means Johnson would've stayed with until 1969 at the end of Kennedy's second term.  The Democratic Primaries would come down to a two-way race between Johnson and Humphrey.

[??????????]

That would've been ashame because Johnson was one of our better presidents...

Seriously?

[Inmate Trump]

That would've been ashame because Johnson was one of our better presidents...

Seriously?

Yes!