Post on 24-Feb-2016
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By: Jamie Dodson
The 1964 Election
Lyndon B. JohnsonDemocrat Incumbent
Barry GoldwaterRepublicanSenator from Arizona
VS.
CURRENT ISSUES
The economy was in good standing from President Kennedy, but the issues that were of concern to the voters mainly included…
Civil Rights
Social programs
And the Vietnam War
LYNDON B. JOHNSONA N D H I S S T A N D O N T H E S E I S S U E S
Johnson held the positions of Representative, Senator, Vice-President,
and President, causing him to be one of only four people who have held all four elected federal offices of the United States
He was John F. Kennedy’s Vice-President and toke office of the President about a year before this election (after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy)
He was associated with Kennedy’s popularity which gained him a lot of support
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
Johnson promised to continue Kennedy’s work and also work to implement “The Great Society” which was his vision for America
He believed in “ending the war on poverty” as well as putting an end to racism
• He continued what President Kennedy started by advocating the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which would end major forms of discrimination like racial segregation in schools, workplaces, and public places.
Wanted little involvement in the Vietnam War
Encouraged social programs, such as social security
BARRY GOLDWATERA N D H I S S T A N D O N T H E S E I S S U E S
Served as a five term United States Senator from Arizona
Known for his extreme right-winged ideology
During this time the Republican Party was strongly split in half between the super conservative wing and the more modern/liberal wing. Goldwater refused to take more moderate views and therefore loss a lot of support from many Republicans because of this split and his strong right winged opinions.
BARRY GOLDWATERA N D H I S S T A N D O N T H E S E I S S U E S
Advocated for the strategical use of nuclear weapons in the Vietnam war
Believed Social Security should not be mandatory
Opposed a lot of the Civil Rights legislation
THE MEDIA
The media had a large influence in the opinions of viewers and the outcome of this election
Johnson’s incumbency, in which the economy was left in a good state, and the still present sorrow for Kennedy’s lost made Johnson a favorite among the people and even media
The media emphasized the strong lead Johnson had over Goldwater which was analyzed to have encouraged undecided/independent voters not to vote since the winner seemed already established.
THE MEDIA Goldwater’s main focus in advertisements was “defense”. He continually
aired
television commercials which responded to accusations against him or statements he made that needed to be clarified.
This actually turned out to have a negative effect on his campaign because it
constantly reminded the public of his downfalls and criticisms and made him appear weak.
Johnson worked to portray his opponent as an extremist with impulsive behavior (who could even be considered dangerous) and gain the votes of the more moderate Republicans as shown by this commercial…
THE DAISY AD One of the most famous, impacting, and controversial political campaign
attack ads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k&feature=related
The Johnson Campaign used the juxtaposition of a sweet innocence little girl to the harsh and scary movements of violence to play on the publics fear of nuclear weapons and war.
The desired effect was to depict candidate Goldwater as a president who would run on impulse and too easily start war, especially war with nuclear weapons, in contrast to a careful president Johnson. Without even mentioning Goldwater, or quoting him, the ad clearly got across the message of Goldwater being a danger to America.
CAMPAIGN SLOGANS
“The stakes are too high for you to stay at home.” -JohnsonThis slogan came about as part of
emphasizing Goldwater as an extremist and a danger to the public with his opinions of nuclear weapons.
“In your heart you know he’s right.” -Goldwater Established to counteract the criticism he
faced along with his negative publicity, and relate to ordinary Americans.
CAMPAIGN SLOGANS
In addition, Johnson
featured another slogan making fun of Goldwater’s which was…
And the
Victory
goes to…
President Lyndon B. Johnson by a landslide.
RESULTSLyndon B. Johnson won 44 out of the 50 states with a large majority popularity vote of 61.1%.
Barry Goldwater only won 6 states with a popularity vote of 38.5%.
Goldwater only won his home
state, Arizona, and five southern
states who voted this way because they
did not agree with the Civil Rights Act.
It was one of the most crushing
victories in the United
States history of elections.