why did president johnson not seek reelection?

In the past 8 months, prices and interest rates have risen because of our inaction. For 37 years in the service of our nation, first as a congressman, as a senator and as vice president, and now as your president, I have put the unity of the people first, I have put it ahead of any divisive partisanship. Johnsons decision not to seek re-election was a sign that the political system was still responsive to the peoples will. Since last September they have carried the offer that I made public at San Antonio. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.. We are reducingsubstantially reducingthe present level of hostilities. So, I would ask all Americans, whatever their personal interests or concern, to guard against divisiveness and all its ugly consequences. It was an extraordinary decision by the canny Texas Democrat who had assumed the presidencyafter the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and then was elected in 1964 in a landslide over RepublicanBarry Goldwater. Johnson rarely went anywhere without someone protesting U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. He shared how Johnson was personally affected by the decision to send Americans into combat in Vietnam, noting that both of LBJs sons-in-law would both be sent within weeks of his decision to focus on the war and not seek reelection. to include in the national effort all those groups who wish to preserve South. March 31, 1968: Remarks on Decision not to Seek Re-Election Prospective candidates may begin announcing their plans to run for the White House at any time now, or mere days or weeks after Election Day. And holding the trust that is mine, as President of all the people, I cannot disregard the peril of the progress of the American people and the hope and the prospect of peace for all peoples, so I would ask all Americans whatever their personal interest or concern to guard against divisiveness and all of its ugly consequences. As Democratic leaders struggled to figure out how to respond to Johnsons sudden withdrawal, antiwar activists rejoiced. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser. Much of the Left viewed Johnson as the corrupt wheeler-dealer who had lied America into the disastrous, bloody Vietnam quagmire. Johnson was re-elected in 1964 but could have run again in 1968 . And united we have enlarged that commitment. No other goal motivates American policy in Southeast Asia. that will permit us to turn more fully to our own tasks here at home. Yet the impression that this was a moment of national reunification engendered by Johnsons withdrawal was merely a chimera. Johnson chose not to run for re-election in 1968, largely because of the deadly war in Vietnam and the civil war that divided the Democratic Party. Corrections? Even while the search for peace was going on, North Vietnam rushed their preparations for a savage assault on the people, the government and the allies of South Vietnam. Tonight I want to Four days after McCarthys surprise showing, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy of New York Johnsons bte noire entered the race for the Democratic nomination. As he addressed the nation, Johnson looked especially somber, and no wonder. Why did Eisenhower run for re-election in 1960? He promised to only run for one term during the 1844 campaign and kept his promise four years later. Our determination to help build a better landa better land for men on both sides of the present conflicthas not diminished in the least. Singer and actress Eartha Kitt made headlines in January when at a White House luncheon she confronted Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, about Vietnam and juvenile delinquency. There is divisiveness among us all tonight. He was serving as vice president and became president when Warren Harding died in 1923 and won the 1924 election in a landslide victory over his Democratic opponent. Forty years ago tomorrow, President Lyndon B. Johnson shocked the nation with his televised announcement that he would not run for another term as president. I call upon President Ho Chi Minh to respond positively, and favorably, to this new step toward peace. We ask that talks begin promptly, that they be serious talks on the substance of peace. Johnsons decision was in large part a United we have kept that commitment. Hayes said in his letter that he believed reform could most likely be accomplished by a president who is under no temptation to use the patronage of his office, to promote his own re-election, according to his presidential library and museums website. that will permit all the Vietnamese people to rebuild and develop their land, What did president Johnson announced in 1968? So, tonight, in the hope that this action will lead to early talks, I am taking the first step to deescalate the conflict. Wheatland was the name of his home. WebThen President of the House of Representatives succeeded Archbishop Makarios III after his death in 1977. The balance will come from reserve component units which will be called up for service. The Congress is now considering our proposals and they are considering reductions in the budget that we submitted. to replace helicopters and provide the other military supplies we need, all of these actions are going to require additional expenditures. Goodwin leapt out of his chair, approached the television set, and pointed at Johnson. I asked then for your help, and Gods that we might continue America on its course binding up our wounds, healing our history, moving forward in new unity to clear the American agenda and to keep the American commitment for all of our people.

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