Guardian - 22 January 2018, 11:00 (+ 2307 days 2 hours and 17 minutes) In Depth/Analysis
Yes, LBJ was a crude warmonger. But in today’s climate, a leader who also declares war on poverty comes over as an inspirationI wish I had a normal hero from history. Maybe Frederick Douglass, or Rosa Parks, or the person who set the video of Richard Spencer getting punched to the tune of Never Gonna Give You Up. But I don’t. I have an irrational fascination with Lyndon B Johnson, the 36th president of the United States. He is my ultimate problematic fave: obnoxious, crude, responsible for the escalation of the Vietnam war and the death of thousands of innocent civilians – and yet also the architect of so much of the modern (now crumbling) American welfare state. Johnson died 45 years ago today, and it’s hard to know what reaction is appropriate – commemoration, condemnation, or something in between. Related: US shutdown exposes 'chaotic political system', China's news agency says Continue reading...