policy - The Black Vault

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articulate spokesmen for a more aggressive policy shared a political
presence in that debate,
Johnson's impressive skills at political maneuvering
might have allowed nim broader scope for maintaining his position in
the center of the debate.
The absence of tho3e credible spokesmen to the
right of John;on can, however, be linked to the massive defeat of Goldwater
which Johnson had largely engineered. 19/ Thus, the irony of Johnson's
increasingly untenable political postion in late 1967 and 1968 was that the
overwhelming character of his 1964 victory played a direct role in altering
the nature of foreign policy debate by weakening the right. The result was
that Johnson had eliminated the balancing factor he required to maintain
his middle of the road postion.
b. Johnson's Personal Policy Prejilections 4
Johnson, unlike Kennedy, came to office with the expressed
intention of making his mark in American history through .hi3 domestic
legisiation. 20/
In addition, unlike his immediate predecesscr, Johnson
lacked experience and interest in foreign affairs. Nevertheless Johnson
sought to continue the Kenredy legacy of actively resisting perceived
communist advances.
To accomplish that purpose and to maintain the kind of
continuity he felt was required after Kennedy's assassination, Johnson
sought to retain the foreign policy advisors Kennedy had assembled. 21/ By
pursuing the Kennedy approach to foreign policy he won the support of these
former Kennedy advisors.
In addition, Johnson got congressional action on
the stalled civil rights, and economic stimulus bills, and on other liberal
measures.
Thus he won further support from former Kennedy supporters and
confirmed his leadership of the broad Democratic coalition.
In addition to establishing his national political constituency
through effective handling of men and legislation early in his
1 presidency, Johnson sought to protect his position by preventing Robert
SKennedy
from moving into a strong leadership role within the Democratic
Party. 22/
Johnson was fearful that Robert Kennedy would seek to take up
the causes of his fallen ,brother and rally the Kennedy Democrats around
him. 23/ To prevent this, Johnson sought to make himself, not Robert
Kennedy, the heir to John F. Kennedy's legacy. Johnson's actions of
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