Trump and LBJBoth

[Dim Bulb]

It is possible that the two presidents are very similar and might have similarly productive presidencies. Both are somewhat megalomaniacal. Both are dealmakers. Both are less ideological and more power based. (Meaning power or in modern parlance "ratings" are an end in and of itself )

With LBJ, a Texas somewhat crazy former senator we ended up with the Civil Rights Act and the Great Society. Neither of which you would have expected from his earlier days. President Trump might surprise in the same way although with the Outrage Machine of cable news watching every move maybe not.

Of course LBJ also gave us the Vietnam war. Which most current sixtysomethings in the government dodged.

Anyway we all can have hope.

 

[Pogo]

Meh --- some similarities but LBJ was way more ideological than Rump.

Actually Rump may be the least ideological one to ever hold the office. I seriously doubt he has any ideology at all beyond buffing his own bishop. He'll just say whatever gets him attention in the moment. Even if it contradicts what worked for the same purpose last week. And if it doesn't work he just denies that it ever happened (e.g. Serge Kovaleski).

LBJ knew how to cajole; he was the master at it. That's why the wags here run those quotes where he's mirroring for a Southerner, trying to get the rest of us to believe it means he was a 'racist'. Rump doesn't seem to mirror at all. He just trolls.

 

[Dim Bulb]

Meh --- some similarities but LBJ was way more ideological than Rump.

Actually Rump may be the least ideological one to ever hold the office. I seriously doubt he has any ideology at all beyond buffing his own bishop. He'll just say whatever gets him attention in the moment. Even if it contradicts what worked for the same purpose last week. And if it doesn't work he just denies that it ever happened (e.g. Serge Kovaleski).

LBJ knew how to cajole; he was the master at it. That's why the wags here run those quotes where he's mirroring for a Southerner, trying to get the rest of us to believe it means he was a 'racist'. Rump doesn't seem to mirror at all. He just trolls.

Maybe. But both were certainly also obsessed with their reproductive organs as well. The parallels don't stop!

After reading the LBJ biographies I was convinced he had no real ideology other than covering his own insecurities with the pursuit of power as a proxy for acceptance. Didn't work for him. Don't believe it will work for President Trump.

 

[Pogo]

Meh --- some similarities but LBJ was way more ideological than Rump.

Actually Rump may be the least ideological one to ever hold the office. I seriously doubt he has any ideology at all beyond buffing his own bishop. He'll just say whatever gets him attention in the moment. Even if it contradicts what worked for the same purpose last week. And if it doesn't work he just denies that it ever happened (e.g. Serge Kovaleski).

LBJ knew how to cajole; he was the master at it. That's why the wags here run those quotes where he's mirroring for a Southerner, trying to get the rest of us to believe it means he was a 'racist'. Rump doesn't seem to mirror at all. He just trolls.

Maybe. But both were certainly also obsessed with their reproductive organs as well. The parallels don't stop!

After reading the LBJ biographies I was convinced he had no real ideology other than covering his own insecurities with the pursuit of power as a proxy for acceptance. Didn't work for him. Don't believe it will work for President Trump.

If the suggestion is that LBJ's pursuit of power dominated over his ideology, I wouldn't disagree.

I don't think Rump has a pursuit of power, not in the same way. The power LBJ (and most others) pursue is one of literal power, the facility to do things and be important. What Rump pursues is simply infantile attention. Actually the fact that the campaign is over has got to be an enormous letdown for him since that provided the attention orgasm. Now that there's no election to run in he's got to get down to the mundanities of actual work. For a man who's never held a job before it's likely to drive him nuts.

I doubt LBJ relished campaigning very much; he liked much more the job(s). With Rump it's the exact opposite.

 

[Dim Bulb]

Meh --- some similarities but LBJ was way more ideological than Rump.

Actually Rump may be the least ideological one to ever hold the office. I seriously doubt he has any ideology at all beyond buffing his own bishop. He'll just say whatever gets him attention in the moment. Even if it contradicts what worked for the same purpose last week. And if it doesn't work he just denies that it ever happened (e.g. Serge Kovaleski).

LBJ knew how to cajole; he was the master at it. That's why the wags here run those quotes where he's mirroring for a Southerner, trying to get the rest of us to believe it means he was a 'racist'. Rump doesn't seem to mirror at all. He just trolls.

Maybe. But both were certainly also obsessed with their reproductive organs as well. The parallels don't stop!

After reading the LBJ biographies I was convinced he had no real ideology other than covering his own insecurities with the pursuit of power as a proxy for acceptance. Didn't work for him. Don't believe it will work for President Trump.

If the suggestion is that LBJ's pursuit of power dominated over his ideology, I wouldn't disagree.

I don't think Rump has a pursuit of power, not in the same way. The power LBJ (and most others) pursue is one of literal power, the facility to do things and be important. What Rump pursues is simply infantile attention. Actually the fact that the campaign is over has got to be an enormous letdown for him since that provided the attention orgasm. Now that there's no election to run in he's got to get down to the mundanities of actual work. For a man who's never held a job before it's likely to drive him nuts.

I doubt LBJ relished campaigning very much; he liked much more the job(s). With Rump it's the exact opposite.

That's a good point. LBJ seemed to like one on one influencing over mass campaigns. But it appears to me that President Trump likes making deals as evidence of his worth. Where the building is located doesn't matter to him. Just how big it is. Which I suppose is really your point.

My point is that wherever this desire comes from it might lead to almost manic activity. I will agree with some results and disagree with others just as I did with LBJ. Unlike the Trumpbots who appear to agree with everything he says or does.

 

[whitehall]

Ideological? The only reason the grossly flawed Kennedy dynasty selected senator Johnson to run as VP was to get the crucial Southern electoral vote. LBJ couldn't run for freaking dog catcher outside of Texas on his own. LBJ was a big government ideologue and Trump is a self made billionaire. LBJ's failed "great society" was the polar opposite of Trump's "make America great" strategy and oh yeah, LBJ was a liberal democrat and Trump is a republican.

 

[Pogo]

Ideological? The only reason the grossly flawed Kennedy dynasty selected senator Johnson to run as VP was to get the crucial Southern electoral vote. LBJ couldn't run for freaking dog catcher outside of Texas on his own. LBJ was a big government ideologue and Trump is a self made billionaire. LBJ's failed "great society" was the polar opposite of Trump's "make America great" strategy and oh yeah, LBJ was a liberal democrat and Trump is a republican.

"Self-made" huh? You spelled "Fred" wrong.

Rump is a hoplessly spoiled rich **** who's had everything in his life handed to him for nothing. He's "self-made" nothing except a reputation for being an asshole. And he wasn't a Republican until this run anyway, not that it means anything.