Presidents lyndon b johnson

A firsthand observer weighs the achievements-and failures-of two fabled American presidents As a young White House correspondent during the Kennedy and Johnson years in Washington, D.C., Godfrey Hodgson had a ringside seat covering the last two great presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, two men who could not have been more different. Kennedy's wit and dashing style, his renown as a national war hero, and his Ivy League Boston Brahmin background stood in sharp contrast to Lyndon Johnson's rural, humble origins in Texas, his blunt, forceful (but effective) political style, his lackluster career in the navy, and his grassroots populist instincts. Hodgson, a sharp-eyed witness throughout the tenure of these two great men, now offers us a new perspective enriched by his reflections since that time a half-century ago. He offers us a fresh, dispassionate contrast of these two great men by stripping away the myths to assess their achievements, ultimately asking whether Johnson has been misjudged. He suggests that LBJ be given his due by history, arguing that he was as great a president as, perhaps even greater than, JFK. The seed that grew into this book was the author's early perception that JFK's performance in office was largely overrated while LBJ's was consistently underrated. Hodgson asks key questions: If Kennedy had lived, would he have matched Johnson's ambitious Great Society achievements? Would he have avoided Johnson's disastrous commitment in Vietnam? Would Nixon have been elected his successor, and if not, how would American politics and parties look today? Hodgson combines lively anecdotes with sober analyses to arrive at new conclusions about the U.S. presidency and two of the most charismatic figures ever to govern from the Oval Office. Format:Paperback

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 12 working days The New York Times No. 1 Bestseller 'What Goodwin brings to this book - above all her other attributes - is a true sense of wisdom... superb' Professor Andrew Roberts, author, Churchill: Walking with Destiny In this culmination of five decades of acclaimed studies in presidential history, Doris Kearns Goodwin offers an illuminating exploration of the origin, uncertain growth, and exercise of fully developed leadership. 'A marvelous banquet with four great presidents who provide lessons for all. Pull up a chair' Warren Buffett Are leaders born or made? Where does ambition come from? How does adversity affect the growth of leadership? Does the leader make the times or do the times make the leader? In Leadership Goodwin draws upon four of the presidents she has studied - Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson - to show how they first recognized leadership qualities within themselves, and were recognized as leaders by others. By looking back to their first entry into public life, when their paths were filled with confusion, hope, and fear, we can share their struggles and follow their development into leaders. Leadership tells the story of how they all collided with dramatic reversals that disrupted their lives and threatened to forever shatter their ambitions. Nonetheless, they all emerged fitted to confront the contours and dilemmas of their times. No common pattern describes the trajectory of leadership. Although set apart in background, abilities and temperament, they shared a fierce ambition, a hunger to succeed beyond expectations. All four, at their best, were guided by a sense of moral purpose that led them at moments of great challenge to summon their talents to enlarge the opportunities and lives of others. This seminal work provides a roadmap for aspiring and established leaders. In today's polarized world, these stories of authentic leadership in times of fracture and fear take on a singular urgency. 'Doris Goodwin is the grand master of presidential biography... Riveting, uplifting, and incisive, Leadership is a culminating work of a true intellectual artist' Jim Collins, author Good to Great, co-author Built to Last 'Pulitzer- and Carnegie Medal-winning historian Goodwin draws on 50 years of scholarship in this strong and resonant addition to the literature of the presidency... extremely relevant' Booklist 'Remarkable... comprehensive, human, and engaging, clearly the results of long study' Publishers Weekly, starred review Features Summary The New York Times No. 1 Bestseller 'What Goodwin brings to this book - above all her other attributes - is a true sense of wisdom... superb' Professor Andrew Roberts... Author Doris Kearns Goodwin Publisher Viking Release date 20180920 Pages 496 ISBN 0-241-30071-1 ISBN 13 978-0-241-30071-8

This item is sold brand new. It is ordered on demand from our supplier and is usually dispatched within 7 - 11 working days A dramatic, deeply informed account of one of the most consequential elections and periods in American history 1968-rife with riots, assassinations, anti-Vietnam War protests, and realpolitik-was one of the most tumultuous years in the twentieth century, culminating in one of the most consequential presidential elections in American history. The Contest tells the story of that contentious election and that remarkable year. Bringing a fresh perspective to events that still resonate half a century later, this book is especially timely, giving us the long view of a turning point in American culture and politics.Author Michael Schumacher sets the stage with a deep look at the people with important roles in the unfolding drama: Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, George Wallace, Richard Nixon, and especially Hubert H. Humphrey, whose papers and journals afford surprising new insights. Following these politicians in the lead-up to the primaries, through the chaotic conventions, and down the home stretch to the general election, The Contest combines biographical and historical details to create a narrative as intimate in human detail as it is momentous in scope and significance.An election year when the competing forces of law and order and social justice were on the ballot, the Vietnam War divided the country, and the liberal regime begun with Franklin D. Roosevelt was on the defensive, 1968 marked a profound shift in the nation/u2019s culture and sense of itself. Thorough in its research and spellbinding in the telling, Schumacher/u2019s book brings sharp focus to that year and its lessons for our current critical moment in American politics. Features Summary A dramatic, deeply informed account of one of the most consequential elections and periods in American history 1968-rife with riots, assassinations, anti-Vietnam War protests... Author Michael Schumacher Publisher University of Minnesota Press Release date 20180703 Pages 560 ISBN 0-8166-9289-0 ISBN 13 978-0-8166-9289-7