Comparison of Lyndon B. Johnson & Ronald Reagan

Since, in his view, government was good, Johnson desire to expand its role. Reagan, seeing government as evil, sought just as earnestly to reduce its role.

There was genuinely emphatic all in ally what came to be known as the "Johnson ardor". Johnson's political sprint was formed in the rough-and-tumble of post-war Texas politics, where the handshake and the wink much counted for more than formal agreements. Johnson's chief tool in forge domestic policy was direct communication, usually by telephone. A study of White House logs shows the enormous time he spent on the phone talking to legislators, cajoling them, persuading them, and twisting their arms. He was a legislator above all. His method was to formulate a legislative plan, and then assemble the forces necessary to see it through.

Foreign policy was a different matter. Johnson inherited from Kennedy the tendency non to notify with Congress on major foreign policy initiatives. In Cuba, the Dominican Re universal, and Vietnam, "Congressional leaders were informed of, but not consulted about, major steps." In the crucial Gulf of Tonkin happening, which began the wholesale escalation of the Vietnam War, Johnson called in Congressional leaders to ratify a decision he had already made. In later courses, he came close to admitting that the incident may have been exaggerated or even put on so as to justify his policy decision.

Nonetheless, it was in his dealings with

Dugger, Ronnie, On Reagan: The Man & His Presidency. (New York: McGraw-Hill), 1984.

unalike Johnson, Ronald Reagan prided himself on being a Washington outsider. He had very limited legislative experience, and as governor of California, he had favorite(a) a leadership style based on mission rather then personal intervention.

His greatest strength as a leader lay in his ability to make pass his vision of American and of his presidency in terms that the public could easily understand.

Reagan did not share Johnson's mania for loyalty and secrecy. He was not threatened by disagreement within his staff, preferring to let on many conflicting points of view before reaching a decision. But though he allowed disagreement, he did not acquit discord. Reagan could not work in an atmosphere of tension. His first year as governor had seen much political infighting and maneuvering, and he was ascertain to avoid that in his presidency. Therefore, he valued above all the ability to work together in his subordinates.

Lyndon Johnson's oratorical style was as slow and tedious as his working style was hectic and filled with pressure. Johnson was the back peak manipulator, and not the center stage communicator. His speeches were usually short, unimaginative and uninspiring, and he spoke at a monotone seventy words per minute. His phone calls, however, could go on for hours, and were filled with down-home expressions, threats, jokes, and personal anecdotes.

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