Many Things Considered
In “Many Things Considered” one-time journalist and full-time political analyst Marc Johnson applies his passion for context to connect current politics with political history. What are the links between the debacle of Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign and the Tea Party movement? Did Alexander Hamilton foresee the partisanship that now surrounds judicial appointments? Why haven’t third parties had political success in America? Johnson weaves interviews, archival sound, humor and authoritative narration to connect political history to today’s political stories.
Many Things Considered
Episode 1: The Most Consequential Loser
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Marc Johnson
Barry Goldwater, the conservative Republican senator from Arizona, lost the 1964 presidential election to Lyndon Johnson in one of great landslides of the 20th Century. At the time many thought Goldwater’s brand of fiery conservatism had been relegated to the dustbin of political history, but instead it became the foundation of the modern Republican Party – the party that won five of the next six presidential elections. The 1964 election also established negative television advertising as a reoccurring feature in politics, give LBJ the huge congressional majorities he needed to create “The Great Society” and brought about the political realignment of the American South.