Is Lyndon Johnson is a bad president?

Answer 1

Lyndon Johnson belongs to a small group of Presidents who found greatness in one area and failure in another, another example being Woodrow Wilson. Escalating the Vietnam war proved disastrous resulting in thousands of deaths of American soldiers and billions of dollars being wasted. However, Johnson also managed to get much of John Kennedy's plans realised, including significant Civil Rights laws which banned segregation and greatly changed the lives of African Americans. Johnson's Great Society programs dealt with poverty, improved healthcare by introducing Medicare and Medicaid, helped education and raised environment awareness (he was sometimes nicknamed 'Light-bulb Lyndon' because of his determination to turn lights off in the White House when they weren't needed). He was also famed for his larger than life personality and his uncanny ability to get other politicians on his side. The foreign policy was a big let down, but Johnson wasn't a failure.