Lyndon johnson Quote by Robert A. Caro
““With a note of sadness, Wicker wrote in 1983 that “the reverence, the childlike dependence, the willingness to follow where the President leads, the trust, are long gone—gone, surely, with Watergate, but gone before that.… After Lyndon Johnson, after the ugly war that consumed him, trust in ‘the President’ was tarnished forever.” That tarnishing revolutionized politics and government in the United States. The shredding of the delicate yet crucial fabric of credence and faith between the people of the United States and the man they had placed in the White House occurred during the presidency of Lyndon Johnson.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 3, 1990
Political scandals eroded public trust in the presidency, beginning with Watergate and deepening after Johnson’s era, reshaping American governance.
In simple terms: Scandals broke trust in presidents, changing politics.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how trust loss reshapes institutions.
Themes
politics
trust
leadership
history
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- election campaigns
- policy debates
- media coverage
- civic education
Key Concepts
disillusionment
institutional decay
public perception
Questions to Reflect On
- What steps can rebuild confidence in leaders?
- How does media influence public trust?
A Different Perspective
Restoring trust requires transparency and accountability.
![“[Lyndon ] Johnson was responding to a black freedom movement that was tearing the country open and he did what he had to do as a conservative politician.” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4e4/bill-ayers-1848_black_lyndon-johnson-was-responding-to-a-black_39317.jpg)
![“Years of concentration solely on work and individual success meant that in his retirement [Lyndon Johnson] could find no solace in family, in recreation, in sports or in hobbies. It was almost as if the hole in his heart was so large that even the love of a family, without work, could not fill it.” quote by Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7cb/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_concentration_years-of-concentration-solely-on-work-an_220664.jpg)
