[dramatic music] narrator youre the accidental president. Leader of a nation in mourning. Now youve got to make the tough calls, confront your demons. Outwit your enemies. And prove youve got what it takes. To be the leader of the free world. President s car now turning onto elm street, and it will be only a matter of minutes before he arrives at the trade mart. Itit it appears as though something has happened in the motorcade route. It was definitely the president s car. We were traumatized. It was in a sense like what happened to us after 9 11. President kennedy has been assassinated. Its official now. The president is dead. It was incredible that our president , this beautiful man with this beautiful family, could be just eliminated just like that. Theres only one word to describe the picture here, and thats grief and much of it. Narrator kennedys Vice President , Lyndon Baines johnson, becomes the 36th president of the United States. He insists on taking the Oath Of Office on Board Air Force one as soon as kennedys body is loaded onto the plane. He didnt want a single gap in legitimacy of government. He also insisted that Jacqueline Kennedy be in the photograph beside him, because he wanted that symbolic continuity. [playing taps] it is hard to o Imagine Sosome Comiming into ofoffice in those c circumstancnces. Its a also hard t to imagine anybody y Better Prerepared for r that moment than Lyndon Johnson. [somber music] lbj had been preparing for this moment all his life. Power was, you know, the center of his being. Prior to accepting the Vice President ial nomination in 1960, Lyndon Johnson had been perhaps the most powerful Senate Majority leader in history. But hes been sidelined by the kennedys. Narrator Vice President johnson is so eclipsed by jfks star power that many people dont even know who he is. Lyndon johnson. No, i never heard of the fella. Doesnt ring a bell . No. There was a Television Program called candid camera, and they asked people out on the street, whos Lyndon Johnson . Lyndon johnson. Does he live out on the farm . [laughter] you might look in the phone book, see where he lives. I. Im here today to say i i need yourur help. Narratoror jojohnson is n now presidede. I Cacannot Bearr Ththis Burden N alone. Narratator and inin less tn a years time, he knows he will be judged by the American People at the ballot box. Hes an accidental president , and he knows it. And he also wants to earn the office in his own right. He was like a lot of powerful men, insecure. You might even say neurotic. Lyndon johnson is one of those people driven in many ways by paranoia and pessimism. He always is fearful that what he wanted most would be taken away from him, and what he wanted most was to be a powerful and beloved president of the United States. Narrator as lbj worries about losing his grip on the presidency, a Political Lone Ranger is making a name for himself in arizona. Barry goldwater really was the embodiment of the american west. He was chiselfaced. He worore a stetsoson. He was an individualist. He flew w his own plplan. Hehe liked to o ride horse. He wasas a cowboy. Y. He was a s straight shshoote. You know, hed be posing with a jet lookining like an n astronau. [upbeat t bluesy mususic] narratoror for someme frustratd rerepublicans,s, Outspokeken Arizona a senator barry y Goldwaterr Isis the man they wawant to take conontrol of ththeir pa. Amererica needs s a change. [c[cheers and d applause]] Barrrry Goldwateter represes the e strong rigight, Conservative Party element within the Republican Party. We need an administration to Stand Up For America All L over the w world, to work fofor freedom. M. [cheers s and applauause] my father r fiercely b belid in libiberty and i in freedo. And hehe felt thatat our goveret had gottenen too paterernalist. And instead of offering people a hand up, we were doing too much of a handout. What p propelled h His Polits Were B Belief In S Small Goveret and in fighting communism as fiercely as one could. Barry goldwater felt that americans were not fighting the cold war with everything at their disposal. America had Nuclear Weapons. Why not use them . Americas deliverable Nuclear Capability may be cut by 90 . Now,w, this, ladies andnd gentlemenen, will notot serve the cause e of peace. The kindnd of Youngg Consnservativess Whwho looked a at barry gogor as Theirir Hero Rereally saw t themselves s as , you knknow, jajames dean k kind of rebel. This is a new brand of conservatism. Laladies and g gentlemen, its a a privilegege to hae on thihis show thehe senator from aririzona, barrrry goldwa. [cheers and applause] narrator but rooting for goldwater was problematic. Hes always said he doesnt want to be president. Would d you be a c candidate in 1964 . Well, ive said d hundres of timeses that i amam no. [ligight piano m music] narratator but isis goldwar Beining Entirelyly honest . My father r was good f fs with johohn f. Kennenedy. They Sererved Togethther In T the united d states sene. They had an opportunity to spend time with each other, to respect each other, although their Points Of View were considerably different, one the liberal, the other a conservative. He would sit in jfks Rocking Chair and drink whiskey with him. And they got to talking about running against each other. And that delighted my father. And they decided that they would campaign together. And that was all set up. They had it all planned. Narrator those dreams had been crushed by thehe assassinanation of. It tooook all the e wind out f my fatherrs sails for runnnning for prpresiden. He really y had no savr for r running agagainst lb, whwho he didnnt really t tt anand didnt r really respsp. He d did not likike lylyndon johnsnson. He thoughtht Lyndon Jojohnson Wawas A Bully Y and a crooo. All w we want bararry. Wewe want barrrry. So Goldwdwater Undererstas that he e was probobably goingng to have t e the decicision about whwhether to r run. There wawas already y a movet thatat was surgiging around. But Hihis Heart Hahad really ge out t of it at t that point. All we want barry. We want barry. 1964 opens ready to explodee on the Q Question Ofof race and the future of race in america. In the south and elsewhere, African Americans, theyre not treated as people who have the same rights as whites do. Theyre not allowed to eat in restaurants. Theyre not allowed to work in certain jobs. [sirirens wailining] narrator the struggle for civil rights will dominate the election. There are riots in harlem. There are riots in philadelphia. Theres all kinds of uprisings in the country owing to the oppression of black folks in the United States. Its an accident of history that a Southern Texan would find himself at the crossroads of this great moral question. There e are Variouous Pois in lynyndon johnsosons Politicacal Career E earlier n when h he was compmpelled to suppoport segregagation. He would n not have bebeen a Viviable Polititical Candide in texas otherwise. [cheers and applause] the Democratic Party in many ways had been built on an anticivil rights platform. The partys strength was very much in the south. Nobody believes that Lyndon Johnson is going to be a friend or a champion for civil rights. Narrator president kennedy with his brother, attorney general robert kennedy, had battled to end discrimination. Now lbj takes up the fight. When he winds up as president of the United States in the middle of this civil rights upsurge, it turned out the whole time there was a part of him that nobody knew. Narrator johnson is determined to push through a farreaching civil rights bill aimed at banning racial discrimination. He understands that it will win favor with the liberals, with African American voters. It will be the thing that will entrench him as a heroic president. His aides try to talk him out of it. Theres a famous conversation between johnson and senator russell, leader of the southern democrats. Russell says to johnson, if you persist in pushing these Civil Rights Acts through congress, the south will be lost to the Democratic Party forever, and you will also lose the election. And johnson, this great creature of power, responds, dick, if that is the price for this bill, i will gladly pay it. we must abolish not some but all racial discrimination. For johnson to come in and attempt to dismantle one of the most important parts of the Democratic Party in support for segregation and black disenfranchisement, that was a really big deal, and it also meant that he could lose his own party. So t the electororal risks were b big. Fofor this is s not merely an ecoconomic issusue oror a social,l, politicala, or intnternationalal issue. Itit is a moraral issue. [cheheers and apapplause] narratoror Lbj Has S Rolld the polilitical dicece. And hes n not the Onlnly One Takiking a gamblble. Todaday i want to tell youu ththat i will l seek the republn presidenential nominination. [apppplause] the ththing that c changes Barry Goldwaters s mind is reaeally the Momost Extraoaordinary Grgrassroots Draft Effort on the part of impassioned conservatives all over the country who are e calling hihim to s save civililization. Frankly, i it was younung consnservativess like m myself at t the time sayingng, you musust run. You must run. Youre our guy. Narrator but goldwater has another rereason for r runn. He wantsts his new b brand Ofof Conservatatism to take onon the libereral Rerepublican E establishmeme. He says, i want to o e vovoters a chohoice, not a an and his idea was that the liberal Republicans Rereally were e just imitatg the democrcrats. Hehe really wawanted to ofofr an alternanative. The Republblican Estabablt viewed g goldwater and the Gogoldwater Ininsurgy as problblematic, as a danger for both the party and the nation. He advocates the use of small Tactical Nuclear weaponsn, and he c charges Thehe Democrs with beieing soft onon communis. Narratator goldwawater has an advdversary. New w York GoverernorAnand Leading G Light of the Rerepublican E establisht nelslson rockefefeller. Nenelson rockekefeller Iss Literarally Onone of the r richest people in the country who really is an american aristocrat. You haveve these twowo mn who represesent this real split in the party, the libertarian west, and the eastern establishment, and now theyre gonna have a showdown for the 1964 nomination. Narrator rockefellers deep pockets are useful, especially for crushing political opponents. He b believed ththat if he b t upup all The A Advertisingng Spe and d all the Adadvertising E ThthatHe Woululd Be Ablee to defefeat barry y goldwate. Rockefeller has people secretly recording and transcribing every utterance that Barry Goldwater makes in order to try and sabotage him, to catch him saying something crazy. Narrator while rockefeller and goldwater slug it out on the campaign trail, Lyndon Johnson is fighting to push his civil rights bill through the senate. Hes one of the most machiavellian players in american politics, who basically will do anything to cut a deal, to get a deal, to get where hes trying to go. Narrator along the corridors of power, lbj is Rallying Support for his bill. As a politician, hes brilliant. We talk about the johnson treatment. Lyndon johnson is 64, and he can cajole. He can seduce. He c can also inintimidate. Nanarrator onon july 2, 1 , Lbj Walklks Into Thehe East M of the whihite House Anand Transfororms the livs ofof millions s of americac. I am abobout to signgn into w the e civil righghts act of f. Ththis is a titime when e everybodyss watching television to watch a president sign a bill. Every network is covering it. This is a moon shot moment. The symbolism of the moment, a Southern White Democrat president signing this into law is huge. Let us lay aside irrelevant differences and make our nation whole. Narrator for many watching, this is a betrayal of what the democrats have traditionally stood for. While Lyndon Johnson was jubilant at least in public to have passed this historic bill, hes melancholy that night in the aftermath. Lbj essentially fretted that he might in fact lose the south forever as a result of signing the Civil Rights Act. The fear for him was, uhoh. What did i do . Im the big man for a day. Ive made history. But now i have an election to win in november, and what is the Boomerang Effect of this . [light guitar music] the Repupublican Cononventin Kicks Ofoff at the c cow palae in san francisco. 25,0,000 people e show up to prorotest barryry goldwate, because gogoldwater dididnte for r the civil l rights act. Narrator Barry Goldwater is one of just six republican senators to oppose lbjs civil rights bill. He was falsely accused in 1964 of being a racist. He fieiercely was s opposed to segreregation and Suppororted Integrgration Hehere in arizizona. Goldwater is opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 not because he doesnt believe that segregation should be banned but simply because he believes its not constitutional. He believes each s state Shshould Decidide for itsef what it shshould do on thehe issue of f segregat. Hehe took it a as an Affrot Thatat the Federeral Governmnt would assume the responsibility of ensuring that all 5 50 states t tread Ththeir Africacan Americanan Cis with legegal anand politicacal equalityt. Thisis question n about, Is Barry Y Goldwater r racis actually doesnt really matter. What matters is that Barry Goldwater is complicit in racism, that he is supporting racists. I think he articulates a philosophy which says to give aid and comfort to the races. But we want the nation and the world to k know thatat senator g goldwater is notot fit to bebe a candie for r the president of the u unite statetes. Alall We Wantnt Barry narratoror within the coconvention h hall, Black Repupublicans face o open hostilility. For r Black Membmbers of e repupublican party, it is a a dangerous s time. In some e instances,s, theyrre roughed d up. Theyre beat up. You know, one person is set on fire by a goldwater supporter. Theyre told to get out or to keep in their place ifif they knowow whatss wise for r them. Gogoldwater wawas Represeng The Pitchfhfork in amemeric, Ththe People T that are fefed, thatat had Enougugh Withth their taxaxes being w w, that had enough of the federal g