Pinheadspdx

The world is burning.

Tonight!

Read this twice before I shared it. I have a friend who sent a similar pic of his trip abroad about 5 years ago.

The hour is late.

As someone who vividly remembers the year 1968 - by proxy to my parents' memoirs - I can't help but see the similarities between former President Johnson and current President Biden. Both have had significant success in passing transformative legislation but share a blind spot regarding conflict in places like Vietnam and Gaza. And now, both must make a decision about whether or not to run for the good of their country and the world. Historian Kevin Boyle helped me gain a better understanding of these parallels. While there are certainly differences between the two leaders, one thing remains consistent - the Democratic Party's ability to unite for a common cause.

On March 31, 1968, Lyndon Johnson made a nationally televised announcement from the Oval Office that he would no longer seek or accept his party's presidential nomination. Now, as President Biden faces pressure to do the same after his performance at last week's debate, it's easy to view this comparison as pure political tragedy. Two proud men approaching the end of their distinguished careers, being forced to face their potential defeat only by conceding the second term they believed they were entitled to.

But looking at it solely through this lens ignores the significance of Johnson's decision in 1968. Yes, his candidacy was damaged, and his reasons for dropping out were complex. But what often gets overlooked is the multitude of factors that Johnson was weighing before making his decision.

Above all else, he hoped that by ending his campaign, he could prevent an existential threat to the nation. This is a situation Mr. Biden finds himself in now as well.

Johnson's crisis began on January 30, 1968 when North Vietnamese forces broke a cease-fire with a surprise attack on strategic sites in South Vietnam. The US counterattack ultimately turned into a victory, but at the time it was far from certain. It took weeks for American and South Vietnamese troops to reclaim key cities and resulted in high casualties.

But this was just the beginning. On February 27, 1968, the Joint Chiefs of Staff formally requested that Johnson increase troop deployment in Vietnam to 700,000 soldiers - a 40% increase from the current half-million. This sparked intense debates among his advisors for almost two weeks. Then, on March 10th, news of the request leaked and triggered criticism from the anti-war wing of the Democratic Party. Two days later, Senator Eugene McCarthy took 42% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, only eight points behind Johnson.

The next day, Robert Kennedy announced he would also potentially enter the race. And on that same afternoon, the global economy began to collapse.

For over two decades, the US had been a key player in global trade by pe***ng foreign currencies to the dollar and promising investors they could trade each dollar for gold at a set rate. But mounting costs of the Vietnam War eroded this promise, and news of its turmoil led to a "gold run" resulting in an economic crisis.

Por Que No?