Comparison Of B Johnson's Rhetoric And American Exceptionalism

Lyndon B. Johnson, Commencement Address at the University of Michigan (1964)

The Great Society program of welfare reform, which was an expansion set forth to combat poverty at all costs.

The ideal Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all, along with an end to poverty and racial injustice.

Quality of goals vs. quantity of goods

Johnson particularly wanted to focus on reforming American cities.

“Men come together in cities in order to live, but they remain together in order to live the good life (193).”

Would you say that American cities distinctively define the character of our nation?

Johnson concedes that he does not know the full answer to our problems, but is attempting to assemble to assemble the best and broadest forms of

both thought and knowledge; largely through the commingling of government officials and academics with a professional understanding of the issues that plague cities. (Reference page 194)
“We have the power to shape the civilization that we want. But we need your will, your labor, your hearts, if we are to build that type of society (194).”
Based on the inequality that still exists today, it’s clear we have not yet reached Johnson’s Great Society.
How would you characterize the epitome of a “Great Society”, and how can we start to work towards those conceivable goals?

Could you construe any connection between Johnson’s rhetoric and American Exceptionalism?

Ronald Reagan Reagan, State of the Union Address (1982)

Here, Reagan critiques the uncontrolled development of the, then, current welfare state, which he argued was kicked off by monumental reforms such as Roosevelt’s New Deal and extended through Johnson’s Great Society pursuits.

Reagan recognized that capitalism has economic losers, in addition to the winners; thus, our government needs to provide a “safety net”, in order to allow for economic liberty for all.

Upto this time there was 3 recessions since 1970, characterized by increased unemployment and inflation, which Reagan largely attributed to the runaway expansion of our welfare system.

Reagan believed that his Administration would be remembered as the Administration of change and the corresponding Congress, the Congress of destiny.

Reagan proclaimed to cut the proposed increase in government spending by half, as well as imposed tax reductions and reformed the taxation structure, in order to cut off wasteful government and welfare practices; while emphasizing the importance of leaving social security

unscathed.
In what fashion, if any, does government spending dictate the virtuosity of the governing entity?
“We took away government built-in profit on inflation and its hidden incentive to grow larger at the expense of the American workers (195).”
Do you believe that Reagan truly absolved this “hidden incentive” for the American government to grow, based on modern American political actions and attitudes?
While he promises long-term economic prosperity, Reagan concedes that the economy will face difficult moments in the months to come, along with impossibility of quick fixes.
Reagan ended by emphasizing the positive impacts of the remaining safety net: 1/7 of all American meals will be subsidized by the government, along with significant subsidies to minority business assistance as well as the National Institutes of Health. (Reference page 197)
Do you think that the ideal Great Society for Ronald Reagan would drastically differ from Johnson’s proposed Great Society, which rests on an abundance and liberty for all, along with an end to poverty and racial injustice?