Lyndon B. Johnson Attacks Goldwater, “Drops Nuke” On Little Girl
‘We must love each other or we must die’– LBJ makes use of hyperbole in this intense, violent ad attacking rival Barry Goldwater.
Lyndon B. Johnson was technically the incumbent in this race, since he assumed the office after JFK’S assassination. Barry Goldwater challenged LBJ for office in the 1964 presidential election, at which time LBJ released this attack ad, making Goldwater seem like the harbinger of nuclear apocalypse.
Goldwater had his share of slip-ups and gaffs, most famously stating that “sometimes I think this country would be better off if we could just saw off the Eastern Seaboard and let it float out to sea”. LBJ won by a landslide, and proceeded to throw all of America’s military might at Vietnam. So much for being the “more peaceful” option.
