You said that when Reagan became president he was the oldest president in American history. Alright, I know what you mean, but ACK-SHOO-ALLY, Reagan at that time was third on the list. 5 days later he passed Andrew Jackson, and 109 days after that Reagan did become the oldest president by passing Dwight Eisenhower. This is because Reagan was at the time the oldest person to be BEGIN a presidency. Until Trump and then Biden of course.
@JJMcCullough my family is related to l.b.j not something we are proud of and even hate. If you're wondering how his wife had our last name primrose before she married him. My mother says she remembers her dad tell her not to ever say anything bad about him in front of her great grandmother. Related to a president and still poor. ;)
Kennedy was really the last bipartisan president, not in the sense that he was actually admired by people on both sides while he was president (he wasn't), but in the sense that he's the last president both parties remember favourably, mostly because his presidency was cut so tragically short, which has allowed everyone to project their own beliefs onto him. It's gotten to the point that if you listen to conservatives and liberals talking about JFK you could get the impression they were talking about completely different presidents.
Yes, it’s interesting that even a hard-right cult like QAnon views him as a hero. He and Reagan are the only canonically “good” presidents in QAnon lore.
One thing I find interesting about this political era was how every single state switched party support at least once. The US has had such strong regional political loyalties since 2000 that the elections are somewhat predictable now, and are mainly fought in states that straddle those regional boundaries.
From what I’ve read, the ideological shift of the parties wasn’t complete until around then. Throughout the 80s and 90s, there were still a few leftover Dixiecrats and liberal Republicans, especially at the state level.
@@Fe22234 Huh? Which election are you speaking of? In 1968, when the Democrats nominated Hubert Humphrey, a Minnesotan, Nixon did _not_ carry Minnesota, Humphrey did. Yes, he carried Minnesota in 1972, but he carried 49 states that year (Massachusetts being the only exception). What was exceptional and embarrassing in 1972 was the the Dems' nominee, George McGovern, failed to carry his home state of South Dakota. I guess I'm not sure what your point was.
What’s interesting is presidents that people don’t talk about as much. Calvin Coolidge had a different mentality where he believed that killing a bad bill was more important than passing a good one. I think because of that mentality, he was uneventful and not discussed enough.
Conservatives have been trying to make liking Calvin Coolidge a thing for a while now. They basically portray him as a sort of proto conservative, even though of course in his time they didn’t think of politics in those sort of terms.
That sounds like a good president in my book. He's not going to buy you that fast car you want, but he's also not going to require you to go watch a drag show every week. Sometimes, the absence of pain is better than pleasure.
He's not discussed that much because not much notable happened during his presidency. There weren't economic crises or foreign policy achievements or failures. The most notable pieces of legislation that occurred during his presidency were a restrictive immigration bill and Native American citizenship. The former of which is viewed of as racist and the latter of which very few people actually care about.
@@JJMcCullough I just remember in high school, my high school teacher mentioned the forgettable presidents and we moved on from really discussing much about them (apparently Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland). I just chose Calvin Coolidge because he’s been getting more recognition these days but was previously not as known.
@@JJMcCullough _Conservatives have been trying to make liking Calvin Coolidge a thing for a while now_ . J.J. , by chance are you familiar with a 1981 best selling book titled "Presidential Anecdotes"? The anecdotes were 99% humorous, and were moments from each President's life and/or administration. The two longest sections were on Abraham Lincoln and Calvin Coolidge, and I think Reagan grabbed ahold of some of those Coolidge stories from the book to begin a (failed) attempt to enhance Coolidge's legacy. J.J. as someone who enjoys American cultural history, you really *must* read this book, if you have not already done so.
As an older American who has lived through all of these president's tenures, I have to compliment you on your extremely accurate depiction of these presidents. Among your many talents, you have a well-informed view of history. Keep up the good work.
I think one point that should have been mentioned is that, in the 1970s, both major parties phased out conventions in favor of Presidential primaries, which promoted candidates with populist and/or maverick tendencies candidates like Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. No previous era of American politics to that point was nearly so accommodating of "outsider" candidates.
Yeah, this is a pretty important and somewhat complicated issue. It was less of a phase-out than it was a light switch flipped in 1972. And of course, conventions still exist, but you can pre-script them because of the primaries. Hey, J.J., if it's not too obscure for a Canadian, I think this would be a great topic for you . . . how we moved from all-powerful nominating conventions to irrelevant conventions. Just covering the changes in the 20th century should do it.
I’m remember that episode. Bush Sr. Who fit right in with Flanders and NOT Homer. The president that did however fit in with Homer and not Flanders was Herald Ford?
for me, at least, H.W. Bush represents the last flowering of a certain kind of moderate, orthodox conservatism untainted by things like the Iraq War or the 2016/2020 US elections. The idea of a staunchly "normal" figure has a lot of appeal these days.
Interesting that JJ didn’t mention the first Gulf War at all, considering that it not only led ti many political repercussions for Bush’s successors, but also the stark shift from his 90% approval numbers after the war to his eventual defeat to Clinton plays well into JJ’s through line about how the American voting public increasingly turned their back to the WW2 era political consensus.
Hmm the Republicans ran a figure like that in 2008 and 2012, and the liberal media tore them to shreds, lied through their teeth to attack them. Trump is the result. You reap what you sow
I mean if orthodox conservatives you mean a neoconservative then maybe. I’m almost the opposite kind of conservative in that I tend toward being very socially conservative but I’m fairly moderate on economics and much more leery of foreign intervention. My position would have been considered orthodox conservatism 100 years ago if not for Buckley popularizing neoconservatism in the middle part of the century. I think what is orthodox conservatism just depends on the era.
Its also crazy to think that 4 of the 5 last presidents have been born in near enough the same birthyear. Bill Clinton, GW Bush and Donald Trump all being born in 1946 and more worryingly, Joe Biden being born in 1942. Its crazy to think that we could have had other Presidents, like Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Mitt Romney, McCain, John Kerry and Al Gore as well born essentially close to the same decade.
Similar to LBJ, some British academics believe that Tony Blair would be remembered as one of the greatest Prime Ministers in history if it weren't for his involvement in Iraq
Interesting perspectives. For Jimmy Carter, I would have added more about his diverse experiences, including as a preacher, professor, parole officer, engineer, Naval Officer on a nuclear sub, and -- from a Canadian perspective -- his part in helping address the reactor accident at Chalk River in 1952. Plus, of course, his post-Presidency humanitarian work. All on top of thr peanut farmer part. Regardless of his performance as President, he certainly led an interesting and accomplisjed life filled with activity.
I always enjoy how you start a video with "Hello friends". It is a very good thing to say. Based on your onscreen presence, you seem like a kind person.
People sometimes say that my videos have a tendency to kill people off, because often when I acknowledge a still-living political leader, like Gorby or Queen Elizabeth, they die shorty after the video goes up, quickly dating it. So let’s hope President Carter isn’t another example!
Jimmy Carter seems to be the last major American Cold War figure after Henry Kissinger's death. His death will have closed out the Cold War aftereffect in American History (though now we seem to be in a much more hard-to-define Cold War 2.0).
There were also stagflation and gas shotages that made Americans wait in lines for an opportunity to fuel up at the pump. That also did not help Carter in his reelection bidm
Yup that with the fact that Carter was an outsider as JJ said leaving him with no base to fall back on played an important part as well. Regan's meddling in the hostage crisis (deal to not release the hostages) probably didn't help for sure. There was plenty more Carter took the fall for though like inflation which had more to do with the previous bad monetary policy more so than who was president.
I appreciate you describing the gravity of the JFK assassination and how brutal it was especially considering the position of glamour and fairy-tale wealth they were portrayed as in the media. Since it happened so long ago it can begin to seem like a trivial thing because of how often it's talked about and even joked about to an extent
27:44 Unless I am unaware of new info, this has been debunked . Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 1994 and died in 2004. The average life expectations for the disease is 8-10 which checks out with his 10 years of disease. While there has been cases going beyond this, it's very unlikely particularly considering his age; the fact that he lived for ten years after being diagnosed in his 80s is already unlikely. He clearly started slowing down at the end of his tenure (like biden and trump) but he even spoke at the 1992 republican convention (For a person diagnosed with Alzheimers in their 70s can generally only expect to live 7 more years. Reagan was in his late 70s when he was president and even if you say it was only his last year he was suffering from Alzheimers (1988) he would have have to live for 16 more years, breaking records)
@@adamheuer8502 Reagan was the man who thought we could use lasers in space to take out nuclear missiles in the 1980's. The same man who would regurgitate anything he read in a reader's digest magazine to anyone in earshot. The same man who armed the Mujahideen because he thought they would be a stable ally that the US could rely on in the Middle East. To me, these things don't sound too smart.
I'd really suggest people take a look at NPR's Landslide podcast, it's about the exact time between the Nixon registration and Reagan's election. It put into perspective the feelings of the politicians and the decisions they made (which usually had something to do with the opposition party at the time which isn't mentioned in this video). It really tells us how politics shaped into what it is today.
“Uh, well, I, uh ... the question is-is vague. You don't say what kind of candy, whether anyone is watching or, uh... At any rate, I certainly wouldn't harm the child.” And “You're all going to jail and don't expect me to grant a pardon like that sissy Ford.” Those are my favorites.
I think a topic that would fit your taste perfectly is the Freedom Train of 1947. It was an attempt by the Truman administration, through a private organization that included movie heads and industry giants, to galvanize a single American cultural identity through a traveling museum exhibit. Bing Crosby cut a promotional song about it and Rosa Parks saw one of her first major civil rights victories when she (along with others on the committee) convinced her city to desegregate the train station so everyone could enjoy the exhibit together.
Really enjoyable video! Ive been taking US History this past school year and have a new fascination for these presidents. I really liked seeing your more cultural approach to analyzing their presidents.
I know it’s unlikely that you could go to all of them but I’d highly recommend visiting the presidential library for these men. Having been to the ones of Carter, Johnson and Kennedy, the way each speaks about the events of their respective presidencies is honestly fascinating. Additionally, the way Johnson and Kennedy are revered by NASA at the Kennedy Space Center is something only comparable to the way Teddy Roosevelt is revered by the National Park Service. Kennedy’s library in Boston is also interesting because the city and Cape Cod still speak very highly of him.
Well done! That's a nice binning of generational presidents, starting with Kennedy and ending with Bush and alluding to Clinton. Clinton actually met Kennedy as a student in 1963, and he cites this as a major motivator to enter politics, starting with becoming class president of Georgetown University in 1964 and 1965. On a side note I enjoyed you mentions of presidential cabinets and advisors. You touched on Kennedy's and Reagan's, though Nixon's was incredibly influential during and after his term as well. Perhaps too nuanced and niche, a deeper dive into some of the notable various administrative leadership could be a fun ride :)
Regan I have nostalgia for despite not likeing him he was the president when I moved here form South Africa. I might had only been 3 but I remember so much for me leaving Capetown to landing in Rhode Island and seeing Regan on the Tv is such a clear memory
Heyyyy was not expecting Carter do be depicted with a Georgia Tech sweatshirt (since he didn’t graduate from there and only went there for like a year) but we like to claim him anyway 😅
I like Chuck Klosterman's description of Reagan as a presidential Mr. Rogers. Reagan's allure comes from the grand moral vision he projected for the nation and the way he projected it.
GHW Bush lost when Perot ran to his right, and split the conservative vote. Aside from violating a pledge to not raise taxes, Bush also offended conservatives with his gun control executive orders. Appealing to a movement that will never vote for Republicans was an example of his tone deafness.
Ok, sorry to be that guy, but JFK was in the Navy. A soldier is army. This a culturally important distinction in the US. He was very proud of his naval service, as naval service.
14:02 I'm going to quibble a bit here. The vast majority of the 60s-70s youth counterculture - people like James Bevel, Abbie Hoffman, the students at SDS, Hunter S. Thompson, John Lennon, Gloria Steinem, the Fondas, Muhammad Ali, etc. - they were all born as part of the late Silent Generation. The only major anti-war figures who were actually born in the post-war "boom" I can think of offhand were Neil Young (December '45) and Fred Hampton (1948). This isn't to downplay the contributions of the Boomers who *were* involved, they certainly played a big part especially in ground-level activism at universities, but most of them were still just too young at that time.
@@JJMcCullough Yeah IK (I'm subscribed to you on my main account), I just felt it necessary to reiterate the point from that video since you seemed to kind of gloss it over in this one.
Nixon’s negatives deserve to be aired out as much as they have been, but the other side of Nixon needs to get air play too. The side where he opted to not contest the FACT that the 1960 election was a tampered and rigged election (not a fantasy, like Trump’s presentation of 2020) because he thought it would hurt the nation too much. He could have fought the damage from Watergate and probably have worked something out, but didn’t because he thought it would divide the nation too much. His foreign policy was brilliant and reversed America’s rapid decline in the Cold War. Nixon is terribly complicated. Saying he was either good or bad is too reductionist.
I've been subscribed to you for a litle over 5 years now but it's only today that I realize you always upload on Sunday. Upon seeing this in my reccomended I thought to myself, "I remember watching a video of his last Sunday..." and so on and so on.
As a Brit, I think HW Bush can be best described to other brits as America’s John Major, the extremely boring old successor to a very important long serving political figure.
Jimmy Carter was the type of president we needed to move forward to progress out of the post WW2 gold era. Regan made some pretty good jokes and gave the country a credit card to pay off later.
Booooooooo Carter wasn’t a bad president but he was an establishment president that didn’t have a plan to fix new issues other than keep doing the same thing they had always done. Ronald Reagan wasn’t perfect but he was willing to try and create progress. He also did a lot very necessary reforms that uneducated loud mouths like you take for granted.
I would argue reagan did the most to ending the cold war and is the biggest reason Russia has an economy the size of Italy nowadays rather than a superpower force.
@@REDDAWNprojectThe USSR was imploding and anyone in office could have taken the credit. And a few historical events have happened to Russian since Regan. You've got some history to catch up on!
As a foreigner it's intresting to observe that the most famous presidents (that I've learned through pop culture osmosis) were in that order: Reagan, Kennedy, Nixon.
Most Americans say the most famous presidents were Washington (the first), Lincoln (during Civil War), Jefferson (wrote Declaration of Independence), maybe either or both Roosevelts.
With Nixon & Regan mentioning their two historical reelection victories would add more context to their cultural impacts on America. Winning 49 states each is historical and shows their cultural impacts on the US.
It’s interesting that each of these presidents has kinda become a specific political character. In terms of actual policy I kinda think Regan and Bush break kinda hard from the others and IKE and Truman could be added in but these 7 are probably the presidents most often culturally referenced in modern politics. I would guess it has to do alittle with the beginning of televised speaking events but that’s kinda a guess anyways interesting to think about
The only thing I'm curious about is what you said about a president in their late fifties/early 60s getting elected into office was seen as unusual. Because Truman was 60 during his inauguration, Eisenhower 62, FDR 51, Hoover 58, Coolidge 56 and Harding 57. All of whom predated the presidents you went over. And the median average age the president-elect has been on inauguration day is 56.72 years old. Great vid as always. Love this subject matter so so much and I love it being analyzed through a cultural lens which you always do so well.
Wow, listening to Bush 41's speech has me thinking about that Simpsons episode where he moves to Springfield. He really does sound like Flanders! Harry Shearer's voice acting was so on point.
As a foreigner, with my late parents gratefully acknowledging, the USA, defence of the South Pacific in WW2, the Vietnam War, was decisive in a unwinnable war due to the French colonialism. The Presidential candidate there after had huge impact in the Pacific region. Now the region is vulnerable to the strategic influence of the Peoples Republic of China. Who ever became before the 2024 election, we hope they have a comprehensive plan for the Pacific and South East Asia.
Great video as usual! One thing, JFK served in the Navy and was a Sailor. Soldiers are in the Army. He was a the Captain of a PT boat, and hurt his back while in the service
@@blastoiseddr when referring to members of the US Uniformed Services, they become proper now. Look at any of the correspondence manuals for any of them
You left out a lot of Nixon's legislative accomplishments. He was far more economically liberal than people remember, mainly because of watergate overshadowing it
The only two things that you didn’t mention that I wish you had was the assassination attempt on Reagan and Ross Perot running as an independent in 92 and essentially being the reason that bush sr ended up losing reelection
Can we at least appreciate Carter for being the only president that managed to deescalate the Israel-Palestine conflict? There used to be a time where many tens of thousands of tanks would roll accross the israeli border per decade on average
Personally, I'd like to see another "String of Presidents" video. Maybe a "Founding Fathers Presidents" vid, covering Washington - Monroe, a "Forgotten Presidents" video (covering the Presidents either between Jackson and Lincoln or between Grant and T. Roosevelt), the Post-WWI Presidents (Harding - Hoover) or the Presidents associated with WWII (FD Roosevelt - Eisenhower). Just some suggestions.
As an American who went to school in Indiana In Kindergarten, we had to sing the last names of the presidents after we sang a bit about our loyalty to the flag: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrision, Tyler, Polk, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchcanan. Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, Cleveland, McKinley, Rossevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge. Hoover Rossevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush (George H.W. Bush had been one year into his term when I was born and was president when I ws born.)
31:41 Speaking of which, his running mate was mocked for being too young and inexperienced to be Vice President. He responded by saying that he was the same age and had the same level of elected experience as JFK when he ran in 1960 (not quite: he was two years younger, served one less term in the House, but fairly close) until he was destroyed by Bentsen with the "You're no Jack Kennedy" line, but think of how many people have been propped up as serious candidates or even became President since with much less experience than Dan Quayle had.
Love the video! The one large oversight was Kennedy's promise that America would put a man on the moon which was overseen and ultimately accomplished by his successors.
It’s possible it happened before the Showa seven. It certainly seems prominent during and after it that the political leanings split by age seems to have been a major factor. The youth and older generations seem diametrically opposed each election. Perhaps the leaps in technology and quickly evolving lifestyles have led to such a divide. The olds can’t keep up whether it was the radio, tv, internet or whatever social app is cool today. Or the fact post ww2 life has meant less homeschooling or dropping out and more time being educated beside peers and in a formal setting away from your parents.
I find it interesting, and never really considered till watching your video, that the first Wwii vet to serve (Kennedy) was a charismatic young man from Massachusetts. While the last Wwii vet to serve was a stiff, unlikable old man, but also from Massachusetts. Interestingly Bush was the last veteran to serve to this day.
