On this date in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Economic Opportunity act, a key component of his Great Society program, an initiative many critics blame for creating the modern American welfare state.
At the same time, Johnson came to the sudden realization that he didn't really feel like working anymore.
Though it was too late to pull out of the November election, Johnson resolved to do whatever he could to get himself fired.
Simply sitting around doing nothing was a risky strategy. After all, it made Eisenhower one of the most popular presidents in history. He could start a dubious war on false pretenses, but as subsequent presidents would prove, that's just a quick ticket to reelection.
In the end, Johnson settled on a combination of tactics.
First, he would start an unpopular war in Vietnam based on a naval conflict in the Gulf of Tonkin that probably never happened. It would be the last act of his presidency that could even loosely be described as "work."
That accomplished, he set his sights to doing nothing. The country was entering a turbulent period with protests and riots that would engulf entire cities. It was the perfect time to sit back and catch up on some reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies.
Finally, to make sure nobody would ever ask him to do anything again, he started acting crazy, throwing his pet beagle by the ears across the White House lawn.
In 1969, Johnson left the White House with nothing but his family, his dog, and 13 tons of government cheese.
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