The Daily History Chronicle

On November 3, 1964, Lyndon Johnson won the most lopsided presidential victory in modern American history, crushing Republican Barry Goldwater with 61% of the popular vote. It looked like the triumph of liberal governance and the death of conservative politics. However, these appearances were deceptive.

Join host Richard Backus as we explore the election that launched the Great Society, featured the infamous "Daisy ad" that revolutionized political advertising, and triggered a political realignment that continues to shape America today. Discover how Goldwater's crushing defeat in five Deep South states marked the beginning of the Republican Party's Southern strategy, how Johnson's landslide enabled Medicare and civil rights legislation but couldn't save him from Vietnam, and how a losing candidate's message can ultimately win the long-term argument.

From a little girl counting daisy petals to a nuclear explosion, from the Civil Rights Act to the conservative movement's awakening, this is the story of an election that changed everything, just not in the way anyone expected.