Confessions of a Republican (LBJ 1964 Presidential campaign commercial) VTR 4568-26

Serial #: VTR 4568, No. 26
Date: 1964
Event: 1964 Presidential Campaign
Location: Unknown
Credit: Democratic National Committee
Rights Info: No usage fees. User must observe DNC guidelines. Contact LBJ Presidential Library for more information.
Description: Black and white television advertisement. This ad from the Democratic National Committee during the 1964 election portrays concerns of a Republican voter about Republican nominee Barry Goldwater.
Subjects: 1964 presidential election, Barry Goldwater

[@OMGoodnessMe]

William Bogert, the actor here, was interviewed tonight on The Maddow Show. He said he believed every word of what he was saying and that's why he agreed to let them use his name. He is still registered as a Republican, but he feels the same about Trump and the choice of Republican candidates 2016. Charming man.

[@joelholmes1260]

You Liberals REALLY did "well" with the "Peace Candidate" (LBJ), didn't you? Just as with Woodrow Wilson in 1916 & FDR in 1940.

[@dangelo1369]

@@joelholmes1260 Well, a helluva lot better than you guys did with Bush I, Bush the Dumber and Donald Trump. Face it, Dwight Eisenhower was the high point of the Republican Party since Teddy Roosevelt.

[@313dlo]

@@dangelo1369 you got my name lol

[@treehouse722]

Amazing to watch this in Feb. 2016.

[@scasino9358]

+treehouse722 truly amazing.

[@scasino9358]

Doug in San Diego i think he's saying that the democrats followed them to the right, which is completely true. The democrats are now center-right corporatists. I'm from Europe, and i'm telling you, you have no left-leaning party anymore. You have a far-right party with some moderates in it, and a center-right corporatist party. Bernie Sanders, which the US sees as far left, is a centrist candidate in all regards except taxes, when it comes to taxes he's left-leaning.

[@barbaraobach]

fingers crossed

[@allengreene9954]

San Diego I wish that was true.

[@matthambly2225]

How'd that work for you?

[@Mdebacle]

By 1965, there was a joke: " They said if I voted for Goldwater, there would be a war. So I voted for Goldwater and sure enough there was a war."

[@merciful5517]

deep

[@johnnypastrana6727]

That was William Buckley's joke.

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

Oh dayum!

[@nni9310]

Sorry, I'm in Australia. How is this a joke?

[@aidenkinerk3141]

@@nni9310 It references how Lyndon Johnson, the winner of the 1964 election ran on a peace platform. Then in 1965, the United States under Johnson went to war against North Vietnam.

[@BenjaminWinter7]

"If you unite behind a man you don't believe in; it's a lie."

[@semafodje782]

+Benjamin Winter "You hear a lot about what these men are against, they seem to be against everything, but what are they for...?

[@theprimalfuckhead526]

"If you unite behind a woman you don't believe in; it's a lie." ~Myself 2016

[@tbcass]

"Anybody who supports Trump is a brain dead idiot" Me right now.

[@epaddon]

Curbing the excess of the Federal Government. Belief in individual freedom and liberty. Pursuing a policy in the Cold War aimed toward achieving victory. All of that a philosophy that true conservatives and true Republicans embraced. RINO's like this phony were nothing but sadomasochists who loved to be dominated by Democrats.

[@shckltnebay]

It goes both ways sir, you unite behind a liar and thief that's still under incitement, the democrats made a huge mistake Hillary

[@cinemascoper7628]

This is actor William Bogert. Wikipedia: "Bogert was a Republican when the ad was made, which was a requirement for the casting".

[@suparflyer]

*lifelong republican

[@scasino9358]

The funny thing is, Goldwater was an extremist. But in his late life, he repeatedly denounced the GOP and said that he feels like the new liberal wing of the party. Goldwater was pro-gay rights. Goldwater was pro-choice. Goldwater was secular and did not want religion dictating politics. So, on pretty much every social issue, Goldwater was very liberal compared to the current GOP. That's how far right the GOP has gone.

[@Sn1ckersB0y41]

he was also a racist

[@Toadyru]

+Aaron Williams Let us not label people 50 years ago...... or......Let us remove Thomas Jefferson from our history books He was a slave owner. We should tear down his monuments and devalue his papers/writings.

[@Andrew-bd8cb]

+s casino Goldwater was more a libertarian. That's why they found him so scary back then.

[@browncoat697]

+Aaron Williams That was the big thing, he was super anti-civil rights. Johnson helped champion them in the way only he could (as a Texas Democrat).

[@johnsurs22]

+Aaron Williams No, not at all - please research the history

[@GEOHHADDAD]

Dust it off and air it....perfect

[@JohnSmith-ps7wp]

+Anthony Goldsmith AWESOME !

[@patrickdement8381]

+Anthony Goldsmith "Dust".? Nah.! ..You'll need toilet paper to clean up this bs..

[@thomasregister5376]

The actor in the commercial is William Bogert. He was the Clancy Bigsby interviewer in the Chappelle Show episode, "Black White Supremacist".

[@dikshagupta5971]

Actually stopped and questioned the video's authenticity when he mentioned how the head of KKK supported the candidate. This is freakishly uncanny.

[@loopthetube]

Is this how they started moving the Klan away from the Democrats? I'm going to see what I can find out about that convention.

[@FirePumpkin]

I've actually been looking into the passing of the civil rights act. Both the house and senate were Democrat majorities yet at that time most of the states of the south, those that were the Confederate, were called the "south bloc" and were mostly Democrats. They vowed to block and fight the senate bill to the end. Of the 19 senators who filibuster the bill, they were all from the southern bloc and most were Democrats, one was Republican. After the Civil Rights Act passed, the southern states started to flip Republican.

[@lorenzoprejimmy2591]

If you look at the personal lives of the candidates in 196- (I forget the year), Goldwater was *much* less racist than Johnson.

[@regjr35]

Barry Goldwater lost 486-52 in the electoral college. Let's hope that part of history also repeats itself.

[@orlandorodriguez7235]

Hahaha

[@mo1234590]

We have another try ...

[@noneofyourbusiness1114]

Trump is a better canidate than clinton and biden tho lol

[@abdoldaneshinia2459]

"if you unite behind a man you don't believe in its a lie." I love it.

[@NickCC23]

Bill Bogert, who was a character actor all his life, played this Republican (basing this on his real views). He died Jan 12,2020 at age 83.

[@pk26pk26]

Since he died at the same time of the coup plot to overthrow Trump, I must ask: was it natural causes and/or old age, or did Hillary or Biden have something to do with his death?

[@chiragnaik3436]

Ihj

[@felicialonigro1689]

Amazing... so perfect for today. I wish it was airing today

[@playing85dumb]

It's the Frontline host from Chappelle Show!

[@kingfish114]

Maybe

[@ediebarry4648]

BEST POLITICAL AD EVER! Love it!

[@WadeJSchmidtwadeintn]

Priceless, just absolutely priceless.

[@Donald-ml5xv]

This guy's an actor. He's done loads of commercials.

[@newshawk50]

+Donald And....?

[@KennBurch]

+Donald Was it George Montgomery, Elizabeth "Bewitched"s Montgomery's dad?

[@jamesjgutierrez]

+Donald William Bogert www.cc.com/video-clips/4rbnuo/chappelle-s-show-inside-chappelle-s-show-studio

[@mujin70]

+Donald Yeah, seems like a fake.

[@richardpetty9159]

+Donald That would be bad. More info, please.

[@bobbyelias9642]

Wow, I wonder how this ad is applying to what's happening in America right now.

[@hyperwebbing]

+Bobby Elias it doesn't. Move along.

[@bobbyelias9642]

Chris Jones oh well then.

[@ediebarry4648]

Yeah huh. It does.

[@jdzeeb]

This is wild watching in 2020

[@gloverhaywood]

This is freaking incredible. Wow.

[@rsewill12]

This actor was on The Rachel Maddow Show on May 2, 2016. His views about this election mirror those expressed in '64.

[@jonathanbrandt3071]

the video is over 4 minutes long. I think even back in 1964, ads were only 30 seconds long or possibly 1 minute. did the johnson campaign rotate which parts they showed, or was there only one part that would get aired?

[@KateGowers]

Yep, he was an actor - and still is. However, when this ad was made, he was actually a Republican planning to vote for Johnson. Yep, it was (probably) scripted and spoken by an actor. Doesn't change the import though. (References: www.snopes.com/confessions-of-a-republican/#)

[@Ignensis]

+The Avatar he says in an interview on CNN on the 17th of this month that he was a Republican at the time and he meant every word he said in that commercial.

[@ediebarry4648]

So was he or wasn't he? Anyone?

[@hotwax9376]

+Kate Gowers The casting required that the actor be a Republican--and Bill Bogert, the actor in this ad, was.

[@billysmith3070]

where is the proof that he was a Republican?

[@epaddon]

Oh you mean the old "fake but true" defense that Dan Blather made famous in 2004?

[@01ncush]

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it...

[@Black3y3dAng3L]

Ohhhhh how relevant this message is to what's going on in today's election period.

[@billysmith3070]

maybe hillary needs to find an actor too

[@AlexS-df7qk]

She did. Same guy.

[@dpinzow]

She redid the ad today with the same actor

[@ellasnow3575]

+billy smith lmao she used the exact same actor.

[@InTheEmbers]

The twist: the first presidential candidate Hillary supported? That was Goldwater.

[@Sackofbooks]

The more things change...

[@mlc4495]

The way the Clinton campaign updated this for the 2016 election really was genius. Trump is truly the reincarnation of Goldwater and every bit as nuts. It's a shame Clinton though wasn't as tough and ruthless as Johnson was in calling out maniacs. LBJ would have called Trump's fanatical supporters far worse than mere "deplorables".

[@georgestaunton6994]

Rachel Maddow interviewed him this evening. Thanks to her, I get to watch this commercial made two years before I was born!

[@samuelramey7581]

This guy was on Rachel Maddow tonight(May 2)and spoke of feeling the same way about the republican party in the current election.

[@ebarteldes]

Change "Goldwater" for "Trump" --- oh wait, they redid this with the same guy 52 years later

[@theuniversedoesntcare]

Hillary is the new LBJ?

[@tjcassidy2694]

At least Goldwater wasn't a lying, chickenshit draftdodger.

[@unclereggie9113]

LBJ was the ultimate insider and we got Medicare Medicaid & Civil Rights - much Progressive business was completed - there are similarities

[@shckltnebay]

or Hillary

[@allengreene9954]

TJ Cassidy He served his country proudly.

[@rainmanslim4611]

Well, this aged well.

[@michaelk3267]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Current events are not outliers.

[@barbaraobach]

This amazing , Johnson's Ad men wee creative geniuses, the democrats should hire them today , their still great.

[@joeyro7376]

Biden should reuse this ad.

[@maxB2262]

Hillary did.

[@Raider8784]

Hmm watching this in 2020, anything seem familiar here?

[@loopthetube]

I'm just looking for where LBJ started attacking the Republicans using the KKK which he and most the Democrats were members of.

[@jamiearan]

Senator Goldwater began the change in the party that eventually killed the strong Rockefeller Republican faction (Though it survives today in a few Northern Governors)

[@lizabethkane7044]

Goldwater equals orange face.. History does repeat itself, until we get it right.!!

[@fifirio7680]

Oh definitely!!!

[@VincentMichael207]

I love this ad and this guy! I just saw him on Rachel Maddow! he's a hero!

[@WingsofNine]

do you have a link to the maddow video?

[@WingsofNine]

Beemerboy324 Thanks!

[@Gablesman888]

Astoundingly, this old LBJ ad for President has been trotted out by the Hillarrhoid forces. While very few voters, especially millennials, would even know who Barry Goldwater was, Hillary Clinton would very well know him. After all, she campaigned for him in 1964 as a so called "Goldwater Girl". But it gets better. The Hillabill and the Hillarrhoid maintained a very friendly relationship with Goldwater, so much in fact that they went to visit him at his Arizona home during his last illness while Clinton was President!Would Barry Goldwater have caused a nuclear war? Of course, not. But his opponent LBJ set in high gear a war that killed over 50,000 American servicemen, including a high school classmate of mine.

[@hermionegranger1544]

Hillary was 17 years old when she "campaigned for him". Grow up.

[@Gablesman888]

@Watson. Though he held differing political views, JFK once made a fine talk about the merits on one Barry Goldwater. They were truly friends back when members of Congress truly respected each other.

[@chuckkottke]

The Lincoln Party brought you this message! And now we know we've been here before, except we just survived a president nuttier than Barry Goldwater.

[@Charlie-uz8vb]

LBJ and Biden are war criminals. As long as they have a D next to their name it seems.

[@lindapolin6049]

kinda reminds me of George Will, lol

[@iceskatesv]

Wow. History repeating itself.

[@JJA8020]

Jeez, this is just as relevant now as it was 52 years ago.

[@JohnSmith-ps7wp]

THAT....is an EPIC ' breakdown of the situation ' folks. HOLY SHIT !

[@isabellas2]

Eerily applicable to 2016. I also really like the starkness at the end with the last line.

[@arain9465]

The thing that will really make your head spin.... A young High Schooler Hillary Rodham worked on the Goldwater Campaign. She was a Goldwater Girl.

[@coleencusack1244]

The actor William Bogert appeared on the May 2nd Rachel Maddow show and said that when it aired the words he stated were 100% his own. That the commercial had originally been scripted to run with his name and the actor said he would've said whatever if he was hired as an actor, but if his personal name appeared on it as an endorsement, he would have to agree. There was one change to the script he prompted because he disagreed and the change was accepted. He went on to state that today he looks at the Republican party and says, "This is the cream of the crop?" He said he could not vote for any of the current Republican candidates.

[@chrismartinez1270]

How appropriate for a time like this....

[@justlookin626]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[@nightmuffin937]

Ive been a republican since JR High. Now I'm an Independent

[@DocRockk]

"A President ought to mean what he says!" Trump sure cant make that claim. His opinions and beliefs are totally different, on any given day

[@cold9503]

Sounds more like hillary.

[@matdavis241]

Close your eyes and tell me who you envision when your hear this commercial now...

[@hyperwebbing]

+Kyle Taylor Goldwater. Why?

[@AlexAkesson]

It is a commercial. Of course he is an actor. You are missing the point. Listen.to.the.words.

[@leitmotif4me]

+Alex Akesson He was on the Rachel Maddow show on Monday, where he said that those were his sentiments at the time.

[@billysmith3070]

+leitmotif4me sure they were... when has he done anything for the Republicas? never i have seen no proof he was a Republican

[@TheLogicalResult]

Humans stay the same, it's our technology that changes.

[@devinharper823]

Damn. The similarities are striking. Unreal.

[@soprano94]

thank you Rachael Maddow

[@roadwarr]

Interview with the actor on CNN today, including commentary on comparisons and contrasts between then and now. I'm sure you can find it on CNN's website, unless someone posts it here.

[@rogerrrubin]

history will repeat itself

[@kennethstein521]

Wow, WONDER WHAT MOTIVATION BEING USED BY THE LINCOLN PROJECT.

[@diannehoward3381]

This needs to be played over and over and over....very appropriate for the 2016 election campaigns....listen up, America!!!

[@distah]

too late go hillary

[@chasetyler8690]

The Clinton campaign actual hired this same actor to make a similar ad. I just saw it.

[@jds1991spies]

Yeah, this guy is acting and they have made an identical anti trump pro hillary ad a few months ago(same lines and everything), it might even be the same actor. Wake up America

[@torresongs2]

Bill Bogert was an actual Republican and an actor. He was reading lines but also expressing his own thoughts.

[@jds1991spies]

im sure he agreed with the script, but every movement, every pause, every breath, was part of the act. Watch the new one they shot, same bs.

[@hebneh]

In the comments, people are denouncing Johnson for the deaths of the Vietnam War. Keep in mind Goldwater's statement of the time, that the U.S. should bomb North Vietnam "back to the Stone Age". And he was not ruling out nuclear bombs when he said this. He would have carried Vietnam to an extreme far beyond LBJ. That's the point of this commercial.

[@Cainer444]

Man, put Trump's name in place of Goldwater and we have history repeating itself.

[@philnorthcott135]

That is eerie.

[@Sn1ckersB0y41]

History repeats itself.

[@MrHazyDayz]

+Aaron Williams You're right. Today the left uses the same lies to push socialism and the welfare state.

[@Olivpinc]

Just watched this entire ad video, on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. WOW what a campaign ad, very powerful !!!!!

[@enlightenedwarrior7119]

You actually watch Rachel maddcow ? Lol

[@annemiddleton8804]

Kate Gowers this very man even though he much older now was on CNN Don Lemon show tonight. He was indeed a Republican and this video was real for his party.

[@jakehenry616]

I just learned this actor is the anchor from the Frontline segment on Chappelle show

[@robertsmalley3986]

Nice!!... I was trying to remember where i've seen him, thank you,...it was killing me.

[@flamencaporsiempre]

Lol! Any similarity with current events are mere coincidence 😁😁😁

[@tobiojo5806]

yeah, the 2016 Presidential Election.

[@cto1usn]

Outstanding and just as Pertinent Today.

[@MimiGW]

Awesome ad

[@eddiequinones3396]

This is Bill Bogert... the same guy who hosted "Frontline: Clayton Bigsby" on the series premiere of "Chappelle's Show" 39 years later. Mind blown.

[@et34t34fdf]

How relevant this is today, nothing learned.

[@Keepit100Dre]

Vote for Bernie Sanders so Barry Goldwater 2.0 (Donald Trump) does not destroy America

[@Gablesman888]

I voted for our dearly departed Bernie. Now my mantra is: DUMPTHEFRUMPVOTEFORTRUMP!!!I heartily encourage you to do the same. Many Bernie people are doing likewise.

[@Keepit100Dre]

Hell no. I'm voting Jill Stein

[@DavidWilliams-iy4lv]

You do realize that Clinton has FAR MORE in common with Sanders than Trump has... right?

[@kellerclark9894]

Donald Trump makes even Barry Goldwater look like a moderate. Goldwater was an environmentalist, Trump thinks climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese to damage our manufacturing industry Goldwater was pro choice, Trump wants to "punish women" who have abortions, with prison time. Goldwater supported gay rights, Trump is against gay marriage and is against adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Civil Rights Act and federal hate crimes legislation. Today's Republican Party is a dangerous force

[@tbcass]

I don't believe that any true Bernie Sanders supporter would ever vote for Trump because politically they are nothing alike. For that reason I believe you are lying when you say you were a Sanders supporter.

[@citronm1405]

This guy was on Dave Chappelle!! Good on him! Some people have sense.

[@dylane.9470]

his description reminds me of a Certain Republican man in the White house today in 2017

[@rgreenman2008]

wow. this so relevant to 2016.

[@Tsnore]

Would this actor have voted for Trump in 2016?

[@jrave5353]

This guy's cadence and overall demeanor really reminds me of actor Jimmi Simpson

[@SullenAndWithdrawn]

This is genius. Anyone know the ad agency the DNC used?

[@dangelo1369]

RIP William Bogert (1936-2020)

[@ADAMSIXTIES]

LBJ was a hero from '63-'65. Then he became a villain. This ad could have been a 2016 or 2020 one.

[@terrimaloney6340]

Wow, sounds/feels eerily familiar.......

[@GEOHHADDAD]

He was an actor! So? Ronald Reagan was also an actor when he gave his impassioned pro Goldwater speech.

[@ediebarry4648]

Sooo, Reagan was always just acting? What did Reagan know and when did he forget it?

[@MORE1500]

'Nuking North Vietnam in the defense of Wall Street profits is no vice.' -Goldwater in his wildest dreams.

[@emrecio]

Wow, just wow! Thanks for posting!

[@tomryan4968]

He played Matthew Broderick's father in "War Games."

[@maryannross50]

William Bogert just appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show. He said he believed everything he said on the commercial. When he read the script it had one thing he didn't like and they edited it out.

[@Charlezard.]

Fun fact: this guy later was the old reporter who interviewed the black, white supremacist, Clayton Bigsby, on Chappelle's show.

[@TalkingSoup]

history repeats itself

[@Resellaw]

Pretty sure this is the guy in Chapelle's Show skit about the Black White Supremacist

[@loveyahwehandyahshua]

Wow...

[@anthonylusardi1098]

This actor was just on television saying"yes he was an actor hired to play a role",,, but he also stated "that believed in every statement in made in the ad". He also states that "he is not going to vote for any or the current leading Republican candidates for President".

[@peteschaefer5591]

What goes around comes around doesn't it!

[@epaddon]

Care to revise your statement? :D

[@kevinle76]

Still relevant.

[@noneofyourbusiness1114]

How trump has surprisingly been the most anti war president the USA has ever had....

[@holysmokes4259]

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them." ~Barry Goldwater~

[@FirstNameLastName-dx2or]

He's gorgeous💜💜💜

[@godfather6942]

The guy in the ad is actually still alive today. (ATM Of writing) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bogert

[@saintofconsequence]

He played the dad in War Games; the one who buttered his corn on the cobb using a piece of bread to smear the butter on.

[@necelticsox]

why would he be scared of someone who was the first man to say gays should be in the military and founded the Arizona chapter of the NAACP?

[@MegaBallPowerBall]

+necelticsox Goldwaters social policies were never really talked about. It was his economic policies that terrified people. Goldwater lost Idaho, Alaska, Kansas, Texas, etc states that are almost impossible to imagine going blue.

[@jjyu5633]

This is one of the most important political ads of all time.

[@MysLed]

Was he speaking about today's politics or from another past time!