Historian discusses presidents’ legacies

Historian Michael Beschloss said people cannot judge a president until they look beyond his legacy.\nBeschloss, who was the third speaker for the IU School of Journalism Spring Speaker Series, spoke to a crowd of about 520 people Monday night at the IU Auditorium. Beschloss helped attendees comprehend what makes a good president through stories of past presidents he has researched. His advice was intended to help Indiana residents decide who to vote for in the upcoming primary. \nBrad Hamm, dean of the IU School of Journalism, said the school wanted to create a political theme with the speaker series and said because Beschloss is a historian and not a journalist, he gave an interesting perspective on politics.\nBeschloss said because he is a historian, he looks at presidents in a different light.\nThe difference between journalists and historians is that journalists can analyze in real time while historians use hindsight, Beschloss said. \nBeschloss shared humorous stories of former presidents and shared insight to how he evaluates their legacy.\n“You are trying to decode the leadership of a president,” Beschloss said. \nHe shared a story of when Lyndon B. Johnson opened a library after himself at the University of Texas at Austin during the time when the Vietnam War was first starting to spark controversy. \nAt first, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum was not popular because of the war, Beschloss said.\nHowever, at a football game, Johnson had the football announcer tell attendees they could use the library’s restroom, Beschloss said. \nHe joked about how Johnson’s move made the library one of the most popular libraries, and it was an action that displayed his leadership skills.\nOn a more serious note, Beschloss gave advice to attendees about how they should decide for whom to vote in the upcoming Indiana primary. \n“Have someone with courage,” Beschloss said, “and someone who can talk to America.”\nBeschloss said past presidents have demonstrated courage by taking risks that might damage their popularity. \nOne example Beschloss gave is John Adams, a man who gave up his potential second presidential term instead of going to war. \nBeschloss said journalists can help people evaluate and analyze candidates in current situations.\nBy the end of his lecture, Beschloss said all three presidential hopefuls have demonstrated courage in different ways. \nBeschloss said people need to look beyond courage in a candidate.\n“Is this someone that can bring us together?” Beschloss asked the crowd. \nFormer IU employee Gayle Stuebe said she enjoyed the tips Beschloss gave on how to pick a presidential candidate. \n“He reinforced my voting decision,” said Stuebe, who voted Monday through an absentee ballot. \nHamm said he enjoyed all the stories Beschloss shared with attendees. \n“It is easy to come in and tell a story, but he is the one who found the story,” Hamm said. \nFreshman Steven Sajkich agreed with Hamm and said he mostly enjoyed the stories about past presidents.\n“(I liked) his discussion on LBJ and how we can relate history of (past) presidents to today,” Sajkich said.