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Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Always a Waiting Line
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Always a Waiting Line

Artifact ID1973.1.387
Artist (United States, 1905 - 1986)
Publisher (1922 - 1989)
Date ca. September 1967
Medium Ink and grease pencil on drawing paper
DimensionsOverall H 14 3/8 in x W 11 in (36.5 cm x 27.9 cm )

Physical Description
Physical DescriptionOriginal cartoon drawing. LBJ rides a roller coaster ("White House Roller Coaster") through the track ("Budget”, “Popularity”, “Vietnam War”, “Congress”, “War on Poverty”, “Crime & Riots in Cities"). Several men ("Nixon”, “Romney”, “Bobby”, “Rocky”, “Ronny", and others) wait for tickets. The man at the booth (“Check your ticket here”) says, “You wouldn’t think this ride would be so popular?”. Caption: “Always a Waiting Line”. Artist signature lower left: "Reg Manning”. A small piece of paper “McNaught Syndicate, Inc.” adhered to lower left.
Inscriptions and MarkingsHandwritten at upper left: "An Arizona howdy to our Texas President, Reg Manning 9-28-67". Handwritten at lower center: [blue] “3 col” “Mailing”. Stamped at lower center: “Sep 4 1967”.
Historical NotePresident Johnson was up for his second term during the 1968 election, but he would later withdraw from the race on March 31, 1968. Former Vice President Richard Nixon secured the Republican nomination during the 1968 election. His platform emphasized crime and he criticized Johnson’s Vietnam policy, but was vague about his own plans to end the war. Michigan governor George Romney ran against Richard Nixon in the 1968 Republican primaries. In August 1967, he described being “brainwashed” into supporting the Vietnam War, a controversial comment at the time. He shifted to an antiwar platform, and withdrew on February 28, 1968. New York governor Nelson Rockefeller entered the 1968 Republican primaries in spring 1968. He was a part of the Republican liberal wing. California governor Ronald Reagan ran as a conservative Republican during the 1968 primaries. New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a prominent critic of the Vietnam War, ran for president in 1968 as a Democrat with an anti-war platform until his assassination in June 1968.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from the general public to President Johnson during his term in office. It was received by President Johnson, until the President donated it to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in 1973.
Credit LineGift of Lyndon Baines Johnson
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
Person Referenced Ronald Reagan (United States, 1911 - 2004)
Person Referenced Richard Nixon (United States, 1913 - 1994)
Person Referenced Robert F. Kennedy (United States, 1925 - 1968)
Person Referenced Nelson Rockefeller (United States, 1908 - 1979)
Person Referenced George W. Romney (United States, 1907 - 1995)
Person Referenced Lyndon Baines Johnson (United States, 1908 - 1973)
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