But he did it with such incompetence that he empowered the Radicals far more.
"But he did it with such incompetence that he empowered the Radicals far more."
I think they would have been empowered no matter what, remember, these people were absolutely crazy. Most of the ones who came down here were abject oppurtunists, and they were just gleefully cheered on by Washington.
If Johnson had been the most articulate man on the planet, he wouldn't have been able to do any good, because the radicals were absolutely intent on remaking the South to fit their desires. I will say though that attending that inauguration drunk (if it is true) was a bad decision on Johnson's part.