See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/369972199

How Would American History Be Different if LBJ Had Lost the 1948 Election? A
ChatGPT Essay

Preprint · April 2023

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32206.74561

CITATIONS READS
10 397

1 author:

Robert W. McGee
Fayetteville State University
1,227 PUBLICATIONS 19,853 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Taxation View project

Tai Chi View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Robert W. McGee on 12 April 2023.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

How Would American History Be Different if LBJ Had Lost the 1948
Election? A ChatGPT Essay

Robert W. McGee
Fayetteville State University

WORKING PAPER

April 8, 2023

ABSTRACT
This study asked ChatGPT to “write an essay on how the USA would be different today if LBJ
had lost the 1948 election,” which some historians believe he stole due to ballot fraud. If that had
happened, LBJ might have never ascended to the Senate, then to the vice presidency and
presidency. There might never have been the Vietnam War, the Great Society, or perhaps even the
assassination of JFK (there is speculation that LBJ was involved). Well, that is what the author of
this study was expecting to see as a result of the study. The essay ChatGPT wrote was quite
different than what was expected. The present study adds to the growing body of evidence that
ChatGPT has a left-wing political bias.

Keywords: election fraud, ChatGPT, artificial intelligence, AI, Lyndon Baines Johnson, LBJ

JEL Codes: C89, D72, K16

INTRODUCTION

The present study is part of a larger study that examines the capabilities of ChatGPT, an
artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Other studies in the series are listed in the reference section.
There is strong evidence to suggest that Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) stole the 1948
election (Federer, 2018; Stengle, 2023; Wikipedia, 2023), which raises the question, “How would
the United States be different today if LBJ had lost that election?” LBJ went from the House of
Representatives to the Senate to the vice presidency to the presidency after John F. Kennedy (JFK)
was assassinated.
As president, LBJ gave us the failed Great Society, which cost billions of dollars and
destroyed thousands of families. Although the first few hundred American troops to die in Vietnam
died while JFK was president, LBJ expanded the war, which led to the deaths of more than 58,000
Americans.
I wanted to see what ChatGPT had to say about how American history would be different
if LBJ had lost that election. I gave ChatGPT the following command: “Write an essay on how the
USA would be different today if LBJ had lost the 1948 election. Include citations.” That essay is
given below.

1
THE ChatGPT ESSAY

If Lyndon B. Johnson had lost the 1948 election for the United States Senate, the
history of the country would have been very different. Johnson's political career and
accomplishments, which included the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights
Act of 1965, would never have happened, and the course of the civil rights movement
would have been altered. Additionally, the direction of the Democratic Party and its
relationship with African Americans would have been shaped differently.

Firstly, Johnson was a major force in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Without his influence, the act may never have been passed. Johnson was a master of
political maneuvering and was able to push the legislation through Congress. The act
outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in
employment and public accommodations. It was a landmark piece of legislation that
changed the course of civil rights in the United States.

Furthermore, Johnson was instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of
1965. The act protected the voting rights of African Americans, who had previously
been subjected to discriminatory practices such as poll taxes and literacy tests. Without
Johnson's efforts, it is possible that these discriminatory practices would have
continued, and the right to vote for African Americans would have remained limited.

Moreover, Johnson's presidency also saw the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, which
provided healthcare for the elderly and the poor, respectively. These programs have had
a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans. The United
States would have been a very different country without them.

In addition, Johnson's presidency also saw the escalation of the Vietnam War. Without
Johnson's leadership, it is possible that the war would not have escalated to the degree
that it did, and the United States may have withdrawn from the conflict earlier. This
would have had a significant impact on the country's foreign policy and international
relations.

Lastly, Johnson's relationship with the Democratic Party and African Americans was
complex. His presidency saw a realignment of the Democratic Party, with African
Americans becoming a key part of the party's coalition. Without Johnson's influence, it
is possible that the Democratic Party may have taken a different direction, and the
relationship between the party and African Americans may have been shaped
differently.

In conclusion, if Lyndon B. Johnson had lost the 1948 election, the history of the United
States would have been very different. Johnson's influence on civil rights, healthcare,
foreign policy, and the Democratic Party cannot be overstated. His legacy continues to
shape the country today, and without his leadership, the United States would be a very
different place.

2
 References:

1. The Civil Rights Act of 1964. (n.d.). National Archives and Records Administration.
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act
2. The Voting Rights Act of 1965. (n.d.). National Archives and Records Administration.
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/voting-rights-act
3. Medicare and Medicaid 50th Anniversary. (n.d.). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services. https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/History/50th-
Anniversary
4. Johnson and the Vietnam War. (2019, April 3). History.com.
https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/vietnam-war-lbj

THE SECOND ESSAY

ChatGPT has an option to regenerate the response. I chose that option. The second essay
is copied and pasted below.

The election of 1948 was a pivotal moment in American politics, with the incumbent
President Harry S. Truman running for re-election against Republican nominee Thomas
E. Dewey and a third-party candidate, Strom Thurmond, representing the States' Rights
Democratic Party. However, another candidate who was vying for a position in the U.S.
Senate, Lyndon B. Johnson, would have a significant impact on American politics and
history if he had lost the 1948 election. This essay will examine how the United States
would be different today if LBJ had lost the 1948 election.

Lyndon B. Johnson was a rising star in Texas politics, having served in the U.S. House
of Representatives since 1937. In 1948, he decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and his
opponent was Coke R. Stevenson, the incumbent Governor of Texas. The race was
incredibly close, with Johnson winning by only 87 votes after a controversial ballot
recount. If Johnson had lost the election, he would have likely continued to serve in the
U.S. House of Representatives and would not have become a significant player in
American politics.

One of the most significant impacts of Johnson's victory in the 1948 Senate race was his
ability to pass legislation that would have far-reaching consequences for the United
States. As a Senator, Johnson was instrumental in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1957,
which was the first major civil rights legislation passed since the Reconstruction Era.
Without Johnson's influence in the Senate, it is unlikely that this legislation would have
been passed, and the civil rights movement may have taken a different course.

Furthermore, Johnson's ascent to the presidency in 1963 following the assassination of

President John F. Kennedy was crucial in shaping American foreign policy during the
Cold War era. Johnson's approach to foreign policy, including the escalation of the
Vietnam War, would have been different if he had not become president. It is

3
 impossible to say exactly how the United States would have interacted with the Soviet
Union and other world powers during the Cold War era without Johnson's leadership.

Additionally, Johnson's Great Society program, which aimed to eliminate poverty and
racial injustice, would have likely not occurred if he had not become president. This
program resulted in the creation of programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and
significantly impacted American society. Without Johnson's leadership, it is unlikely
that the United States would have made significant strides in addressing poverty and
inequality.

In conclusion, the United States would be vastly different today if LBJ had lost the 1948
election. The passage of civil rights legislation, Johnson's foreign policy during the Cold
War era, and his Great Society program are just a few examples of how Johnson's
victory in the 1948 Senate race impacted American history. As historian Robert Caro
once wrote, "if Lyndon Johnson had not become a senator, it's possible to imagine that
he might never have been president. And if he had not been president, it's possible to
imagine that the great strides toward social justice and equality that we have made in
this country over the past fifty years might never have been made."

Sources:

• Caro, Robert A. "The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power." Vintage Books,
1982.
• Dallek, Robert. "Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961-1973." Oxford
University Press, 1998.
• "Lyndon B. Johnson." The White House, www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-
house/presidents/lyndon-b-johnson/.

ANOTHER QUESTION
I wanted to see what ChatGPT had to say about Johnson’s 1948 election campaign for the
U.S. Senate, which he won by 87 votes. Had he lost that election, history might be quite different.
The question I asked was: “Did LBJ steal the 1948 Senate election?” ChatGPT’s answer is given
below.

ANOTHER ANSWER

There are allegations that Lyndon B. Johnson, who was a candidate for the
Democratic Party, won the 1948 Senate election in Texas through fraudulent
means. However, there is no conclusive evidence to support this claim.

In the 1948 Senate election, Johnson was initially behind his opponent, Coke
Stevenson, in the vote count. However, as more votes were counted, Johnson
eventually overtook Stevenson and was declared the winner.

4
 There were accusations of voter fraud, including allegations of ballot-stuffing and
voter intimidation. However, these claims were not proven, and Johnson's victory
was upheld by the courts.

It is worth noting that voter fraud was not uncommon in Texas at the time, and
both parties engaged in questionable tactics to win elections. Therefore, it is
difficult to determine whether Johnson's victory was the result of fraud or simply
aggressive campaigning.

Overall, while there are allegations of voter fraud in the 1948 Senate election,
there is no conclusive evidence to support the claim that Lyndon B. Johnson stole
the election.

CONCLUDING COMMENTS
The essays ChatGPT created were good in terms of quality. They hit on some of the major
points of the Johnson administration. They would be a good starting point for a college term paper.
However, they were politically slanted toward the democratic view of the Johnson administration.
If ChatGPT were programmed by a republican, the essays would likely be far different. Prior
studies have found evidence that ChatGPT has been programmed to have a left-wing political
bias.1 The present study adds to that body of evidence.
Critics would point out that Johnson was primarily responsible for the Vietnam War, which
led to the deaths of more than 58,000 Americans, and that his economic policies were somewhere
between mediocre and bad. His so-called Great Society was far less than great, wasted billions of
dollars and helped with the breakup of families. Most or all of the civil rights laws that were passed
during the Johnson administration were in the process of being passed when Kennedy was
president, so some of the credit (or blame) for those laws could be attributed to JFK. Then there is
the charge that he was corrupt and addicted to power (Joesten, 2013). There is even speculation
that he was somehow involved in the JFK assassination (Nelson, 2011; Stone, 2014). Of course,
ChatGPT cannot be blamed for omitting some of these details and facts. They were short essays.

Robert W. McGee is a professor at the Broadwell College of Business and Economics,

Fayetteville State University, USA. He has earned 23 academic degrees, including 13 doctorates
from universities in the USA and four European Countries and a certificate in tai chi from the
Harvard Medical School. He has published more than 60 books, including several novels, and

1
McGee, Robert W. (2023). Is Chat GPT Biased against Conservatives? An Empirical Study. Working Paper,
February 14. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4359405 and DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27880.55047
and http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4359405 ; McGee, Robert W. (2023). How Would American History Be Different
if LBJ Had Lost the 1948 Election? A ChatGPT Essay. Working Paper, April 8, 2023; McGee, Robert W. (2023).
How Would American History Be Different If FDR Had Been Assassinated in 1933: A ChatGPT Essay. Working
Paper, April 8, 2023; McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Is the Definition of a Woman? How Many Genders Are There?
ChatGPT Answers. Working Paper, April 8, 2023; McGee, Robert W. (2023). Is ESG a Bad Idea? The ChatGPT
Response. Working Paper, April 8, 2023; McGee, Robert W. (2023); McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Will the United
States Look Like in 2050? A ChatGPT Short Story. Working Paper, April 8, 2023.

5
more than 1000 articles, book chapters, conference papers and working papers. Various studies
have ranked him #1 in the world for both accounting ethics and business ethics scholarship. He is
an attorney and CPA (retired) and has worked or lectured in more than 30 countries. He drafted
the accounting law for Armenia and Bosnia and reviewed the accounting law for Mozambique. He
was in charge of assisting the Finance Ministries of Armenia and Bosnia convert their countries to
International Financial Reporting Standards. He is also a world champion in taekwondo, karate,
kung fu and tai chi (both Yang and Sun styles) and has won more than 900 gold medals.

REFERENCES

Andrew, John A. (1999). Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society. Ivan R. Dee.

Califano, Joseph A., Jr. (1991). Triumph and Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson: White House Years.
Simon & Schuster.

ChatGPT. (2023). https://chat.openai.com/chat

Dallek, Robert. (1998). Flawed Giant: Lyndon B. Johnson and His Times, 1961-1973. Oxford
University Press.

Dallek, Robert. (2005). Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President. Oxford University Press.

Federer, Bill. (2018). How ‘Landslide Lyndon’ stole the Senate Race in 1948. World Tribune.
November 14. https://www.worldtribune.com/how-landslide-lyndon-stole-the-senate-race-
in-1948/

Hunt, Michael H. (2011). Lyndon Johnson’s War: America’s Cold War Crusade in Vietnam,
1945-1968. Hill and Wang, Reprint edition.

Joesten, Joachim. (2013). The Dark Side of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Iconoclastic Books.

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Is Chat GPT Biased against Conservatives? An Empirical Study.
Working Paper, February 14. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4359405 and DOI:
10.13140/RG.2.2.27880.55047 and http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4359405

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Annie Chan: Three Short Stories Written with Chat GPT, Working
Paper, February 14. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4359403 and DOI:
10.13140/RG.2.2.21169.66401

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Who Were the 10 Best and 10 Worst U.S. Presidents? The Opinion
of Chat GPT (Artificial Intelligence). Working Paper, February 23. DOI:
10.13140/RG.2.2.15304.19201 and https://ssrn.com/abstract=4367762

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Capitalism, Socialism and ChatGPT. Working Paper, February 24.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4369953 and DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30325.04324

6
McGee, Robert W. (2023). Ethics Committees Can Be Unethical: The Chat GPT Response.
(2023). Working Paper, March 17. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4392258 and DOI:
10.13140/RG.2.2.29950.66883

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Does God Exist? The ChatGPT Response. Working Paper, March 24.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4399070 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33312.66561

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Political Philosophy and ChatGPT. Working Paper, March 25.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4399913 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30429.08163

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Is There a Duty to Pay for the Education of Other People’s Children?
The ChatGPT Response. Working Paper, March 25. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4399980
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.20782.18242

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Evaluating Law Reviews for Promotion and Tenure: Two ChatGPT
Essays. Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413414

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Using ChatGPT to Conduct Literature Searches: A Case Study.
Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413417

McGee, Robert W. (2023). How Would American History Be Different if LBJ Had Lost the
1948 Election? A ChatGPT Essay. Working Paper, April 8, 2023.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413418

McGee, Robert W. (2023). How Would American History Be Different If FDR Had Been
Assassinated in 1933: A ChatGPT Essay. Working Paper, April 8, 2023.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413419

McGee, Robert W. (2023). How Would American History Be Different If Hitler Had Been
Assassinated in 1933: A ChatGPT Essay. Working Paper, April 8, 2023.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413420

McGee, Robert W. (2023). How Would History Be Different if Japan Had Been Successful in
Invading Manchuria? A ChatGPT Essay. Working Paper, April 8, 2023.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413421

McGee, Robert W. (2023). How Would History Be Different if Karl Marx Had Never Been
Born? A ChatGPT Essay. Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413422

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Compose a Musical Score for a
Taekwondo Tournament Routine: A ChatGPT Experiment. Working Paper, April 7, 2023.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413423

7
McGee, Robert W. (2023). Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Compose a Musical Score for a
Tai Chi Tournament Routine: A ChatGPT Experiment. Working Paper, April 8, 2023.
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413424

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Is It Possible to Be an Affirmative Action Employer and an Equal

Opportunity Employer at the Same Time? A ChatGPT Answer. Working Paper, April 8,
2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413426

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Can Tax Evasion Ever Be Ethical? A ChatGPT Answer. Working
Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413428

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Is the Definition of a Woman? How Many Genders Are There?
ChatGPT Answers. Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413430

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Is ESG a Bad Idea? The ChatGPT Response. Working Paper, April 8,
2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413431

McGee, Robert W. (2023). Gender Discrimination Arguments and Non Sequiturs: A ChatGPT
Essay. Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413432

McGee, Robert W. (2023). How to Determine Your “Fair Share” of Taxes: Ask ChatGPT.
Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413435

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Are the Top 20 Questions in History? A ChatGPT Reply.
Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413437

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Are the Top 20 Questions in Philosophy? A ChatGPT Reply.
Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413439

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Are the Top 20 Questions in Political Philosophy? A ChatGPT
Reply. Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413440

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Are the Top 20 Questions in Sociology? A ChatGPT Reply.
Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413441

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Will the United States Look Like in 2050? A ChatGPT Short
Story. Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413442

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Are the Top 20 Questions in Economics? A ChatGPT Reply.
Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413445

McGee, Robert W. (2023). What Are the Top 20 Questions in Economic Philosophy? A
ChatGPT Reply. Working Paper, April 8, 2023. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4413448

Nelson, Phillip F. (2011). LBJ: The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination. Skyhorse, 2nd revised
edition.

8
 Stengle, Jamie. (2023). ‘Window into history’: Tapes detail LBJ’s stolen election. Associated
Press, ABC News. March 31. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/window-history-tapes-
detail-lbjs-stolen-election-98276229

Stone, Roger. (2014). The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ. Skyhorse.

Van DeMark, Brian. (1991). Into the Quagmire: Lyndon Johnson and the Escalation of the
Vietnam War. Oxford University Press.

Wikipedia. (2023). Box 13 scandal. Viewed April 7, 2023.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_13_scandal

View publication stats