Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Abrigan.

This day January 9, 1964, President Linden Johnson called on Congress to declare a, quote,

unconditional war on poverty.

This was during Johnson's State of the Union speech, technically it was January 8th,

but we're doing the show January 9th. In this State of the Union speech he proclaimed that quote,

our aim is not only to relieve the symptoms of poverty but to cure it and

above all to prevent it. A lot of notable and fairly successful programs would be

folded into this effort.

A lot of them, of course, with us still today.

This was an attempt to restructure the federal government

to help support people in need.

Of course, we're in another moment where this country is debating

that kind of sweeping legislation to shore up

our economy and social services and sort of rethink how we take care of people who need help.

So let's discuss the war on poverty as a policy effort and as a branding exercise so here to do that as always are

Nicole Hammer of Columbia and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley hello there.

Hi dirty.

Hey there.

thoughts on it as branding a good move to call it or in 1964 I don't think Americans

appetite for war is like super high right cold well Vietnam's not going great.

This became a war on everything, a war on drugs, a war on crime,

...