What LBJ would do

[gateley]

By Tom Johnson
Special to CNN

Editor's note: President Lyndon B. Johnson secured passage of Medicare, the Voting Rights Act and other milestone legislation. Tom Johnson, who served as one of LBJ's White House press secretaries, is former chief executive of CNN News Group and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times. He is an associate member of the board of visitors of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

He would have a willingness to horse-trade with every member.

He would keep a list of people who support each member financially. A call to each to tell them to get the vote of that representative.

He would have Billy Graham calling Baptists, Cardinal Cushing calling Catholics, Dr. Martin Luther King calling blacks, Henry Gonzales calling Hispanics, Henry Ford and David Rockefeller calling Republicans.

He would get Jack Valenti to call the Pope if it would help.

He would have speeches written for members for the Congressional Record and hometown newspapers.

He would use up White House liquor having nightcaps with the leaders and key members of BOTH parties.

Each of them would take home cufflinks, watches, signed photos, and perhaps even a pledge to come raise money for their next election.

<snip>

more at ... http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/24/johnson.lbj.health.care/index.html

[DebbieCDC]

1. LBJ knew how to pass legislation

He was Senate majority leader for I forget how many years and he KNEW what had to be done.

Vietnam was his undoing. I despise him to this day for that.

But he DID pass progressive legislation. I'll give the man his props for that.

[gateley]

4. Yeah, I have my probs w/LBJ and even more so after learning the truth

about some of the Vietnam "tactics" -- but I'm with you on he did get a lot of good legislation passed, and I'm grateful to him for that.

[tilsammans]

2. Great stuff! Sounds a lot like . . .

. . . Bob Schieffer's commentary on Sunday's "Face the Nation":
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5260337n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

:kick:

[gateley]

7. Yeah, sounds as though Schieffer was commenting/relaying what this

guy said. Sure was nice to see Schieffer report it, with a twinkle in his eye. :7 Thanks for the link!!

[valerief]

3. And he would have pulled some Sally Tomato tactics, too. nt

[Gold Metal Flake]

5. The Johnson Treatment

Johnson meets with Sen. Richard Russell
Photo: Yoichi R. Okamoto, 1963

[redqueen]

6. Those pictures are a perfect illustration...

the man knew how to get stuff done in DC, that's for sure.

[gateley]

8. Yeah! I've been yammering ad nauseam that Obama needs to stomp into

the House and Senate and pull an LBJ -- and send Biden to do it, too!

What a politician -- you are so right -- he knew how to get it done.

[gateley]

11. I love these -- thanks!! nt

[Libertas1776]

9. Sure,

we get stuck with the LBJ who will escalate a war, but not the LBJ who could push anything (such as health care)through Congress.

[gateley]

10. To be fair, the health care deal isn't over yet.

And don't get me started about Afghanistan -- I agree with you :grr: -- He IS getting us out of Iraq, though.. :shrug:

I just heard today that there's been some turn in the support for a Dem/public option plan -- toward more support, so we'll see.

[Cyrano]

12. Lyndon Johnson would have gotten us universal health care by

breaking the arm of every congressperson who wouldn't vote his way. And I would have applauded each and every step he took.

Yet, this is the man who lied to us about the Gulf of Tonkin which led to the deaths of almost 59,000 Americans, and who knows how many millions of Vietnamese.

It's impossible to evaluate this man. On the one hand, he brought about Medicare, the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, and so much more. And on the other hand, he was possibly a war criminal.

So much good and evil in one man.

[madrchsod]

13. well.....call joe haggar?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zNMo8kl7Ac

it`s around 3:40.....


:rofl:

[madrchsod]

14. johnson knew everyone`s strengths and weakness

and he had mike mansfield to run the senate.

the second greatest president of the last century.