LBJ 100th Anniversary

[mike renfro]

Actually yesterday. Thrust into the presidency, he used his US Senate contacts to push through the most important social legislation since FDR. Love him or hate him, he mattered.

[jazzcyclist]

Re: LBJ 100th Anniversary

Actually yesterday. Thrust into the presidency, he used his US Senate contacts to push through the most important social legislation since FDR. Love him or hate him, he mattered.

As a Black man, I feel a greater debt of gratitude towards him than I do towards Abraham Lincoln. I once saw a TV show where a panel of historians were discussing the legacy of US Presidents, and they all agreed that if not for the Vietnam War, LBJ would deserve to be on Mount Rushmore. Unlike LBJ, very few politicians today, are willing to grab a political third rail and hold onto it with both hands for the betterment of the country. And because the American people are so gullible and susceptible to pandering, the ones who are willing don't go very far in our political system.

[bad hammy]

The best political biography I've ever read was Robert Caro's series on LBJ (currently a trilogy with one more supposedly on the way). Turns out that LBJ was a lot more fascinating (and weird) than I would have thought, and Caro turns his life into a page-turner. Highly recommended must-read.

[gm]

My dad loves that guy. I actually sent him a birthday card when I was a kid, since his birthday was right after mine in August, and got a nice reply. Wonder which lowly assistant penned it... :lol: