LYNDON B. JOHNSON
|
|
|
Johnson the consummate politician
LBJ was an extremely talented politician famous for his ability to persuade or coerce members of congress to vote the way he wanted him to- the so-called "Johnson treatment". Here is a description from two journalists (Rowland Evans and Robert Novak) of the "Johnson treatment":
"The Treatment could last ten minutes or four hours. It came, enveloping its target, at the Johnson Ranch swimming pool, in one of Johnson's offices, in the Senate cloakroom, on the floor of the Senate itself — wherever Johnson might find a fellow Senator within his reach.
Its tone could be supplication, accusation, cajolery, exuberance, scorn, tears, complaint, and the hint of threat. It was all of these together. It ran the gamut of human emotions. Its velocity was breathtaking, and it was all in one direction. Interjections from the target were rare. Johnson anticipated them before they could be spoken. He moved in close, his face a scant millimetre from his target, his eyes widening and narrowing, his eyebrows rising and falling. From his pockets poured clippings, memos, statistics. Mimicry, humour, and the genius of analogy made The Treatment an almost hypnotic experience and rendered the target stunned and helpless."
Johnson had lots of congressional experience to call upon- he had spent 23 years in both houses before he became vice-president in 1961. He had served as a Senate majority whip as well as a minority and majority leader of Senate Democrats. He memorized vast amounts of detail about the professional and personal lives of fellow congressmen so that he knew how to win over or frighten them into bending to his will. Interestingly, he voted against Truman's Civil Rights Bill of 1948 and was responsible for diluting Eisenhower's Civil Rights Bill in 1957 before going on to sign into law the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 which finally banned dejure segregation. This contradictory behaviour is explored in detail in one of the articles at the bottom of this page (Lyndon Johnson was a civil rights hero) but, while it is impossible to fully ascertain his true motives in 1948 and 1957, it is likely that he was doing the most politically expedient thing- winning support in pro-segregationist Texas.
"The Treatment could last ten minutes or four hours. It came, enveloping its target, at the Johnson Ranch swimming pool, in one of Johnson's offices, in the Senate cloakroom, on the floor of the Senate itself — wherever Johnson might find a fellow Senator within his reach.
Its tone could be supplication, accusation, cajolery, exuberance, scorn, tears, complaint, and the hint of threat. It was all of these together. It ran the gamut of human emotions. Its velocity was breathtaking, and it was all in one direction. Interjections from the target were rare. Johnson anticipated them before they could be spoken. He moved in close, his face a scant millimetre from his target, his eyes widening and narrowing, his eyebrows rising and falling. From his pockets poured clippings, memos, statistics. Mimicry, humour, and the genius of analogy made The Treatment an almost hypnotic experience and rendered the target stunned and helpless."
Johnson had lots of congressional experience to call upon- he had spent 23 years in both houses before he became vice-president in 1961. He had served as a Senate majority whip as well as a minority and majority leader of Senate Democrats. He memorized vast amounts of detail about the professional and personal lives of fellow congressmen so that he knew how to win over or frighten them into bending to his will. Interestingly, he voted against Truman's Civil Rights Bill of 1948 and was responsible for diluting Eisenhower's Civil Rights Bill in 1957 before going on to sign into law the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 which finally banned dejure segregation. This contradictory behaviour is explored in detail in one of the articles at the bottom of this page (Lyndon Johnson was a civil rights hero) but, while it is impossible to fully ascertain his true motives in 1948 and 1957, it is likely that he was doing the most politically expedient thing- winning support in pro-segregationist Texas.
When he was asked to be Kennedy's vice-presidential nominee in 1960, it was because his presence as running mate would guarantee Democratic victory in a slew of Southern states. Johnson's background and upbringing could not have been more different that Kennedy's. In contrast to Kennedy's Northern liberal academic and youthful image, Johnson was raised in poverty in Texas. Although very intelligent, Johnson could not afford an Ivy League education, enrolling in Southwest Texas State Teacher's College (now Texas State University) instead and was forced to take a job teaching Hispanic students at a segregated school in order to fund the remainder of his college education. Whereas Kennedy's rhetoric could be refined and eloquent, Johnson could at times appear to be rude, blunt and crass. However, Johnson had far more political experience: he had been involved in political campaigning since 1930 and served in both houses of Congress for 23 years. In contrast, Kennedy had spent 6 years in the House of Representatives and 8 years in the Senate, although he was often absent from the latter due to ill health.
Johnson was sworn in as president only 2 hours after Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The picture above is of Johnson's swearing-in aboard Air Force One. Kennedy's wife Jacqueline in standing next to Johnson on the right.