David’s Reviews > The Passage of Power > Status Update

I'm sure that no president since LBJ has worked as hard (or even had the skills necessary) to push legislation through Congress. Passing the Civil Rights bill of 1964 was an incredible accomplishment, plus there was the budget and tax cut. Still, even LBJ couldn't get past today's GOP. At least in LBJ's time the GOP was genuinely concerned about deficits and debts.

LBJ, having grown up poor, knew the difference between patched clothes and rags.

Just when I finally find something to admire in LBJ he shows his low-down, bully, corrupt side. He was a powerful, driven leader -- good when his cause was good but ruthless when it wasn't.

Republicans were obstructionists in 1964, too. Interestingly, they didn't want to pass a tax cut -- JFK's!

LBJ was not an admirable character, really, before he became president. Certainly he showed leadership qualities. Once he achieved absolute power, though, he did use a lot of it to good ends.

So, if JFK hadn't been assassinated LBJ might well have had to resign in the face of corruption charges or been replaced on the ticket for 1964. As it happened, the assassination of JFK blew away the fast-growing suspicions about LBJ.

"'Any son of a bitch who makes me a million dollars can't be all bad.'" Some things never change. Rich people had their ideologies -- opposition to integration and equal rights, for example -- but tax loopholes and avoiding regulation trumped everything.

I'm happy to find something to admire in LBJ: his sincere passion for equal rights for African Americans.

Now that RFK is part of the story, LBJ looks even worse by contrast. There's precious little to admire about LBJ, just a lot to pity or deplore.

"He lies even when he doesn't have to lie": RFK about LBJ.