Robert Caro: The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-05-08/robert-caro-passage-power-years-lyndon-johnson
LBJ is sworn in on Air Force One, 1963
LBJ Library Cecil Stoughton
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro has spent nearly four decades researching and writing about President Lyndon Johnson. His fourth book on the LBJ, "The Passage of Power," follows Johnson from 1958 to 1964. Lyndon Johnson was perhaps the most powerful majority leader of the senate. Yet he found himself virtually irrelevant as vice-president in the Kennedy administration. At perhaps his lowest point, a shot changed everything and Johnson immediately took the reins as the thirty sixth president. Caro calls it, without a doubt, Johnson's finest hour. Diane will talk to Caro about spending four decades researching and writing about the 36th U.S. President.
Guests
Robert Caro
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer
Related Items
Program Highlights
On November 22nd, 1963, Lyndon Johnson became the 36th president of the United States after President John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Johnson had to reassure a shocked nation and use his political skills to push through Kennedy's stalled agenda. Robert Caro, details all of this in his fourth book on LBJ. It's titled "The Passage of Power."
Johnson As A Senate Leader
In 1958, when Caro's book begins, Johnson was the Senate majority leader. He was called the second most-powerful man in Washington at the time, after the president. "He runs the Senate as if it's heis personal fiefdom," Caro said. In 1960, he decided to run for president, but he got into the race very late. By the time he did, the young senator Jack Kennedy had already been racing around the country corralling delegates and votes. "Johnson doesn't even realize that the nomination is being taken away from him," Caro said.
Bobby Kennedy's Feelings About Johnson
The day JFK got the democratic nomination, he called Lyndon Johnson and asked if he could come to see him. When the two men met, JFK offered Johnson the vice presidency. "The rest of that day, Bobby Kennedy makes three trips down there to try to get Johnson to withdraw from the ticket," Caro said. According to Caro, Bobby Kennedy had a real hatred toward Johnson. "Hatred is not too strong a word to describe the feelings between Lyndon Johnson and Bobby Kennedy," he said. From the two men's very first meeting, Bobby Kennedy took an instant dislike to Johnson in a way that was "just chemical," Caro said.
The Surprise Of The Vice Presidency
Johnson had been an extremely powerful force in the senate, but as vice president, he was sorely disappointed at the lack of influence the position ended up holding for him. He had told people who had warned him that he would see his power diminish that "power is where power goes," but that turned out not to be the reality for him. After JFK's assassination, Johnson proved to be a resolute leader. It was Johnson who wanted Jackie Kennedy next to him as he took the oath of office. "He wanted it probably for a symbolic reason because it was an expression of continuity," Caro said.
The Warren Commission
One Facebook fan asked Caro if Johnson had been worried that the public might think he had something to do with the assassination. Caro said he was, and that was the reason he appointed The Warren Commission. The Warren Commission was rushed, Caro said, but there is nothing in its findings that gave any single hint that Johnson had anything to do with the assassination.
You can read the full transcript here.
Comments
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In the sunshine of reality LBJ was a total failure. Immediately after the assassination of Kennedy, Johnson used the opportunity of a nation in mourning to implement his great society programs with a congress that was unable to say no. Johnson can take full credit for the destruction of the family among the poor, particularly the black family. 12 trillion dollars later all of his "great society" programs have largely failed. It's not so ironic that NPR and PBS are also part of his government overreach programs and have become a player in left wing agenda driven liberalism in the pocket of the democrat party. In many ways LBJ is largely to blame for our current national debt and the growth of middle class dependency on the federal government. From his misguided militarism in Vietnam, 50 thousand American deaths and an estimated 2-3 million Vietnamese deaths, coupled with his destructive social programs he is one of the worst presidents we have ever had. But what else would you expect from someone who blackmailed his way into the presidency.
http://www.reformation.org/president-lyndon-johnson.html
Libertarian ideology shows a lack of concern for other human beings. Darn old LBJ, he should have just let those children, black and white, die of starvation and lack of medical care. You should educate yourself on the excruciating poverty at that time, particularly in the deep south. Have you ever been gut wrenching hungry? Probably not. Libertarian dogma gives their syncophants the idea that it's ok to sit in an ivory tower and look down on those below. After all, we all come from the same set of circumstances and values, don't we?
Dawn Castle wrote: "Libertarian ideology shows a lack of concern for other human beings"
No not really, actually it shows respect for people and enables them through freedom and personal responsibility to be all that they can be. Liberalism on the other hand treats people with contempt. People are not smart enough to make their own decisions so government decides for them. Government steals personal initiative with just enough subsidizing to discourage work. Government over regulates businesses with incentives not to hire unskilled workers. The minimum wage has all but eliminated entry level jobs for the poor. We have millions of high school drop outs in this country that cannot find jobs because of it.
If you accept that the war on poverty was a success along with all the other government programs like medicare and food stamps, what good is it if it cannot be maintained. The democrat party pretends budget deficits don't matter, borrowing 40cents out of every dollar spent cannot last much longer. Soon the interest on that debt will be a Trillion dollars a year! It is not "compassionate" to drive the country over a cliff. The republicans so far have not been much better but at least their not in total denial.
Dawn Castle Wrote: "he should have just let those children, black and white, die of starvation and lack of medical care."
I cannot find anyone dying of starvation in the 60's because of a lack government programs, bit of an overreach on your part. As far a medical care, like I said above the government system we have is going to collapse. Maybe if we can get away from providing middle class welfare and truly focus on the needy something could be done. Obama-care ain't it!
Obviously libertarianism is misunderstood, Stossel is a very good weekly libertarian show it airs Thursdays a 9pm eastern on Fox business channel. Check out the web site for some clips.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/index.html
Libertarian definitition
http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/libFAQ.html
I have a question for Mr. Caro, regarding the issuance of treasury notes under Pres. Kennedy.
JFK's executive order to issue treasury notes, replacing federal reserve notes, was a controversial action.
When President Johnson took office, treasury notes were no longer issued.
Does Mr. Caro know of Pres. Johnson's knowledge on this matter, and can he comment on this topic?
Thank you very much.
Would you comment on LBJ's immersion in the review of the federal budget for Fiscal Year 1965, then in the last stages of being prepared for a January 1964 submission?
As a graduate student at GWU in 1963, I spent much time at the Library of Congress and began attending services at the Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill. I had the opportunity to meet the new president in the church basement the Sunday following the assassination. I shook his hand, looking up to his height--about a foot taller than I. I was stuck by two things: his hands were huge, reminding my of the time I met the great Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh. The second thing is that Johnson had a softness to his face. That certainly reflected the sad occasion, but it somewhat softened my view of this man. As a Kennedy admirer, my earlier view was probably close to that of Bobby Kennedy. Over the coming years, I came to admire Johnson during his fight to pass civil rights legislation. And then, I once again came to distrust him--his judgment, at least--during the buildup of the Vietnam War. To this day I have mixed feelings about Lyndon Johnson.
Diane and Mr. Caro, thanks for a great discussion.
I would like Mr Robert Caro to contact me at the following URL
http://www.snapstour.com/
I was LBJ's photographer for a while. I did the giant LBJ image at the 1964 Convention, as well as fly with the president during his one presidential campaign.
my phone # is 508-25-0901
Thanks.
I have heard that Lyndon Johnson wanted desperately for Negro people to love him, but ironically he caused the death of more of them (as well as others) by pressing his Vietmam War than perhaps anyone else in history!!
Am I correct in this observation?
libertarians r us
Libertarianism: the deluded political philosophy grounded in the belief that oppression is acceptable as long as it's committed by the private sector instead of government. Derived from utter blindness to the existence of social structure and the power derived therefrom by individuals at the top.
Respect?
Excuse me, the belief that the poor are poor simply because they aren't trying hard enough and aren't making the "right" decisions shows utter disrespect for the reality of their lives and for HOW HARD they have in fact worked, HOW HARD they have tried, and HOW HARD the oppressive economic system makes it for them to climb their way out of poverty without some form of assistance to make it possible.
The belief that the rich are rich because they are smarter and make better decisions utterly disregards the very distinct advantages they are given at birth that are not available to the poor.
As for John Stossel - if Stossel is your hero, the person you think explains libertarianism convincingly....
hahahahahahahhahehehehheheheheheeeee!!!!!!!!
No, we understand perfectly what libertarianism is about. It's about complete blindness to the undeniable existence of social structure. And Stossel is a perfect example of that blindness.
Diane Rehm's show on Lyndon Johnson was so emotionally fascinating I had to sit down with my cup of tea this morning and just listen. Johnson's passions drove the heights and depth of my generation graduating in the 1960s. Caro's tale of how LBJ passed the Civil Rights Bill bordered on the miraculous. Then Caro details LBJ's behavior during the Cuban missile crisis. I had no idea that LBJ was such an extreme hawk during the crisis that the possibility of his presidency scared the Kennedy brothers. Tragically the Kennedy's premonitions were justified by Viet Nam.
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libertarians r us wrote:
"Johnson can take full credit for the destruction of the family among the poor, particularly the black family."
It wasn't Johnson. It was Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) that bears some responsibility for the breakup of poor families. AFDC, in effect 1935-1996, provided aid only to single parents. Poor families could be better economically off when the dad wasn't around. Why was this program limited to single parent families? Because it was thought that giving aid to able men was wrong, regardless of the economic opportunities (the Great Depression). It was a compromise between liberal & libertarian thinking that resulted in some awful unintended consequences.
“I cannot find anyone dying of starvation in the 60's because of a lack government programs …”
We do know there was malnutrition & severe hardship, especially among the very young & elderly poor & the elderly poor were people who had been working all their lives & exercising their “freedom and personal responsibility” as much as they could. That’s why we enacted Medicare & Social Security.
Libertarianism “shows respect for people and enables them through freedom and personal responsibility to be all that they can be.”
And is totally blind to the fact that everyone can't lift themselves out of poverty & into prosperity "through freedom and personal responsibility." If it were possible, then the people who do shouldn’t be particularly notable. You have a mental illness, low IQ, have to miss school to take care of an alcoholic parent? You were born into & are surrounded by excruciating poverty? It was the lack of personal responsibility of your parents that you find yourself there. Clearly you can take advantage of your circumstances & rise above it. Libertarians totally ignore the ways in which they were blessed & surrounded by advantages & given help in ways that aren’t available to all.
pallas_athena wrote:"It wasn't Johnson. It was Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) that bears some responsibility for the breakup of poor families. AFDC, in effect 1935-1996"
More accurate read below, this is when single parent households started there upward climb, it's 70% single parent black households today from around 20% in the sixties.
Although it was originally supposed to be a small program, ADC expanded rapidly. By 1938, almost 250,000 families were participating in the program.4 Despite rapid economic growth and declining levels of poverty during the 1950s, ADC rolls continued to grow. By 1956, over 600,000 families were receiving benefits.5
In 1960, President John F. Kennedy took office amidst rising concern about poverty in America. But beyond renaming ADC to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and expanding it to include two-parent families in which the father was unemployed, Kennedy actually took little action on welfare. But Kennedy's general support for expanding aid to the poor set the stage for Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.
The proliferation of new urban programs, job training, health care, and other welfare activities during the 1960s coincided with further expansions in AFDC. By 1965 the number of people receiving AFDC had risen to 4.3 million.6 By 1972 the number had more than doubled to nearly 10 million. The welfare rolls were rapidly expanding even though this was a period of general economic prosperity and low unemployment.
rosaleee wrote:"Libertarianism: the deluded political philosophy grounded in the belief that oppression is acceptable as long as it's committed by the private sector instead of government. Derived from utter blindness to the existence of social structure and the power derived therefrom by individuals at the top."
You need to examine your beliefs without all the emotionalism, you might learn something.
Great show. I read the New Yorker excerpt and have been fascinated for several days. The program repeats tonight in Alabama and I will be listening a 2nd time.
Just today I confirmed that Bill Moyers was on the plane with President Kennedy's Body and LBJ on the flight from Dallas to D.C. I have a note that I treasure from Moyers, so fascinating stuff indeed.
As many across the nation have done and considerably more will do on the 50th anniversary next year; the Where were you on that day question will gain even added significance.
I as a 5th grader in Gaffney, S.C; my father a Baptist minister. Later I was to become enchanted by Marshall Frady's coverage of the Civil Rights era.
Just Saturday by happenstance within ten minutes, I had two conversations at a flea market in NE Alabama. One with a minister who had a part in a funeral for an Uncle of Lady Bird in Billingsley, Alabama. From that I couldn't help but imagine Lady Bird had some influence on LBJ as he navigated Selma; Selma just about 20 miles from Lady Bird Taylor's Alabama roots.
And another with a football player, McClendon, who was on the 63 championship team with Joe Namath and Bear Bryant. He remembered Bear went ahead with practice that afternoon, but the next day the away game with Miami was called off.
Our conversation was lightly framed by my reference to Howell Raines 1983 TNR piece Goodbye to the Bear, about Bryant's relationship with George Wallace.
Alabama's dilemma continues, and now it is up to Bama Coach Nick Saban to levy some influence on Bama Gov Bentley on the immigration law.
To that extent in my world, Lyndon and Martin and the repercussions of Nov 22, 1963 are still very much alive.
pallas_athena wrote: "And is totally blind to the fact that everyone can't lift themselves out of poverty & into prosperity "through freedom and personal responsibility." If it were possible, then the people who do shouldn’t be particularly notable. You have a mental illness, low IQ, have to miss school to take care of an alcoholic parent? You were born into & are surrounded by excruciating poverty? It was the lack of personal responsibility of your parents that you find yourself there. Clearly you can take advantage of your circumstances & rise above it. Libertarians totally ignore the ways in which they were blessed & surrounded by advantages & given help in ways that aren’t available to all."
This is a baseless opinion, nothing to comment on here.
i'm sorry I missed this when it aired but i'm listening to it now. I'm reading the book now and can't put it down. Thank you, Mr. Caro, for your life's work on this. Johnson is one of the most fascinating and frustrating characters in American political history. You do such an excellent job of portraying him. Thank you, Diane, for such a great interview (as usual!)