I'm dreaming of LBJ when he was the Senate Majority Leader.

[Cleita]

Lyndon Johnson had a Republican President, whom he was able to work with. He had a narrow majority of Democrats but still was able to get his agenda, a progressive agenda, through the Senate. Here is a snippet of how he did it.

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/People_Leaders_Johnson.htm

In 1955, Senator Morse joined the Democrats and gave them a one-vote majority. Lyndon Johnson became majority leader and held that post for the next six years. Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower occupied the White House during those years and often found Johnson more cooperative than the Senate Republican leader, the independent-minded William F. Knowland of California. Particularly on foreign policy, Johnson offered bipartisan support to the president.

In leading a narrow majority, Johnson relied on his power of persuasion to keep the Democratic Conference united and round up additional votes among Republican senators. Reporters Rowland Evans and Robert Novak described the "Johnson Treatment" in their book Lyndon B. Johnson: The Exercise of Power (1966):

Its tone could be supplication, accusation, cajolery, exuberance, scorn, tears, complaint, 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 millimeter from his target, his eyes widening and narrowing, his eyebrows rising and falling. From his pockets poured clippings, memos, statistics. Mimicry, humor, and genius of analogy made The Treatment an almost hypnotic experience and rendered the target stunned and helpless.

Johnson suffered a serious heart attack in 1955, and afterwards tried to moderate his pace. During long absences, while he was recuperating at his Texas ranch, he relied heavily on the Democratic Secretary, Bobby Baker, who maneuvered to postpone legislation until the majority leader could return to Washington. Then Johnson would call up a series of bills in a rush, passing them by unanimous consent agreement, and making it clear who was in charge.

I want a majority leader who can administer THE TREATMENT and that isn't Harry Reid.

[newfie11]

1. LBJ was awesome

It is to bad he ended up with Vietnam.

[Cleita]

4. Wasn't it Nixon who fixed him on that deal?

He had negotiated some kind of peace and Nixon made another underhanded deal that undermined the whole thing. This is why he didn't run for President again, it seems.

[newfie11]

7. Yes but most people don't know that

And now that it has been released the msn
Will never mention it.

[former9thward]

13. Do you have a link to this alternative history?

Something that is not a CT site.

[Cleita]

14. I believe it comes from the LBJ library in some of his security files.

I was just going from memory and I heard it on Thom Hartmann, and Thom doesn't pull stuff out of his ass.

[newfie11]

17. There is a telephone conversation with LBJ complaining about this

http://truth-out.org/progressivepicks/item/13994-how-richard-nixon-sabotaged-1968-vietnam-peace-talks-to-get-elected-president

Truthout.Org has the whole thing in print. I hope the link works.

Yes I head the telephone conversation on Hartman several times and yes LBJ is calling this treason.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

20. LBJ was negotiating a cease fire with the North Vietnamese in advance of the

Paris Peace talks. Nixon, using back channels, promised the corrupt president of South Vietnam, Thieu, (I think) that he, Nixon would prolong the war for 4 more years and then send significant financial aid for 4 more after that.

Thieu then did everything possible to frustrate any attempt at a peace process.

[MrSlayer]

2. Reid is also making it very clear who is in charge.

The corporatists and oligarchs that bought him and the rest of the government. Why do we keep pretending Reid is weak or naive? He is doing the bidding of his masters, just like the rest of the creeps on Capital Hill.

All we have are the progressive caucus and a few senators. Everyone else is a sellout.

[Cleita]

3. If he should be replaced, whom do you think in the Senate could

give "The Treatment"? It's time.

[MrSlayer]

5. I don't think anyone can.

Because I don't think anyone wants to. Obviously I'd take Sanders or Sherrod Brown or someone like that but the fact remains that there is zero support in the senate for a leader that cares about the people. It's all corporatism, all the time from both parties.

Anyone that can actually become the leader will do the same thing Reid is doing because they will be beholden to the same moneyed interests that own the majority of officeholders.

[LeftInTX]

6. LBJ knew how to strike a bargain via THE TREATMENT

Wish there were more like him.

[Cleita]

8. What bothers me is that Reid can't even get McConnell to confirm a

Republican. I mean how can he be that ineffective.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. And in action:

[Cleita]

12. I love those pics. n/t

[OldDem2012]

10. LBJ was also known as the "Bag Man", willing to do whatever it took, no matter how much it cost....

...to "influence" the number of votes he needed to pass the legislation he wanted, or to vote down bills he disliked.

[Cleita]

11. I want that with Harry.

I'm not into violence or dirty tricks, but now with this Congress, I want it because it's the only way to treat these bullies.

[The Magistrate]

15. Few Contemporary Liberals, Ma'am, Considered His Agenda 'Progressive' When He Was Majority Leader

Most of the people who praise him now here would have been eager to tear strips off his hide back then....

[Cleita]

16. And he didn't falter regardless of his foes.

He got it done and so should Harry if he cares about this country more than the Kabuki theater under his aegis.

[newfie11]

18. Well said! Nt

[truebluegreen]

19. Word!

Harry Reid needs to call it a day. He's never been a strong Majority Leader and now he's just pathetic.