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Lessons from Lyndon Johnson | naml.us

naml.us · 1,670 words · saved by 3 readers

I’m in the middle of the third book in Robert Caro’s biography of Lyndon Johnson. In brief, Caro’s thesis is that (1) Lyndon Johnson cares only about power, and (2) Lyndon Johnson is spectacularly skilled at politics. Moreover, (2) holds in a strong sense: Johnson is not simply skilled at politics, …

I’m in the middle of the third book in Robert Caro’s biography of Lyndon Johnson. The books are amazing; I can’t thank David Luan enough for recommending them. In brief, Caro’s thesis is Lyndon Johnson cares only about power, not about issues. He is essentially amoral in pursuit of that power. Lyndon Johnson is spectacularly skilled at politics. It’s unclear how completely (1) holds; Caro provides plenty of evidence for it, but given Johnson’s facility with lies and pragmatism it’s hard to rule out underlying political views. The case for (2) is solid. Moreover, (2) holds in a strong…

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