LBJ

Continuing our personal America 250 celebration, we took it back to America 187 while in Austin last week.

Lyndon Johnson kinda gets overlooked in history. There was no way he was going to live up to charismatic Kennedy, or the infamy of Nixon. But he accomplished so much!

• Civil Rights Act (1964)
• Head Start (1964)
• Voting Rights Act (1965)
• Medicare (1965)
• Medicaid (1965)
• Fair Housing Act (1968)

And he did all that against the backdrop of the Vietnam war, the civil rights movement, and the year 1968 which was just terrible all around. So please, a little respect for LBJ!

LBJ Presidential Library
Austin TX

How does one get so much done? By being very persuasive, of course!
Persuasive to the point of intimidation, known as The Johnson Treatment.

Learning about LBJ is the point. But it's hard not to be impressed with the regal surroundings.

Same and different as every other president's office. Only the furnishings change.

Then & Now
Fun fact: Every member of the LBJ's family (himself, wife & 3 daughters) had the same initials.

Takeaway: Despite being overshadowed by the presidents before and after, LBJ was far more accomplished than either of them! While his legacy is stained by the U.S. escalation in Vietnam, he understood the weight of it and did not take it lightly. And he showed his character by stepping aside (rather than seek re-election) in hopes that his successor could do what he felt he could not.
A prime example of putting the country before himself.
How many presidents would do the same?