lyndon b. johnson. >> i don't think mother would have ever chosen politics for her career. >> there is lyndon. >> but shemar ried him for better, for worse. >> it feels as though something has happened. >> they were thrust into this position in a very violent way. >> she assures him that he is the right man to push america forward. >> lyndon johnson has great laws. >> lady bird couldn't escape the pentacle of that war. >> she was the only person always telling the truth. >> lyndon johnson's mood shifts were guard gann ch juan. >> lady bird knew how to stabilize him. >> who privately ran the show? lady bird. without her, he would never have been president. . >>> throughout her time in the white house, lady bird johnson recorded an audio diary. it's a unique insight into her life as first lady. >> friday, november 22nd. it all began so beautifully. the sun came out bright and beautiful. we were going in to dallas. >> here they come. i can see mrs. kennedy. this comes the vice president and mrs. johnson s

lyndon johnson again could never have imagined that ronald reagan was going to be such a definitive figure in the long-term success of the johnson legacy. that is where i ask we be more charitable to them and we should hold them to a really high standard when we talk about what they think and what their ideas are for the country, but we should not necessarily expect them all to be political svengalis in real time. prof. brands: do politicians today deserve greater charity from us? chase: yes, i've given criticism there. i believe today's leaders are intellectually as capable as any we have ever had, i do feel cheered by the kind of people running for congress these days who have had direct military experience as of a generation ago, two thirds of the members of congress had military experience. that gave them greater ability to weigh such things as defense budgets and national security issues than their successors in the intervening time who had none of that. today's crop of those who have been veterans of iraq and afghanistan i think will provide a new brand of leadership. it is too early

lyndon johnson had a vision of what america could be. ronald reagan had a vision of what america could be and i think they were both very successful in communicating that vision. is that what is lacking now, or have there been structural changes in the american political system to make that kind of leadership much more difficult? them >> to, me i think a lot of it consider the question of emphasis. i'm sure that chase gets asked a lot the question of could reagan get elected in today's republican party, which people talk about a lot of sort of this idea that there are so many people purists in today's republican party that even ronald reagan is eighth not ideologically pure enough for today's republican party. my own feeling on that and this is something i try to describe, reagan is incredibly good at figuring out exactly where he needs to be. as a conservative, to get elected. i think that's a difference. and this is partly wet meat reagan effect political leader, starting in the sixties, at the same time that he's focused on what he ha

even if the president is a lame duck president as lyndon johnson was. humphrey was much more inclined to press for peace than johnson had done. the economy was booming. there was government spending on the increasingly expensive war in vietnam. that part looked ok. the democrats were all right there. the war is increasingly unpopular. humphrey finally separated himself from johnson's war policies in september, 1968. saying he would be open to peace talks. he became a plausible peace candidate at that point. appealing to some of the young people who were here. at the same time, labor stepped up. the labor constituents who are generally strong with organizing the vote and getting people out to vote. that is what labor did in those years. the late help from a labor helped hubert humphrey. it also created the impression that the election was closer than it really was. the republican, richard nixon, wins and he wins with 43 percent of the popular vote. humphrey had 42.7% of the popular vote. where was the remaining 13.5% of the vote? that went to former alab

they produced that ad and brought it to lyndon johnson to to show tought it lyndon johnson and his people get some phone calls from friends who are reacting to the spot, some of them reacting negatively and moyers is called to the second floor of the white house and johnson makes quite a production moyers downing about the spot and telling him to look into this. he turns, goes back to the elevator. moyers says that johnson follows him to the elevator instead, do you think we really only run it once? johnson was recognizing it was a good spot. moyers may have been in on the decision to tell them not to air it again but he is nothing to do with its creation. bob, democrats line. caller: hello, good morning. yes, i want to comment. i guess i'm old enough to remember how things were back in 19 64 and i remember in 1964 ad, it wase daisy very effective, but it was also .eally accurate at the time, goldwater, he was very radical about the use of nuclear weapons. he was also a racist, which people do not bring up, but he was. he voted against the 1964 voting or the 1965 ad, but he voted no and h

they produced that ad and brought it to lyndon johnson to show -- brought it to show to lyndon johnsonight that it showed on television, johnson started to get some phone calls from friends who are reacting to the spot, some of them reacting negatively and moyers is called to the second floor of the white house and johnson it's having dinner with some friends and johnson makes quite a production out of dressing moyers down about the spot and telling him to look into this. he turns, goes back to the elevator. moyers says that johnson follows him to the elevator instead, do you think we really only run it once? johnson was recognizing it was a good spot. more years did to and he might have been in on the decision to tell them not to air it again but he is nothing to do with its creation. >> bob, democrats line. >> hello, good morning. yes, i want to comment. i guess i'm old enough to remember how things were back in 19 64 and i remember in 1964 that ad, the daisy ad, it was very effective, but it was also really accurate. at the time, goldwater, he was very radical about the use of nucle

one last person with a vision that he tried to follow through on was lyndon johnson, who followed kennedy upon his assassination. and he talked about something called the great society. johnson was never a great speaker, and we're going to talk about the importance of being a good speaker as president. but he, too, wanted very much to improve the life of citizens. and during his time in office, we get medicare, civil rights passes the civil rights act and the voting rights act of 1965. johnson's reputation, unfortunately, is always associated with the vietnam war, which he was mired, in couldn't get out of, and it force him in march of 1968 to say in a radio address, i will not seek nor will i accept another term as your president. he realized that he had lost credibility and things were just not going to go well from that point on. okay, a second point that professor dallek talks about is charisma or dynamism. what is being charismatic? besides being dynamic? i think it means that it makes things exciting for people. certainly we have had presidents who have done that for us. i mentioned

lyndon johnson aired a spot in 1964. ladybird on the tarmac, returning to the air force base after the assassination of president kennedy but it is the first time, that i am aware of, that a candidate's wife is actually speaking. not just speaking to talk about how wonderful her husband is but it's a clever, i think, effective use of the candidates wife to attack the other candidates, which kind of softens the blow. here is ronald reagan was campaign saying, jim carter is attacking us, it's unfair. and then she quickly sort of pivots to attacking jimmy carter so what their sense, i think, certainly was that they could be seen as protesting the attacks and attacking back but doing it in a very soft way. nancy reagan, as you say, was an actress. the other thing about that spot i think is effective is she is clearly not reeling from a teleprompter, she is just talking. when you see spots for the candidate well, clearly conversing as opposed to reading, looking at the camera, reading the teleprompter, i think they are always

one last person with a vision that he tried to follow through on was lyndon johnson who followed kennedy upon his assassination. he talked about something called the great society. johnson was never a great speaker. when i talk about the importance of being a good speaker as president. he too, wanted very much to improve a life of citizens. during his time in office we get medicare, civil rights act and the voting rights act of 1965. good johnson's reputation unfortunately is always associated with the vietnam war, which she could not get out of and forces him in march of 1968 to say in a radio address, i will not see pour except another term as your president. he realized that he lost credibility, things were not going to go well from that point on a second point that professor dallick talks about is charismatic. what does it mean? it means it makes things exciting for people. certainly, we have had presidents that have done that for us. i mentioned roosevelt a few moments ago, with his use of radio. he made it exciting for people to be involved with the recovery of the country. things

there is a great shot of lyndon johnson looking sour.ut the kennedy one, which had photographers and newsmen writing appealed to me. i must admit that i have a soft spot for jfk. i was 11 years old when i was elected. and his vigor, as he himself would put it, is what really interested me in politics when i was a kid. a little bit of payback time. susan: it's clear from your index and your notes that you did extensive research for this book. it was interesting to me that one name kept popping up again and again in your chapters. that is a long-term white house correspondent helen thomas. she had i think i counted 34 citations in the book. who is she for people that don't will the name? and why was she so important in your storytelling? mr. holzer: i picked a few people who lasted for several presidents and could look at ahead and back. and another groundbreaking woman reporter who was known for her cute questions, that often triggered a laughter when president kennedy responded. she started out in the roosevelt era and faced pretty sexis

theyow produced that spot, brout it to the white house to show to lyndon johnson and his people. television johnson starts me of getting some phone calls from friends reacting to the spot and some reacting negatively and moyer is called to the second jo floor of the white house where johnson is having dinner with some friends and johnson makes quite a production out of telling, you know -- kind of dressing moyers down about the spot and telling him to look into it. moyers turns, goes back towards the elevator, moyer says johnsoi follows him to the elevator and says, do you think we really g w ought to only runas it once? johnson was -- recognize that had it was a good spot, moyer did, too. moyer may have been in on the decision to tell ddb not to air it again, but he had nothing really to do with its creation. next up in new prague, minnesota. democrats line. >> hello. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> yes, i just wanted to comment, i guess i'm old enough to remember how things were back in 1964 and '68 and so forth. and i remember in '64 that ad, s the daisy

a professor from the university's history department and lyndon johnson school of public affairs. he's the author and editor of ten books on contemporary politics and foreign policy. his most recent book, impossible presidency, rise and fall of america's highest office. it has been noted in this context, biography published in 2009. his writings appear widely in blogs and media and he's a frequent public lecturer and guest on television and radio programs. he hosts a weekly podcast through jeremi suri.net. pleasure to have you here. jeremi, you have the floor. >> thank you, christian. let me begin by congratulating tom. actually tom and diane i've known since i began my graduate student career. both diane and tom have been so important to my development as a scholar and my continuing growth and learning as a scholar. it's really a pleasure to be here. it's also pleasure to be part of an event. this the second time i've been part of william roger lewis lecture at the wilson center. glad to honor a colleague, wonderful to be part of this. let me jump right in. i want to echo nice an

a week after his death, president lyndon johnson appointed supreme court chief justice orel warren to lead a commission to investigate. author philip shenon takes us to the original conference room on capitol hill to discuss key artifacts and lingering controversy surrounding the kennedy report. watch at 8:00 p.m. eastern. and enjoy american history tv every weekend on c-span3. >>> next, martha jones, author of "vanguard: how black women broke barriers, won the vote and insisted on equality for all" talks about some of the ways african-american became involved in women's suffrage and other political movements in the first half of the 1920s. the united states historical society and women's suffrage centennial commission hosted this event. >>> dr. martha jones was the very first scholar that we recruited for this symposium. back in the day when you could see one another, i went over to baltimore and we had coffee and got to know each other a little bit. and she agreed she would come and keynote our conference. and so we are so honored. dr. jones is a historian, a writer and commentator

and i got really stuck in lyndon b. johnson head, and it was a very disturbing experience. because i really don't like him. but it's interesting when you encounter disagreement in the scholarship, or disagreement in the history, if you can sort of get yourself to imagine when it would've been like to be that particular person. you can begin to make, at least foreign opinion about what they might conduct. so those of fund process, which was kind of playing each accidental president in a play, at least for the duration of of writing it. well yes, please? >> andrew johnson was one of the hardest presidents to be impeached. they tried several times. why was it so, why was congress so reluctant to impeach him? >> that's a great question. and also, he does get impeach. i think what's interesting about andrew johnson, is when people talk about when it catastrophe wise, they are often point to the fact that he was impeached. there's many reasons to critique andrew johnson. the irony is, they think he was impeached for, it was violation of the tenure of office act. which was deemed

kennedy for president of the united states, and for vice president senator lyndon johnson. the party united behind its candidates. richard nixon was the choice of the republican party. he served as vice president since 1953. now he's a candidate for the presidency. his running mate ambassador henry cabinet large. as the campaign gets underway, the presidential candidate meet face to face in television debates seen and heard by millions of people. the same people that will decide which of these two men will leave the country for the next four years. . personal contact with the people is still an essential feature of an american presidential campaign. senator kennedy a tireless campaigner goes to all sections of the country spelling out his views about foreign policy. the overriding issues the maintenance of peace and meeting the challenge of the international situation. on domestic affairs, he stresses the goals senators kennedy's wife jacqueline has to limit her appearances because she's expecting a child. so she is seen by thousands. give me your help, give me your hands a

he reveals the lesser-known leaders and highlights t.r., trueman and lyndon johnson. we learn why america is a brilliant nation and a living document. lessons very powerful for today. now, please welcome me in joining jared cohen. >> thank you all very much for having me. i can't think of a better place to give a talk about this book, i haven't been here in some time. i love the backdrop of all these books here tonight. i think the place that i want to talk about an important context for somebody who spent the last eight years every single day as a technology ceo. before that four years working in foreign policy. some people tell me when i'm writing a book for the past 5.5 years, is it a book about cyber war? no, is it a book about cyber policy? >> no. they say, what is it about? i say, it's about dead presidents. it's confusing to them, it's confusing to anybody unless you grew up with me. so when i was 8-years-old my parents bought me a children's book called, the buck stops here. as my parent read to me at night trying to conform me into a precocious child. they di

and for vice president, senator lyndon johnson. ♪ nixon was choice for the republican party.rved as vice president of the united states since 1953. now, he was a candidate for the presidency. his vice presidential running mate, ambassador henry cabot lodge. as the campaign gets underway, the presidential candidates meet face-to-face in television debates seen and heard by thousands of people, the same people who will decide which of these two men shall lead the country for the next four years. but personal contact with the people is still an essential feature of an american presidential campaign. senator kennedy, a tireless campaigner, goes to all sections of the country, spelling out his views of domestic and foreign policy. on foreign policy, the overriding issue is the maintenance of peace and making the challenge of the international situation. on domestic affairs, he stresses the government's role in meeting economic and social problems. [applause] senator kennedy's wife, jacqueline, has to limit her campaign appearances because she is expecting a child. but still, she i

men, millard film, or chester arthur, theodore roosevelt, calvin coolidge, harry truman, and lyndon johnson, who ascended to the presidency because of these unfortunate circumstances. becoming president under these circumstances is often a thankless task and many hoover this men have disappointed rather than reassured, although several have exceeded expectations. cohen delves into the implications the system of seeings and argues that this limited reading to the constitution, one of which many americans take for granted, may not the be only way to handle succession. walter isaacson writes this out, jared cohen treats to us colorful and momentous episodes of our history. he reveals the historic importance of some lesser known leaders and highlights the greatness of t.r., truman and lyndon johnson. we learn why america is a resilient nation and our constitution a living document. lessons very powerful for today. now please join me in walking -- welcoming jared cohen. >> thank you all very much for having me. i can't think of a better place to give a talk about this book than this incredible b

the example of lyndon johnson, less charismatic, and succeeded who came more consequential providingy historical analog. mr. biden could be a deft salesman for progressive priorities. using his disarming folkey americana vibe. i'm going to forgive you for forcing to pronounce a french word on television. do you think he will be able to sell something like -- and take the issue of health care. the affordable care about, take about pain. that will put a lot of people into more veer pain than they are in right now. could he find a way to find compromise if he has to on health care? >> i think one of the things we have to be humble about is that it is not always the radical thing is done and the not rates get the moderate things done. sometimes is flips, right? a lot of his coming of age, would not predict the fdr presidency. if you heard the way that lyndon johnson talked about black people in private, that would not have lead you to predict the voting rights act and the civil rights act. so i think what biden, less because of the relationship's point that everyone emphasizes, but more

he is writing the multivolume set on lyndon johnson and the johnson years.ere he is talking about one of those volumes. sue and i'm going to go live in a southern city for as long as it takes for me to it find out exactly what differences it made in the life of black people in the south if lyndon johnson got the voting rights. sue and you never get a live yet? >> guest: know it takes time for that. when when you think you'll do that? >> guest: were going to want a book to her now that we always been two months in france. and then i'm going to start. sue and what about the idea come know you mentioned in the past but going to vietnam. >> guest: yes you remember everything. those of the two things i want to do. because if i can just say i tried to write about political power feel you don't write about fully enough unless you write, not only about the man but about its effect on the people on whom its use for good or for ill. offer good, lyndon johnson was great civil rights activist presidency is voting right acts, transformed political power black people in a

as lyndon johnson once said, you can't be a statesman until you've been elected. and it's true. politics is the way we get to practice policy. and even if your politics, if it is not successful, you are giving back to your country when you participate in politics. it is our system. it is very imperfect, but better than most other systems. better than all other systems. i would encourage all of your students to find a way to participate in politics. if you want to go straight to public service. you can do that. go take the foreign service exam and go into one of the nation's international policy institutes. there are ways to get, to do -- george bush used to say, the way to get into politics is to go out and do something else first successfully, which is what he did. which is what i did. mine was being a lawyer. whatever you do, remember, this is the finest country in the world, and it is incumbent upon each other to give something back, and the way you get back is to participate in politics and/or public service. >> secretary baker, we can't thank you enough. this is something w

lyndon johnson and race. you would not have bet on november 22nd, 1963 that, lyndon johnson would end up playing that role. and you would not have bet on the evening of april 12th, 1945, that harry truman would become a great global thinker. so, the great news is have presidents who want to learn, who are open to new experiences and seeing the world not only through their own eyes but through the eyes of their adversaries and allies and advisers and have some guts. that, in fact, if your president of the united states, you're not playing just for next week. you're playing for the next generation. >> doris kerns goodwin reminded us that lbj said he was jealous of truman for sleeping at night after the decisions. everybody stay put right here. we're going to continue our conversation. still ahead, our conversation with former secretary of state madeleine albright whose own family felt the impact of communism in europe firsthand. you're watching a special hour of morning joe. we'll be right back. we'll be right

the first black woman to be appointed by lyndon johnson. these would be the women who today still grapple with the legacies and the fact of voter suppression in our own time. surely. but they do so with a new sort of access a new sort of influence, and do so as a force in american politics. so with that, i think they will end and say again thanks so much for all of our hosts for convening as yet again in this wonderful series of conversations, and i think i am going to invite back jean campbell if i'm not mistaken. jane is going to join me for some conversations and i think some question and answer. so thanks jane for doing this with me. >> thank you so much martha for that. informative presentation. it really is. so much to think about, and so much to understand. i have a couple of questions myself. then we started to get some questions from our audience. i would remind the audience that you can put your questions in the queue and a box. and i will try to make sure that we get as many ask as possible. while we have the courage to do with u

. ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> in february 1965, president lyndon johnson called on the vice president to lead a cabinet an initiative called discover america, the group worked to produce an increase in domestic travel. as travel for most americans is severely limited or impossible, we invite you take a virtual journey while watching the 1967 united airlines film discover america. the aerial trip across the united states supported the johnson administration initiate by highlighting attractions from coast to coast. ♪

lyndon johnson and race, you would not have bet on november 22, 1963, that lyndon johnson would havend up playing that role and you would not have bet in 1945 that harry truman would have become a global thinker. the great news is have presidents who want to learn,er who open to new experiences and seeing the world not only through their own eyes but through their adversaries and their allies and their advisers and have some guts that in fact if you're president of the united states you're not just playing for next week but for the next generation. >> doris kearns goodwin said that lbj was jealous of truman for being able to sleep at night after the tough decisions. everybody stay put right here. we'll continue our conversation. still ahead, our conversation with former secretary of state madeleine albright whose own family felt the impacts of communism in europe firsthand. you're watching a special hour of "morning joe." we'll be right back. special hour of "morning joe. we'll be right back. ♪ (music swells) (dog barking) ♪ (music fades) (exhales) experience the power of sanctuary a

that is that campaign that will force the hand ultimately of congress and of president lyndon johnson and will give us a voting rights act in 1965. it is that moment that is the culmination of the work that you women like hallie quinn brown and those associated with the national association of colored women had long done. and still american women do not have the unqualified write to vote, even in 2020. the voter suppression tactic that kept women from the polls in 1920 have changed, and yet we recognize the way in which voter i.d. laws shuttered polling places, exact match requirements, the purging of voter rolls continued to dedrive american women of the vote, including women of color. the policies of voting officials which do not caretake the right to vote, are still with us as we watch officials fumble and miss the mark in ensuring that we, all of us, will get to the polls in november 1920. and still i think it's important to say much has changed. the great deal about the political landscape for african-american women in 2020 was for some americans unimaginable and for many america

and the lyndon johnson school of public affairs. he's the author and editor of 10 books on contemporary politics and foreign policy. his most recent book is the rise and fall of america's highest office. he also offers -- published in 2009. his writings appear in media and he is a frequent public lecture. he hosts a weekly podcast. this is democracy through his professional webpage. it's a great pleasure to have you here. you have the floor. >> let me begin by congratulating tom. tom and diana i have known since i begin my graduate student career. they have been so on portman to my development and continued growth and learning of a scholar. it's a pleasure to be here and pleasure to be a part of an event. this is the second part i have been a part of a lecture at the wilson center and it's a real honor. let me jump right in. i want to echo all the things about tom's book. i want to add more and more to what others have said. i really enjoyed this book and i read it twice. i read it in the final version. i really enjoyed it. it's a b

i said when i accepted this re-election this morning that lyndon johnson, who started his career as a public school eacher in a little school down in texas talked about standing before a classroom and watching the children who you know have an uncertain future. that's the way i started my career. and i cannot tell you what it does to you to stand before a classroom and see a kid that you know has not had breakfast, trying to learn. that's the kind of challenge that we have today. and covid-19 has exposed how serious that challenge is. we must in this congress respond to the dreams and aspirations of the children and their families and i am hopeful that we can work together within our caucus and reaching out across the aisle to get done what needs to be done for the american people. his is a very important -- let's just say journey toward as more perfect union. and i'm pleased to be a part of this leadership and i'm looking forward to us getting some things done for the american people and it's my great pleasure to now yield to the assistant speaker for the 117th congress, katherine cl

he hi writing a multivolume set on lyndon johnson and the johnson years.e volumes. >> i am going to go to live in the southern city for as long as it takes for me to find out exactly what differences it pa made in the love of black people in the south of lyndon johnson got the voting rights. >> host: do you nowhere you'll live yet in. >> guest: , tames tike. >> host: when will you do that. >> guest: i'm going to go on a book tour now, then -- we always spend two months in france, and then i'm going to start. >> host: what beaut the idea -- i know you mentioned in the past going to vietnam. >> guest: yes. you remember everything. that's the two things i want to do because if i can just say, i try to write about political power and feel you don't write about it fully enough unless you write about the man who uses but its effect on the people on whom it's idea for good or ill. for good, lyndon johnson threw this great civil rights act of his presidency and voting rights act, transformed the political power of black people in america. i want to go to a souther

and the lyndon johnson school of public affairs. he's the author of ten books on contemporary politics and his most recent book, is the impossible presidency the rise and fall of america's highest office, and has been noted in this context and he offered his writings. appear in blocks and print media and he has a weekly podcast. this is democracy available through his web page. jeremy surrey dot neck and thank you for being here. >> thank you and let me begin by congratulating tom and tom and diana i've known since i began my graduate student career and both of them have been really so important to my development and continue growth and learning as a scholar and it's a pleasure to be part of this event it's the first time i've been at the robert lewis center. and it's a wonderful colleague and friend and it's wonderful to be a part of this so let me jump right in the and i want to echo all the auditory lauded tory things they've said about tom's book, and i want to add one more to what others have said and i really enjoy this book,

>>> in february 1965, president lyndon johnson called on the vice president to lead a cabinet task force on tourism. in an initiative called discover america, the group worked to produce an increase in domestic travel. as travel for most americans is severely limited or impossible, we invite you take a virtual journey while watching the 1967 united airlines film discover america. the aerial trip across the united states supported the johnson administration initiate by highlighting attractions from coast to coast. ♪ >> from the earlest edges of recorded time, people sought to make more of their lives. the universal desire for something beautiful. something ordered and in good taste is expressed in architecture, the arts, sports, the varying patterns of hospitality. in these designs for living, there are impressive parallels everywhere. in this truly wonderful world. ♪ ♪ ♪ as americans, we're proud of our skyscrapers. and justly so. great thrusts of steel and stone and glass etched against the skyline. the pinnacle of dreams of the man on the streets. nothing is more american, of course, t

kennedy and lyndon b. johnson, not sure who that other guy is, that show us the city would permit and on the moon. .overnment is unavoidable liberals, conservatives, no matter what they tell you. it's another reason why who you pick matters. they sponsored an educated workforce and it allows private industry to take risk. and asrtant as it is, vital as it is, even more important is what government does to build the framework of capitalism. we see over and over again the great multiplier effect, the well thought out, well realized infrastructure. magic word, infrastructure. enterpriseure hasn't , by pushing the erie canal to the great lakes and new york city in the cockpit of the western world, at the height of the industrial revolution, setting off an economic whom in making every town and city along the way a humming engine. to this day, 80% of everyone in new york state, in entity that stretches from the atlantic ocean to ohio, lives within 25 miles of some part of the erie canal system. hisago's first mayor bui

on the one hand, there is the funny anecdotes about lyndon johnson saying if the press is saying goodthings about a member of your cabinet, you should fire them immediately. that was pretty funny. it is a good example of howiwm people who are lower in the administration, the press can serve as a good way to build their reputation by taking credit for things that go well and shifting blame for things that do not go well. they also have the sense that the press is almost at odds with the u.s. government, especially the opposite of president because they are always trying to find out what the dirt is going on in the background. what is going on? kissinger also will talk favourably about the intelligence and knowledge of people in the press corps, for example, on page 21 at the top of the page he says, i to was ignorant of the ways of washington and government when i claimed at the press conference announcing my new position that had have no dealings with the press. as soon as my appointment was announced, the press began to call and look me over. i was a little -- and who i was now meet

in comes lyndon johnson with decades of washington experience and the executive branch and in the housee senate. people felt that he was a pro who knew the government and could bring things back together. they felt same after dwight eisenhower became president in 1953. he had been one of the most powerful people in the world for about 20 years. and gerald ford coming in -- and after richard nixon's resignation saying our long national nightmare is over. a lot of people said how wonderful it is we got someone who knows how to operate in government and knows how to bring the country together. i think sometimes, brian, historians give too much credit to presidents who wage wars and do things that are dramatic and not enough credit to people like lyndon johnson in '63 or dwight eisenhower or gerald ford who healed the nation after the kind of traumas we have seen during the last four years. >> michael beschloss, always a pleasure. thanks for the context and perspective you offer on this day. >>> my friend joy reid takes over at the top of the next hour. remember, joe biden speaks 8:00 this

it is used for good or for ill, for good lyndon johnson, the great civil rights act of the presidency, transformed political power, what does that mean, how do you feel about the sheriff now that you can - what difference, do you have more hope than you thought you did that your children's life would be better than yours because of lyndon johnson. the other side of lyndon johnson's presidency is vietnam, to try to show what it means when a modern industrialized nation makes war on a rural peasant nation. i want to see how that works, one of these vietnamese villages that were bombed by be 62s. the horrible thing is the b-52 flu so high not only were they invisible from the ground but you couldn't hear, never even knew they were being bombed. >> mark levin, joseph west, lewis rodriguez, amity slaves, ron paul, mary frances berry, michael corda and arthur brooks, neil degrasse tyson was with us in 2017. >> i was asked by the new york times, there was some impasse. and ask people who were not politicians, what solutions do they have to fix things. if you were president what would you do?

you know, those dixiecrats, southern democrats abandoned the democratic party right after lyndon johnson act and african americans become more empowered politically. and conversely, a lot of republicans, who were pro—civil rights or pro—environment, they get driven out of their party. and it makes it much more difficult to find the outliers, the iconoclasts, those who are willing to break party ranks. i'm signing this reform bill into law on behalf of my mother, who argued with insurance companies even as she battled cancer in her final days. i'm signing it for ii—year—old marcellus 0wens. marcellus lost his mum to an illness. she didn't have insurance and couldn't afford the care that she needed. we are done. cheering and applause. it's going to be very rare where either party in america has that big a majority to get things done. and what i worry about is on everything from a pandemic to a major economic crisis, to climate change, its hard for this big, creaky system to move quickly enough to respond to the very real needs of the american people. and i think that there are going to be

lyndon b. johnson chosen politics for her career. >> there is lyndon. >> but shemar ried him for better, for worse. >> it feels as though something has happened. >> they were thrust into this position in a very violent way. >> she assures him that he is the right man to push america forward. >> lyndon johnson has great laws.

one of the great senate races of all times in 1948 race in which lyndon johnson won by fewer than a hundredotes, no one can be confident that all votes will be counted. i will say this, though. i think it's very important for everybody, whether they're republican or democrat or whatever they may be, that overall, we maintain confidence in the integrity of the votes. will every vote be counted? probably not. will some votes be stolen? will some elections in certain sections be open to question, yes. but it's really important that we hundreds, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people involved in our election process. and in the end, i am confident we will know who got the most votes. so that means on vote day, on tuesday, we may not, what's usually called election night. i've called it last voting day, it may be hours, it hab days, it may be weeks before we finally, it's determined who won and who lost. once it is determined that somebody won and somebody lost, then the critical hour comes when the losing side will accept it or not. frankly, i have my doubts, but let's be patient,

he is writing the multi-volume set on lyndon johnson and the johnson years. here he is talking about one of those volumes. a. >> going to live as long as it takes to find out exactly what differences it made in the life of black people in the south when lyndon johnson got the voting rights. i am going to go on a book tour and then we always spend two months in france and then i'm going to start. c-span: i know you mentioned in the past going to vietnam. >> guest: you remember everything. that's the two things i want to do because if i can say i tried to write about political power and i feel that you don't write about it fully enough unless you write not only about the man who uses it but about its effect on whom it's used, lyndon johnson through his great civil rights act transforms the political power of black people in america. go to a southern city and see what does that mean. how do you feel about the sheriff now that you can vote for a sheriff. sheriff. are your schools better, exactly what difference. do you have more hope in your father did that your

lyndon johnson ended up winning a primary. he was losing in texas by just 87 votes. all thanks to the last minute appearance of a ballot box full of votes for johnson. this pave the way to his rise in politics and later presidency. there was scandal at the time, but a mission took years to emerge. johnson did not win that election. it was students for him, and i know exactly how it was done. the 2000 bush gore election controversy has been cited by some as a comparison to 2020. results in the deciding state will close with the supremes court giving bush the nod. but the result could have been a very different thousands of voters in florida were labeled felons, preventing them from voting. bush's brother also happens to be the state's governor . no major law firm in florida worked for al gore, even democratic, even democratic oriented law firms. because everyone was afraid of the bush family in the governor and losing important state business in this election cycle could perhaps be summed up best by joe biden himself we have put together. i think the most extensive and