March 1, 1965 - In this heated phone conversation, President Lyndon B. Johnson reprimands Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (D-NY) for holding up an education bill in the House of Representatives.
When discussing how a bill becomes a law, and the sometimes contentious nature of the process, as well as a bill that directly affects public schools, I let my students listen to this phone call between LBJ and the incomparable Powell. They can't stop laughing. 😂
Adam Clayton Powell was one of the most powerful political leaders of his time, but his arrogance destroyed his legacy like the Vietnam war destroyed President Johnson.
I don't think he could have done that today. There's too much gridlock in the system and social media is exposing everyone and putting pressure on everyone. People don't want to upset their party which would be visible on the media overnight.
it would be nice to see him face down the MAGAs and Christian fundementalists, but, there's too many of them now. They'd just hobble him in the Senate like with Biden and Obama
Other way around Comrade. The last thing we need is some Socialist like Booben attempting to have anything passed. In the words of Barack Obumble, never underestimate Booben’s ability to f$&k things up. BTW yahoos like you voted for him, and now we have hyperinflation, shortages and usurping of the Constitution. Congratulations Comrade.
Major context is Powell was one of the most crooked congressmen in history. Other context is Johnson was the biggest bully to be president, and he was very proud of it.
@@williamowens5542 Actually the context is you're full of shit. Adam Clayton Powell was one of the most effective congressman to ever serve. House Education and Labor was almost singlehandedly responsible for the major elements of the Great Society legislation and the War on Poverty
The context was House leadership had cut the budget of Powell's committee which hamstrung him from doing important work. They were effectively trying to neuter him because they resented a black man having this much power. So he basically said "restore my budget" or I won't pass this bill that LBJ wants so badly. And he knew LBJ could lean on house leadership to get his budget restored. So he sat on the bill until he did so. LBJ leaned, the budget was restored and Powell got the bill passed.
@@jmachats Great context. Blacks haven't had a House representative with balls and smarts since Powell was forced/voted out, half of this undoing was due to Powell's own misconduct in his personal life.
@@CRA5759 The Education Bill (that still affects us greatly today) and MANY MANY MORE bills got passed. Whatever, you think about his views, tactics, etc. -there has never been as EFFECTIVE a president as LBJ. Go back and look at the major programs that were passed during his tenure. It is mindboggling. Joseph Califano (his chief domestic advisor) lists many in the front of his book.
Johnson was able to get whatever je wanted Past, and He checked to make sure it could pass before he wanted it, he was the Master of the Senate before he was vice president, he could count votes and but votes better than anybody else in the American political system.
Anyone else get a sense of yourself in our president's. In other words, I feel that I would be doing the same shit--calling them out on their BS, privately.
Politely, they don't sound remotely similar to me. LBJ has a strong Texas accent and Powell is obviously from up North. Not only are the accents different but the tenor and presentations are extremely different.
@@andypistole8363 congress is independent of the president. It's not defying the president to vote as your conscience dictates no matter who's the president.
"There's no question in my mind, in this century, the three greatest active politicians were Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. Nobody else, as President, was in their league as political operators." Richard Nixon 1982
Nixon never knew T.R. personally, but certainly knew his daughter Alice Longworth, who was a huge supporter of Nixon’s throughout his career. He’d have been a keen observer of FDR, as he was 20 years old and in college when FDR became president. He definitely knew and sparred with LBJ. Those two never much liked each other and were fierce political opponents, but I think they respected each other’s tenacity and intelligence.
What's happening, evidently, is that Powell, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, is holding up Johnson's education bill because Powell wants a $400,000 appropriation -- it's not clear for what -- in another bill. This is a mild example of the Johnson treatment because it is happening on the phone. Johnson was 6'4" , towered over many of his colleagues, and would lean over them to make a point. Even those as tall as he was could get the treatment. Senator Ed Muskie of Maine, himself 6'3", is said to have remarked after a session with Johnson that he now understood why men have their nosehairs trimmed.
Powell would go off to Bimini for weeks at a time. That may be what LBJ is talking about. Whatever you say about Johnson, he was serious about his domestic agenda.
@@williamowens5542 No, not his, he suggested Nixon to get one too during the transition, however, Nixon said no at first but then he freaked out over Kissinger telling fibs all over Georgetown so he got his own one installed
The country would have been better off if that miserable anti American racist Obama had never been president! Worst president in history since LBJ and before Biden! The scum democrats just keep outdoing themselves.
Richard Nixon once said in an interview with Pat Buchanan, "....without question, the three greatest politicians of the 20th century were Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Lyndon Johnson."
@tharindukottegoda989 his passing of the civil rights bills had nothing to do with a deep ceded belief in equality, but rather he was pandering to the black vote and we all know or shoukd know what he thought about blacks.
He was the Democrat that defined the agenda of the modern day party. Why would he be a Republican if he created the modern Democratic Party? Lol And Pelosi has been very, very politically effective at passing progressive legislation through. Your comment just confuses me
Randy Vinson Imagine him denying knowing Lev Parnas, selling out to Putin against his own country, paying a porn actress 130k in hush money to hid an extramarital affair from his present wife who he cheated with on his former wife or having the distinction of having 35 plus criminal indictments, convictions and guilty pleas against his cabinet members and associates including personal attorney none which have the names of two Black Senators Harris or Booker on them. Imagine that.
Sir Kayda Seeing that this is America with a history slavery, native American Genocide, Jim Crow, Attrocities against Mexican American and Central American families seeking asylum, Trump etc, it's always baffling when someone like yourself poses the dishonest and hypocritical question of racial motivation, but then again this is America right?
Sure he would hate them but he would hate them because they’re deeply inept politicians. His Great Society programs were absolutely incompatible with republicanism. Not that he was a good person, Vietnam was awful. But he is not at all a Republican.
LBJ was " an animal" quoting Richard Nixon . LBJ was out of control by modern standards and in my opinion the standards of today ... that guy should have told him to fuck off or give me what I want ...LBJ talked to him that way because he let him .
Ahhhhhhh, Sorry President Johnson......if you could have just waited 50 years you could have had your own personal Democrat Police force (FBI) go and put a little "pressure" on the Congressman to "see things the right way".
