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NEWS ABOUT: Lyndon Johnson

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Belafonte, Sotheby's Cancel MLK Auction

King estate disputes ownership of papers

(Newser) - Sotheby's has canceled the auction of three Martin Luther King documents amid an ongoing feud between their owner—Harry Belafonte—and the King estate, the New York Times reports. MLK's heirs contend that Belafonte is not the rightful owner of the papers, which include an important King speech on Vietnam... More »

LBJ Saw 'Treason' in Candidate Nixon's Actions

(Newser) - As the tumultuous 1968 presidential campaign closed, Lyndon Johnson learned of attempts by Richard Nixon's aides to undermine peace efforts in Vietnam, actions he referred to as "treason," The final batch of audio recordings made during LBJ's administration, released yesterday by his presidential library, capture the frustration of... More »

Washington Faces Seismic Shift

Obama will be one of the most powerful presidents of the modern era, says Politico

(Newser) - The election of a relatively young black man to the presidency carries obvious historical significance—but beyond the symbolism, John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei write for Politico, last night marked one of the most momentous political transformations in modern American history. The rout of the Republican party means that... More »

An Obama Win Would Belong to LBJ

Run is confirmation of slow change since Civil Rights Act

(Newser) - Unless the polls are wrong, the winner of today’s election is clear: Lyndon Baines Johnson. “We have lost the South for a generation,” Johnson said when he signed the Civil Rights Act. Well, “for that generation, time’s up,” Richard Cohen writes in the Washington ... More »

White Obama Support Defies Doubters

44% of white voters swing to Obama

(Newser) - A minority of white voters—44%—are now supporting Barack Obama, but he trails by less than previous Democratic presidential candidates, reports the New York Times, including Bill Clinton. Both the impact of racial attitudes and the proportion of white voters in the electorate have diminished, analysts say. In a... More »

How Would Cool Hand Obama Govern?

Brooks asks: How would someone so calm actually govern?

(Newser) - Barack Obama, like LBJ and Bill Clinton, may rise from an outsider's position to the highest echelon of American politics. But while those presidents sought power for respect or public adoration, writes David Brooks, Obama exudes an "untroubled self-confidence" in the mold of FDR and Ronald Reagan. Watching Obama's... More »

After 43 Years, LBJ's Dream Is Realized Tonight

Voting Rights Act paved the way for Obama's candidacy, writes Caro

(Newser) - As Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination tonight, author Robert A. Caro will be remembering another speech: Lyndon Johnson's 1965 address to Congress urging the passage of the Voting Rights Act. In that speech, which reduced Martin Luther King to tears, LBJ "adopted the great anthem of the civil... More »

Candidates' Family Trees Have Far-Flung Limbs

Jolie-Pitt family could be split by ties to Clinton, Obama, genealogist finds

(Newser) - The Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt household might have trouble choosing a Democratic candidate: It turns out Barack Obama is a distant cousin of Pitt’s and Hillary Clinton is a relative of Jolie’s. The author of a new genealogical survey cautions voters not to be too swayed—but it seems... More »

Bush Approval Rating Hits New Low: 31%

Ratings hit their lowest yet on war's 5th anniversary

(Newser) - More than two-thirds of Americans now think George W. Bush is doing a poor job, according to a new poll that pegged his approval rate at 31%—a new low. The director of the CNN poll noted that the hefty 40-point drop in Bush's approval ratings since the start of... More »

Family, DNA Cast Doubt on JFK Love Child

His mother says she never met Kennedy; hair sample no match

(Newser) - A Texas-born investment banker's claim to be the love child of JFK is suddenly looking far less credible. The person who would know—his mom—says she never met John F. Kennedy, or any Kennedys for that matter, ABC News reports. Jack Worthington's reputable career and resemblance to Kennedy has... More »

Clinton Rolls Out 'Nuclear Option' TV Spot

'Red phone'-style ad asks: Who will keep your children safe?

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton today debuted an ad hinting at dire consequences of electing a commander in chief who isn’t “tested," ABC News reports. "It's 3am and your children are asleep," a voice says over images of sleeping infants. "There's a phone in the White House,... More »

How US Tried to Whack Castro

CIA devised creative means to remove Cuban president

(Newser) - Despite several assassination attempts against Fidel Castro, the Cuban president stepped down Tuesday on his own terms. The CIA came up with at least eight sometimes-kooky ways to oust the leader, CNN reports, most of which were not carried out:
  • Chemical attack on the air of his radio station.
  • Cigars
... More »

Hillary Praises MLK, Gets Tepid Response

Hopeful rouses little excitement at event honoring King

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton faced a smattering of applause, scattered boos, and a few walkouts at a Martin Luther King, Jr. event in New York today, ABC reports. "Each of us, no matter who we are and where we started from, is a beneficiary of Dr. King," she told the... More »

Fateful 1963 Xmas Card Missing on Tour

Greeting never sent out after JFK assassination

(Newser) - Visitors on a White House Christmas tour have noticed something missing—a rare 1963 greeting card that John F. Kennedy signed before his fateful trip to Dallas, Reuters reports. President and Jacquelyn Kennedy signed fewer than 30 of the cards, which were never sent out. "They are the most... More »

‘Cowardice’ Made LBJ Grow War

Schlesinger diaries depict liberal flight as prez sought heroism

(Newser) - President Johnson’s motives for escalating the Vietnam War were “psychological and political rather than military,” wrote insider Arthur Schlesinger Jr. The former Kennedy hand documented the flight of top liberals from LBJ, even as he psychoanalyzed the president’s 1966-1967 decision to play “the war to... More »

Flip-Floppers See Light—Or Just Want Job

Romney and Kerry stand in long line of political mind-changing

(Newser) - Maybe Mitt Romney and John Kerry should hold their flip-flopping heads high: Changes of mind have furthered the causes of abolition and civil rights over the centuries. Ronald Reagan defiantly claimed his biggest reversal—promising feet “in concrete” about raising taxes, then singing “the sound of concrete cracking”... More »

Gospel Lives in the Oval Office

New biography reflects on Billy Graham's counsel to 8 of last 9 presidents

(Newser) - Billy Graham has seen US leaders laid bare, from skinny-dipping with LBJ to long walks on the beach with GWB. A new book details the ailing 88-year-old preacher’s rendezvous with presidents past, including counseling Ford to pardon Nixon and advising Hillary Clinton to look past Monica Lewinsky. Graham’s... More »

Lady Bird Johnson Mourned

(Newser) - A heady mix of past presidents and past and current first ladies paid their respects to Lady Bird Johnson, whose funeral was held in Austin, TX, today, after more 12,000 people filed past her coffin at the top of a marble staircase at the Johnson Library. She died Wednesday... More »

Lady Bird Johnson Dead at 94

Former first lady fought for civil rights

(Newser) - Lady Bird Johnson, wife of former president Lyndon Johnson, is dead today at 94. Johnson was a vociferous—if always graceful—campaigner for the beautification of the country and, during one of the most turbulent presidencies of all time, for civil rights and the betterment of the poor. More »

Longtime Movie Lobbyist Valenti Dead at 85

Hollywood's man in Washington pioneered ratings system

(Newser) - Despite being neither movie star nor studio exec, Jack Valenti was one of Hollywood's most influential figures. An era ended Thursday when the longtime president of the film industry's trade association died at his home in Washington. The veteran lobbyist, who also served in the Johnson administration, was 85 and... More »

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