Were cozy ties between Texas legislators and Halliburton’s corporate predecessor Brown and Root responsible for the passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act? The new fourth volume of Robert Caro’s Lyndon Johnson series lays out how the 36th president used his influence, often in elaborate ways, to get Congress to pass major legislation. It also raises an obvious question: Do we need a similarly imperial president to solve today’s intractable problems?
America faces not just a fiscal morass, but also an education deficit that threatens our future well-being. In these times, could we use another LBJ?
Comments
Cut some back-room deals with industry to promote federal takeover? Turn education in this country over to the private sector? Haven't had my coffee yet but I'm not at all sure what Ed is getting at here. I don't know. Education in this country is local. Federal power in the area of education just turns everything into a political football. It's too far removed from the classroom. What specifically could be done at the federal level with education that would match the impact of the 1964 Civil Rights Act?
When did Reagan have untrammeled power? The Republicans never controlled the House during Reagan's presidency and had a less than filibuster-proof majority for Reagan's first six years.