Dr. King And Lyndon Johnson - Democratic Underground

DemocratSinceBirth

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:08 AM
Original message

Dr. King And Lyndon Johnson

Let me preface my remarks by saying that Dr. King is a great man, a seminal figure in American history, and a martyr... But if it wasn't for Lyndon Johnson's mastery of the political process his dream would have been deferred...It certainly would have been deferred if Barry Golwater won in 1964...Jim Crow like slavery would have died or been killed but without Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson those pernicious institutions would have endured longer...

On the same note Medicare and Medicaid were John Kennedy's creation and passion but Lyndon Johnson's mastery of the polical process made them a reality...

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Sparkly

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:10 AM
Response to Original message

1. Her comparison was actually between Kennedy and Johnson

The relationship between dreams and getting things done.

The twist about MLK is another "Goring" of what she said.

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DemocratSinceBirth

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:14 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. She's Not A Moron...She's Not Going To Diss Dr. King...

It was a positive confluence of events that Dr. King's mission coencided with LBJ's presidency... The Kennedy's hated Jim Crow but as northern politicians they were timid when it came to destructing it..

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Sparkly

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:16 AM
Response to Reply #2

3. Yup

People distorted what she said and ran with it.

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DemocratSinceBirth

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:19 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. I Love The Kennedys

Check out my avatar... I shook RFK's hand in 1968 when I was ten years old...I have an autographed picture of him and letter...I worked in Ted Kennedy's campaign in 1980...

But the Kennedys also had a pragamatic side...When Dr. King's movement was beginning to pick up steam they advised caution... That he was moving too fast...

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ellacott

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:20 AM
Response to Reply #2

5. I don't think she distorted or dissed MLK

I don't agree with those who said that. I appeared that she was comparing Obama to MLK and herself to Johnson. If that were her intention she made a better case for Obama than herself. You would, in theory, have a MLK and Johnson in the same person if you elected Obama.

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DemocratSinceBirth

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:22 AM
Response to Reply #5

6. I'll Let You Have That Argument

I suspect she would say there's room for both; one person to lead a movement , and one person to lead a government, and she embodies one and the other person embodies the other...

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ellacott

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:23 AM
Response to Reply #6

7. I agree with you

I understood her point but wish she could have phrased it better.

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DemocratSinceBirth

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:25 AM
Response to Reply #7

9. Different Skill Sets

Dr. King and LBJ had different skill sets just as Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln had different skill sets...

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ellacott

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:27 AM
Response to Reply #9

11. good point n/t

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DrFunkenstein

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:25 AM
Response to Original message

8. And Johnson Allowing Us to Get Bogged Down in Vietnam (Like Iraq)

Which crushed any hopes of major domestic reforms.

You have to know a smart war from a dumb war when you see them, otherwise you're wasting our time (and the lives of hundreds of thousands).

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DemocratSinceBirth

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:27 AM
Response to Reply #8

10. LBJ Was Flawed

But his commitment to civil rights was very real...

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H2O Man

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Tue Jan-08-08 09:28 AM
Response to Original message

12. There were

numerous events that set the stage, and many talented people who combined efforts to bring about the civil rights victories of the first few years of LBJ's presidency. Both MLK and LBJ deserve credit. Certainly, Senator Clinton is appreciative of that fact.

I do not think what she said was "wrong," but rather that the timing was wrong. When people are tired and under pressure, they are more prone to make errors in judgement. Any study of political campaigns, including those of the best of politicians, shows that this happens.

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