General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI watched the HBO movie "All the Way" last night.
Wow, LBJ may have been a shrewd politician, but he work hard to get the "Civil Rights'" bill passed. It also shows how times have changed since then. Now the Republican party are the ones trying to destroy the "civil rights" of all Americans.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,710 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)He did some really regrettable shit, but he also accomplished a lot for the great good of everyone. My family lived in Texas and my dad took us to see him speak at the HS football stadium. He was a big man, striking, loud, imposing, and I can understand how he would definitely be an intimidating presence to be reckoned with.
CurtEastPoint
(18,639 posts)katmondoo
(6,454 posts)The movie and his portrayal of LBJ was supurb
firebrand80
(2,760 posts)that the Democratic party needs to get back to the principles it used to be about. I can't figure out exactly when that was, it certainly wasn't any time before 1970.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Our party improved immensely when they, and the evangelicals left for the Republican party in the 50-late 60's.
mac56
(17,566 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)People like Goldwater warned against it. (Goldwater was a right wing regressive, heartless bastard, but he could and did compromise with us on issues. Give and take. That wasn't ok, so the evangelicals moved his office into the airlock and cycled it.)
The uncompromising position of these groups is a divisive element that could tear apart the very spirit of our representative system, if they gain sufficient strength.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)Revolutions program to develop new plays about key moments in American history. This year OSF premiers 'Roe' a play about Roe vs Wade as part of that series.
"All The Way" has a second play in the cycle, covering LBJ's second term which is called "Great Society" and here is a review of OSF's production of "Great Society" with photos and such:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/19/theater/in-the-great-society-jack-willis-stars-as-johnson.html?_r=0
Here is the local review of "Roe" which is very new, just opened this month:
http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160501/NEWS/160509991
About the American Revolutions Cycle:
"American Revolutions
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The United States History Cycle
American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle is OSFs 10-year program (2008-2017) of commissioning up to 37 new plays sprung from moments of change in United States history. Bringing together artists, historians and institutions from around the country, and mirroring the scope and scale of Shakespeares history plays, American Revolutions is the largest commissioning and production project in OSFs history. Theatre contributes to vision, to conversation, to commitment, to belief, to action and must actively participate in the life of our country. These truths animate OSFs American Revolutions goals and create value for our participating artists, our fieldwide collaborators and our audiences."
https://www.osfashland.org/experience-osf/upcoming/american-revolutions.aspx
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,588 posts)We lived through those times and this film really brought it all back. Bryan Cranston was amazing.
Mira
(22,380 posts)Thanks for doing it for me.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,588 posts)Did you see? I am no longer #1 in poll #1! Thank goodness!
avebury
(10,952 posts)lovemydog
(11,833 posts)I will check it out!
forest444
(5,902 posts)Produced by Showtime on the eve of Dubya's invasion of Iraq, it portrays an easily manipulated LBJ who, once he was knee deep in Vietnam, made the further mistake of doubling down in hopes of "getting it all over with" (rather like a compulsive gambler).
Ultimately, he saw how hopeless the war was - and perhaps how he had been pimped. That's when he decided to withdraw from the nomination in order to achieve a peace treaty with Hanoi before the end of his term.
And he probably would have, had Tricky Dick and Kissinger not sabotaged the talks.
Riveting stuff, even for those familiar with the story. Plus: Michael Gambon was amazing - and he's British!
busterbrown
(8,515 posts)Didnt want to be the first American Pres.. to lose a war...
forest444
(5,902 posts)Often in 1966 and 1967, when he seemed close to withdrawing, Wheeler and the other joint chiefs would pull out some bullshit presentation prepared for them by the CIA, full of half-truths and self-contradicting numbers.
"We're winning, Mr. President!," the cheer always went.
To which one day LBJ finally said: "We're winning - but we're losing!"
A Lear-esque tragedy worthy of Shakespeare.
busterbrown
(8,515 posts)They never met a war they do or did not like...
forest444
(5,902 posts)Except, of course, for Bernie should he be elected - hence their preference for Ms. Inevitable.
shadowmayor
(1,325 posts)Nixon sabotaged the peace talks. That's treason folks, plain and simple. Reagan saw how the feckless Democrats let that one pass and pulled the same stunt on Carter. In my lifetime, I've suffered under 3 repuke presidents who stole or manipulated the election process - Nixon, Reagan, and lil' Bush. If there's an anti-Mount Rushmore I nominate these three and leave the last face up for debate.
forest444
(5,902 posts)I'm with you. I've always believe that at least some of the self-aggrandizing memorials that despots built should be kept around as a grim reminder.
For example, that's what the Philippines' Corazón Aquino did when Marcos fled in 1986 (to Hawaii and with Reagan's blessing, you might recall). When asked to destroy a 100-foot bust Marcos had ordered built to himself on a hillside sacred to one of that country's indigenous peoples, she refused for that very reason: she believed it should serve as a reminder (it was ultimately blown up by angry locals).
If we were to ever "honor" our own neocon scoundrels in such a way, I vote we build such a memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania - but not without a small museum at the base so that future generations learn the lengths they and their profiteer buddies went to assure perpetual war.
packman
(16,296 posts)after being chosen to run for President in Philadelphia , Mississippi
"On August 3, 1980, Ronald Reagan gave his first post-convention speech at the Neshoba County Fair after being officially chosen as the Republican nominee for President of the United States. He said, "I believe in states' rights ... I believe we have distorted the balance of our government today by giving powers that were never intended to be given in the Constitution to that federal establishment." He went on to promise to "restore to states and local governments the power that properly belongs to them"
In the place where those three civil rights workers were murdered. This put the stamp on where the Republican party was headed - pro white, Southern, and appealing to bigotry.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Medicare, the War on Poverty and other issues was great.
EndElectoral
(4,213 posts)jtuck004
(15,882 posts)TeamPooka
(24,221 posts)bvar22
(39,909 posts)http://thejohnsonpost.blogspot.com/2009/08/johnson-treatment.html
At the time, I hated LBJ with a Purple Passion because of the WAR and the wasted deaths of a couple of friends that blinded me to anything else. It was only much later that it became clear that LBJ was the most Liberal President we have had in the last 1/2 century.
mainer
(12,022 posts)Only 64. When I was young, that seemed OLD, but now it seems shockingly premature.
MattP
(3,304 posts)Exilednight
(9,359 posts)truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)Regarding "how much times have changed" and "Now the Republican party are the ones trying to destroy the "civil rights" of all Americans"--you are aware that Johnson was not a Republican, right?
Times haven't changed that much.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Another insightful performance of LBJ done by British actor Michael Gambon is in the film Path to War (link to full movie on youtube below).