I am convinced that the remainder of President Obama's term will be peppered

[mfcorey1]

with distractions, some embellished and some generated by the media and the Republicans. One good thing is that legacy is no longer dependent on textbooks from Texas, but a researching generation will be able to use technology to remind them of the obstructions that he faced daily. Some of those things come with the job but the majority of them come with being a minority in the White House. Until the population of this country is purged of the fading remnants of the Sons of the Confederacy, we will never regain our status as a powerful nation. PISSED AND JUST COLLECTING MY THOUGHTS!

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Then he needs to get off his ass and do an LBJ

Last edited Tue Nov 12, 2013, 10:03 AM - Edit history (1)

As long as he embraces traditional Democratic ideals, as well.

[marble falls]

2. Exactamundo. He's got three years to leave a real legacy. Kennedy proposed, LBJ delivered.

[mfcorey1]

3. Just collecting my thoughts!

[treestar]

4. LBJ was a white man with a larger D majority

Still pitting Obama against him, I see.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. And he got Civil Rights and Medicare passed

Because people were afraid of crossing LBJ.

Only Liberals need be afraid of Obama.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024013677

[treestar]

6. Afraid of what?

I don't want my legislators "afraid" of the President.

Quit pitting Obama against LBJ.

The hero worship of bullies is sort of concerning, too. Do you admire the mafia?

[truebluegreen]

8. On the other hand, hero worship of brave Defenders of the Status Quo

in a Time of Crisis is totally inspiring.

[treestar]

12. What are you even talking about?

Most people will defend a peaceable status quo with peaceable changes made by the legislative process.

[truebluegreen]

14. I thought we were talking about making progress.

You seemed, and seem, to be talking about Being Nice to crazy people as a good in itself. After all, that has worked so well in the last 30 or 40 years, and especially the last 10.

[frazzled]

10. Manny again avoids your point

Yes, Lyndon Johnson did not operate in the same environment we have today. The 88th and 89th Congresses that sat between 1963 and 1967 were overwhelmingly Democratic in both houses when Johnson's signature legislations were passed. Which is not to say the Democrats were overwhelmingly liberal. (But remember, Republicans were also not overwhelmingly conservative.)

Here's the deal (using figures from ends of these terms, rather than beginnings, which reflect lower numbers of Democrats in each case):

88th Congress (Jan 63-Jan 65):
Senate: 65 Democrats, 35 Republicans -- a filibuster-proof majority.
House: 255 Democrats, 177 Republicans

89th Congress (Jan 65-Jan 67)
Senate: 67 Democrats, 33 Republicans -- another filibuster-proof majority
House 289 Democrrats, 136 Republicans

Compare that to Obama's Congresses: the very barest of Democratic majorities in the Senate, but never one that has been filibuster-proof (except for perhaps 2 months at the beginning of his term). An overwhelmingly Republican House that has blocked even what the Senate has managed to eke out with Republican intransigence.

[treestar]

11. Exactly so being a tough guy who made people "afraid" of him

wasn't even really necessary. I really hate that idea and it may be slandering LBJ.

[JoePhilly]

15. But I thought he was supposed to be FDR?

Now its LBJ.

Next week JFK?

[Whisp]

16. yeh, he's always just sitting around on his ass...

I'd like to see you and your Group of Moaners do just one days hard work the President has to. You'd collapse.

[spanone]

7. k&r...

[gopiscrap]

9. I tend to agree with you

[BKH70041]

13. It's politics.

I wouldn't expect anything less.