Monday, November 03, 2008

POTUS 36 - President Lyndon B. Johnson, originator of The Johnson Treatment


click to enlarge LBJ

I've written many times about Lyndon Johnson, the civil rights hero, and Lyndon Johnson, the paranoid and bellicose monster. When I did my series on Heroes And Villains, I considered using a picture of him as both the hero and the villain. I don't subscribe to the theory he was one of the JFK assassination conspirators (if there was indeed a conspiracy to begin with).

LBJ had a unique style of coercion and persuasion. It is known as the Johnson Treatment. Check out this link for dozens of photos and stories on The Treatment:

Some of my favorite political books have been Lyndon Johnson biographies and studies. Recently, the movie Fog of War was an fascinating rehash of LBJ, the unwitting inheritor of an unwinnable (as he seemed to know from the get-go) war.

If you get a chance, the LBJ museum in Austin, TX, is worth an afternoon visit.

Earlier articles on LBJ appearing on All This Is That:

The Johnson Treatment
LBJ and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King meet up
LBJ howls like a dog
Another good LBJ photo
And another. . .
One of the heroes and villains paintings
LBJ In A Characteristic Pose
Running Mates: Senators Lyndon Johnson And JFK
The Johnson Treatment, Part 6: The Hump and Senator Russell get the treatment
The Johnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment
The Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas
The Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment
The Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment
He's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather
---o0o---
{"cc_re__cc_re__cc_by_3_0": ["ass='clear'></div>\n</div>\n</div></div>\n<table border='0' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' class='section-columns columns-2'>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class='first columns-cell'>\n<div class='sidebar no-items section' id='sidebar-right-2-1'></div>\n</td>\n<td class='columns-cell'>\n<div class='sidebar no-items section' id='sidebar-right-2-2'></div>\n</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<div class='sidebar section' id='sidebar-right-3'><div class='widget HTML' data-version='1' id='HTML7'>\n<div class='widget-content'>\n<a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/\"><img alt=\"Creative Commons License\" style=\"border-width:0\" src=\"https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Zzf9pMeUxctaJhHshxhG0inIilSb5hSbsogtvO7uJB6srXaowS3KeDY0nUuJ9oGUBtk0Bcxrla1IE-Wb5wF_WEycLA=s0-d\"></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License</a>.\n\nAll This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We ", "='sidebar-right-2-2'></div>\n</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<div class='sidebar section' id='sidebar-right-3'><div class='widget HTML' data-version='1' id='HTML7'>\n<div class='widget-content'>\n<a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/\"><img alt=\"Creative Commons License\" style=\"border-width:0\" src=\"https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Zzf9pMeUxctaJhHshxhG0inIilSb5hSbsogtvO7uJB6srXaowS3KeDY0nUuJ9oGUBtk0Bcxrla1IE-Wb5wF_WEycLA=s0-d\"></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel=\"license\" href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License</a>.\n\nAll This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make these materials available to advance the understanding of political, economic, literary, artistic, and social issues.  In some cases we satirize, parody, or lampoon materials from other sources.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for by section 107 of the US Co"], "copyright__copyright__copyright": ["ohnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment\nHe's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather\n---o0o---", "ohnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment\nHe's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather\n---o0o---", "ohnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment\nHe's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather\n---o0o---", "ohnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment\nHe's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather\n---o0o---", "ohnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment\nHe's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather\n---o0o---", "ohnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment\nHe's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather\n---o0o---", "ohnson Treatment, Part 5: Senator Richard Russell (Dem., Georgia) Undergoes The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 4: President Johnson Gives The Treatment To Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 3: LBJ Gives Eartha Kitt The Treatment\nThe Johnson Treatment, Part 2: Richard M. Nixon, Republican Presidential Front-runner Gets The Treatment\nHe's Not Close Enough To Give Him The Johnson Treatment, But LBJ Appears To Be Answering A Pointed Question From Dan Rather\n---o0o---"]}