I nice conclusion to the saga (for now) which –as the four installment– humorously refuses to acknowledge the assertion made in the introduction to the first entry that the claimed that this would be a 3-book series. Instead, Caro makes overtures about a hitherto yet unpublished fifth book required further cover LBJ's War on Poverty and the Vietnam War (been 40 years, we not geting it :sadge:).

As the other books have diligently profiled the adjacent characters to the path of LBJ, this book focuses on The Kennedy brothers in relation to the ascendent president. The persistently, unwell JFK is very similar to LBJ in the sense that they both would campaign to the point of physical failure, despite a lot of sickness and would keep their spirits up throughout until they would break.

When asked why he was willing to accept the vice presidential nomination LBJ candidly replied "well six of them didn't have to get elected" in reference to the president presidency. And that's one of the colder elements of this book – the emphasis on the degree to which LBJ, Kennedy, and his entire cabinet especially RFK were profoundly aware that LBJ was only "a heartbeat away" from the presidency which was horrifying to them (paraphrasing their not Caro's commentary).

In order to solidify, the Black vote and the labor vote can be promised and guaranteed that the vice presidency would not go to Johnson. This is an integral thing which let him win the nomination over former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson.

It is a trap of history to believe that eye witness accounts reflect what actually happened

a quote from Theodore White about what went down in the room with Bobby Kennedy, and LBJ after he finagled his way into the VP slot which was offered to him as a token gesture that no one expected him to accept, after Bobby had tacitly offered it to the real pick, placing everyone in a tough spot from which LBJ would not back down.

RFK working behind JFK’s back to remove LBJ from the ticket + LBJ calling him a "rat shit" and vowing to kill RFK "if it’s the last thing I'll do" (because of comments LBJ had made about their father who was an antisemite millionaire who made his nugget buying during the great depression, none of the reason which actually contributed to LBJ's animus lol)

At the time of the 1960 inauguration, the vice president was utterly powerless. All of its powers were discretionarily given by the president's discretion. LBJ immediately sought to transform this into another office which could command power, but by now his gimmick's of opportunistic two-facedism had caught up to him, and he was pretty effectively kenneled.

verbal restraint in his loyalty to JFK was a “powerful demonstration of self discipline” which helped at least keep him around.

being vice president is like being a cut dog / castrated bull

and

Few men in history have given up so much for so little

was the characterization of LBJ's acceptance of the vice presidency

crazy the extent to which VP ascendency was on the mind of everyone in the Kennedy admin, threat of assassination and terror of an LBJ presidency, demonstrated war hawkishness during Cuban Missile crisis

while JFK/RFK wheeled n sealed and secretly sac’d an already to-be-decom’d Jupiter missile base in Turkey - if done publicly (to meet Khrushchev’s public demand) would be seen as appeasement and ruin NATO

Sadly, the thing which won Bobby Kennedy, the youngest brother, the respect of his father was his capacity for hatred hatred of Fidel Castro, hatred of Jimmy Hoffa, and hatred of Lyndon Johnson

scandal w/Bobby Baker and John Connolly shedding light on Johnson’s own money machine and bag men began to DQ him from consideration for VP in 64. JFK was recorded saying “it will not be him” in 11/63

by JFK’s private secretary Evelyn Lincoln, who after she published her book was relegated to slime status by all else around her who previously held her in high standing. How quickly these ppl will switch up on their day 1s as soon as the power dynamic changed (to put LBJ in office)

Literally the same day that Kennedy was assassinated while Johnson was trailing behind him in the car with the Senator, who desperately did not want to sit with him and was hurting his image, Johnson's finances in KTBC were being investigated in Washington.

ascending to the presidency by lead bullet rather than election

transition of power was rockier for Johnson than any other president and he was immediately thrown into the gauntlet of ‘64 reelection

ended up being uniquely capable of getting Kennedy’s legislation (CRA/VRA) across the board by dealing with the southerners, namely the conservative Virginia Harry Bird who would have killed any bill before his tax bill

labored for the image and actuality of continuity by keeping as many Kennedy men as possible, assembling a challengingly bipartisan Warren Commission place Richard Russell (behind is back) upon the commish and then weaponizing the realization of power to great effect whipping Congress into action in a way that perhaps the policy-wise dry in the eyes Kennedy could not have

reL most Kennedy men were not amenable to his style of cruel leadership. They were not 'yes' men, and so he necessarily become courteous to ingratiate himself to them. Not just optics because they had hated him before, it was earnest pragmatism, requiring him to subdue behaviors through force of will which had dominated almost every turning point of his earlier success

war on poverty, overshadowed by Nam, but nevertheless was the prelude to modern liberal ideals & progressive use of the federal government

related