>>> THIS IS A SAD TIME FOR ALL
PEOPLE.
WE HAVE SUFFERED A LOSS THAT
CANNOT BE WEIGHED.
FOR ME, IT IS A DEEP, PERSONAL
TRAGEDY.
I KNOW THAT THE WORLD SHARES THE
SORROW THAT MRS. KENNEDY AND HER
FAMILY BEAR.
I WILL DO MY BEST.
THAT IS ALL I CAN DO.
I ASK FOR YOUR HELP.
AND GOD’S.
>> PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON
SPEAKING TO THE COUNTRY UPON
ARRIVAL AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE
BASE SHORTLY AFTER BEING SWORN
IN ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE
FOLLOWING THE ASSASSINATION OF
JOHN F. KENNEDY.
AS WE DRAW CLOSER TO JOE BIDEN
TAKING THAT OATH, 42 DAYS FROM
NOW, WE’RE FOCUSING ON
PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP.
SPEAKING WITH HISTORIANS WHO
HAVE WRITTEN ON PAST PRESIDENTS,
ASKING WHAT BIDEN MIGHT BE ABLE
TO TAKE AWAY FROM VARIOUS PAST
ADMINISTRATIONS.
JOINING US NOW PULITZER
PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR DORIS
KEARNS GOODWIN.
A BIOGRAPHY ON LBJ.
MIKE BARNICLE, CLAIRE McCASKILL
AND EDDIE GLAUDE ARE BACK WITH
US AS WELL.
AND DORIS, I’LL START YOU OFF
WITH THE BIG QUESTION.
WHAT CAN BIDEN TAKE AWAY AND
LEARN FROM LBJ’S LEGACY?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO
QUESTION THAT LBJ WAS A MAN OF
THE CONGRESS HAS BIDEN HAS BEEN
AND LEARNING HOW TO DEAL WITH
THE INDIVIDUAL CONGRESSMEN AND
SENATORS, I THINK THERE IS NO
BETTER PERSON THAN LBJ.
JUST THINK, AFTER THAT INAUGURAL
OATH THAT HE TOOK.
HE WENT TO A JOINT SESSION OF
CONGRESS AND MADE VERY CLEAR HIS
ABSOLUTE FIRST PRIORITY WAS THE
PASSAGE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
THAT KENNEDY HAD INTRODUCED THAT
SUMMER AND WAS TOTALLY STUCK.
NOBODY THOUGHT IT WOULD GET OUT
OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE.
SO HE KNEW HE HAD TO WORK THAT
CONGRESS.
BUT HE MADE A PLEDGE THAT THIS
WILL BE MY FIRST PRIORITY.
THEY SAID YOU’RE CRAZY, IT’S
GOING TO FAIL, YOU WILL BE A
FAILED PRESIDENT, YOU SHOULDN’T
USE THE CURRENCY OF YOUR
PRESIDENCY ON THIS.
THEN HE CELEBRATEDLY SAID, THEN
WHAT THE HELL IS THE PRESIDENCY
FOR?
THEN HE SET TO WORK.
HE HAD INDIVIDUAL CONGRESSMEN --
I LOVE CLAIRE TO THINK ABOUT
THIS, IN GROUPS OF 30.
THEY COME WITH THEIR SPOUSES.
THE SPOUSES GO ON A TOUR AFTER
DINNER AND THEN HAVE PORT AND
BRANDY AND HE WOULD CALL THEM
THE NEXT DAY.
EVERY SINGLE CONGRESSMAN HAD
BEEN TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
TELL YOUR CONSTITUENTS I WAS AT
A WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL FUNCTION.
THIS WILL BE SO NATURAL FOR JOE.
HE CALLS THEMT AT SIX, ATMIDNIGH
AT A.M., HOPE I DIDN’T WAKE YOU
UP.
AND THEN HE MADE DEALS WITH
THEM, WITH EACH ONE OF THEM, TO
BRING THEM ALONG.
FINALLY HE GETS THE REPUBLICAN
MINORITY LEADER AND HE CAN TRADE
EVERYTHING.
THESE ARE THE DAYS BEFORE
TRANSPARENCY.
YOU WANT A JUDGESHIP, AN
AMBASSADORSHIP, BUT HE
UNDERSTOOD THAT DIRKSEN WANTED
TO BE REMEMBERED.
IF YOU BRING SOME REPUBLICANS,
THEY HAVE TO BREAK THE
FILIBUSTER BECAUSE THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS SPLIT IN
TWO.
YOU BRING SOME REPUBLICANS AND
200 YEARS FROM NOW SCHOOL
CHILDREN WILL KNOW TWO NAMES,
ABE HAPPEN LINCOLN AND EVERETT
DIRKSEN.
HE PUTS HIM IN THE SENATOR AND
THEY GET THAT FILIBUSTER BROKEN.
AND THE BILL TO END EGGATIONSEGR
COMES TO THE FLOOR.
LOOKING AT ALL THE WAYS JOHNSON
UNDERSTOOD THE GREASE, WHICH I
THINK -- KNEW CONGRESS, WHICH I
KNOW BIDEN WILL, TOO.
>> DORIS, CYNICS OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF WEEKS AS WE HAVE
DISCUSSED, THE RELATIONSHIP THAT
JOE BIDEN HAS WITH A LOT OF
MEMBERS OF THE SENATE, INCLUDING
MITCH McCONNELL, SAID PERSONAL
POLITICS DON’T MATTER THE WAY
THEY USED TO, THAT WE ARE TOO
POLARIZED, THE SENATE IS TOO
PARTISAN.
WITH LBJ WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
THE 1960s.
JOE TALKS ABOUT IN THE ’90s YOU
COULD VOTE TO IMPEACH BILL
CLINTON ONE DAY, AND THE NEXT
DAY HE IS CALLING YOU TO PLAY
GOLF.
DO YOU THINK THINGS ARE THAT
MUCH DIFFERENT TODAY IN TERMS OF
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND
POLITICS THAT WILL BE THAT MUCH
MORE DIFFICULT FOR JOBE?
>> THERE IS NO QUESTION IT WILL
BE MORE DIFFICULT.
I THINK THAT HAS TO BE FACED
CLEARLY.
ONE OF THE DIFFERENCES IS IN THE
’50s AND ’60s YOU HAD 75% OF THE
CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS WERE
VETERANS.
SO THEY KNEW WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO
HAVE A COMMON MISSION TO
ORGANIZE AROUND THAT WENT ACROSS
PARTY, CLASS LINES.
NONETHELESS, UNLESS YOU START
OUT WITH HOPE SOMEHOW YOU WILL
BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND
MAYBE MEETING WITH THESE
CHARACTERS TALKING WITH THEM AND
CALLING THEM UP, MAYBE THE
RHETORIC WILL BE RAMPED DOWN A