I watched the HBO movie "All the Way" last night.

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.

The movie and his portrayal of LBJ was supurb

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.

Our party improved immensely when they, and the evangelicals left for the Republican party in the 50-late 60's.

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.)

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 OSF’s 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 Shakespeare’s history plays, American Revolutions is the largest commissioning and production project in OSF’s 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 OSF’s 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

We lived through those times and this film really brought it all back. Bryan Cranston was amazing.

Thanks for doing it for me.

Did you see? I am no longer #1 in poll #1! Thank goodness!

I will check it out!

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!

Didn’t want to be the first American Pres.. to lose a war...

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.

They never met a war they do or did not like...

Except, of course, for Bernie should he be elected - hence their preference for Ms. Inevitable.

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.

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.

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.

Medicare, the War on Poverty and other issues was great.

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.

Only 64. When I was young, that seemed OLD, but now it seems shockingly premature.

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.

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).