Master Of The Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson

I’m not sure what got me interested in LBJ. Certainly I was curious about the man behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a man who (I had heard) referred to his, um, private matter as “Jumbo.” This and the Vietnam War? He sounded interesting enough for a biography. But four hefty parts??Yes, my friends. Four HEFTY, meaty, weighty volumes. Each one worth your time and effort. I’m choosing only one to review, but read them all. In order.LBJ is truly not a good man, but Caro is a brilliant storyteller, and meticulous researcher, allowing the reader to see that Johnson is a human worth our empathy. His drive for power has deep roots, and the scars of poverty, shame, and toil from Johnson’s early days could not be healed by money, sex, or even the love of a devoted wife. The salve he used was power — and power by any means necessary. Caro goes into excruciating detail about how Johnson used whatever perfidious means he could devise to ensure that the position of Senate Majority Leader was one that had actual meaning, a position from which he could give favors and take them away according to how he wanted the Senate to run. With the racist “Confederate” States on his side, he truly became the Master of the Senate as it suited his own purposes. But that’s the key: Every decision LBJ made was about LBJ and not necessarily about what was best for our country.Here’s what is most fascinating about Caro’s presentation of Lyndon Johnson: The biographer goes into intricate detail, skipping not even the most horrific fact — one that might make you put the (extremely heavy) book down and say, “Oh my God! I need a moment to process the depth of depravity here ...” — but at times he still, through objective reporting, manages to have the reader rooting for Johnson. Perhaps because we know two things: SOME of his history shows that he does have empathy for people of color and those who live in poverty; and his future is already laid out. No matter what terrible choice he makes, no matter what horrible thing he says, Johnson will ultimately change our world for the better in 1964.I know more about Lyndon Johnson than I ever thought I would, but Robert Caro has also ensured that I know so much more about the history of our country and our political processes. The life of this multifaceted politician from Texas has caused me to reflect on our own times and think about how, sadly, we haven’t really come that far from six decades ago. While this volume can certainly be read in isolation (Caro gives enough backstory to help you understand some of Johnson’s reasons for his actions), you really need to read all four parts.

There is no way around it - this book requires a very real investment of time. But what a payoff! In addition to having a really thick book to put on your shelf to impress your friends, this is one of the greatest biographies over written.Caro makes the point early in this masterpiece that power does something far more interesting than corrupt... power reveals. Caro is fascinated with power's ability to pull back the curtain on the true nature of an individual. In this case, Caro selects Lyndon Johnson as his subject and introduces the reader to the man revealed by power: he is fascinating.The book starts with a short history of the purpose and design of the Senate, which would make a terrific book on its own. This background proves critical to understanding the magnitude of Johnson's accomplishments in the Senate. Once the Senate is properly introduced, Caro begins to tell the story of Johnson's journey through his years in the Senate. The story is told in great detail, but Caro's storytelling is so good and so relevant that it never wanders towards being tedious or dull. Instead, you get one fascinating story after another that introduces you to the different facets of Johnson's personality.As the story unfolds, you come to know a man with morals, but a man who is always willing to subvert his morals unless they align with his personal ambition. Johnson's ambition and talent are both so great that they lead him to accomplish things in a few short years that had never been done before in 150 years of Senate life.In the end, Johnson finds a cause on which his morals and ambition align and the Senator from Texas becomes the unlikely champion of Civil Rights, a cause that saw no new legislation successfully pass through the U.S. Senate for 83 years.It's hard to explain how good this book is, how easy it is to read and yet how much you learn. Highly recommended for fans of biography, history and politics. Spectacular.

If you want to learn how to move the football from point A to point B, LBJ was the master at it and this book is a must read as Caro explains exactly how he did it. It’s long but worth the time.

Das wohl beeindruckendste Buch, das ich über Politik gelesen habe. Caro schreibt in einem flüssigen, angenehm zu lesenden Stil, wobei eine enorme Recherche-Tiefe zu Tage tritt. Diese Details werden jedoch nur eingeflochten, wenn sie dem Verständnis der Handlung dienen. In diesem Buch werden die Mechanismen einer Demokratie so genau und objektiv dargestellt wie nie. In meinen Augen ein Meisterwerk. Band 4 ist ebenfalls unbedingt lesenswert.

I was amazed by the staggering amount of information I read. Not only the biographical information, but the incredible work done by the author to put everything into context, from Johnson's personal life to the history of the United States Senate, the author leaves no stone unturned in order for the reader to grasp the full meaning of everything that happened during LBJ's years as United States Senator. A must read.

Amazing biography that builds setting in an incredibly detailed way, building anticipation for the main character to burst on the scene and set awry the powers that be. Caro continues his series on LBJ with what to me felt like the best paced book yet, full of fascinating historical gems and well researched anecdotes. For a fan of either history or biographies this book is a fantastic example of each and is certain to be a valuable addition to any bookshelf.

Book was tremendously enlighthening about the works of the U.S. Senate, it has greatly increased my understanding of the United States.

This book by Robert Caro is a fascinating and necessary reading for anybody really interested in American politics. It is far more than a biography of the Senate years of Lyndon B Johonson: it is also a clear and detailed history of the Senate from its beginning to 1960, and of the American political scene, particularly with reference to Civil Rights in the 1950s. It may come as a surprise to see the complete domination by the southern senators, through the seniority and the filibuster rules, which stopped progressive legislation even reaching the floor, to be voted. Even Roosvelt, after 1936, did not manage to have any internal policy measure approved, and almost the same applied to Truman. The way LBJ managed, within a few years, to circumvent seniority and gradually become the powerful master of the Senate is the work of a real political genius and Caro's narrative is truly fascinating. However Caro does not let his admiration for LBJ to pass over the negative aspects of his personality: his vulgar side (down to forcing his assistants to conduct business with him while sitting on the WC!), his actions as a bully with his assistants and his wife are fully covered.Similarly, his unpleasant political actions, particularly the McCarthy-like undoing of the Federal Power Commissdion chairman Aldos, are fully detailed.In the end, LBJ emerges as a bigger than life figure, a political genius, with genuine sense of Compassion and with immense Ambition. As Caro sums it up, if and when the two came into conflict Ambition won. This is truly one of the best books on USA politics.