The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson

I recently completed "The Path to Power," the first volume of Robert A. Caro's multi-volume biography about Lyndon Baines Johnson, the thirty-sixth President of the United States. Here is a magnificently written, highly detailed, and ultimately scathing portrait of the early life of the man who brought us the "Great Society," the "War on Poverty," and the Civil Rights Act of 1964... as well as the "Credibility Gap" and the War in Vietnam.Robert A. Caro's majestic Johnsonian triptych "The Years of Lyndon Johnson." is currently made up of "The Path to Power," which covers LBJ's life from his birth in 1908 until his first run for the U.S. Senate in 1941; "Means of Ascent," a chronicle of Johnson's years from 1941 to his second (and ultimately successful) Senate run in 1948; and "Master of the Senate," the critically acclaimed narrative of LBJ's 12-year career in the Senate (1948-1960). These three volumes are among the most critically acclaimed and highly honored biographies of all time. They've won three National Book Awards (one for each volume); a Francis Parkman Prize for best work of history (Volume 3); and a Pulitzer Prize for biography (also Volume 3.)As I've already stated, "The Path to Power" covers Johnson's early life, from his birth in 1908 to an impoverished Texas Hill Country politician and his dreamy wife; through his upbringing, college education, early political career, and early years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a "complete Roosevelt man;" to his unsuccessful first run for the U.S. Senate in 1941.Of the many premises in the first volume of Caro's triptych, two stand out as paramount: First, according to Caro, is that LBJ secretly harbors a burning ambition to become President of the United States, a craving for political power that apparently manifests itself in his teens, and from which he never wavers until he attains that high office. Caro's second premise is that LBJ is the antithesis of his highly principled, idealistic father, Sam Ealy Johnson. The elder Johnson is a superb politician, but also incapable of bringing prosperity to his family. As young Lyndon watches his father fail at nearly everything he does, he concludes that his father's high principles, tenacious dedication to the truth, and Populist idealism, lead to nothing but failure. Better to lie, say anything at all, in fact, to get what you want, if that's what it takes to be successful.As a young adult, LBJ is thoroughly inculcated with those personality traits he thinks essential for success: a loud, vulgar, and abrasive manner; a calculating deceitfulness so pronounced he is derisively called "Bull" Johnson to his face by his peers; and a well developed ability to sycophantically curry favor from anyone he deems useful.After college, it isn't long before opportunity knocks on LBJ's door, in the form of a job as secretary to the newly elected Representative from Johnson's Congressional district. He turns the novice congressman's office into a model of efficiency, all the while displaying a mammoth capacity for hard work. After a few years as the congressman's secretary, LBJ is appointed head of the National Youth Administration (NYA), one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's (FDR) New Deal bureaucracies. Johnson is the youngest of 48 state directors, and by all accounts, the most successful. His zeal, hard work, and efficiency deeply impress FDR. He soon becomes a favorite at the White House.In 1937, Congressman James Buchanan of Texas' Tenth District, dies. He is a very senior and influential congressman who has the backing of several Texas contractors, including Herman and George Brown. At his death, Buchanan leaves a host of political and patronage "loose ends," including contracts for a new dam that's coveted by the Brown brothers. The Browns are convinced that LBJ is the man who can get the Federal government to award them the dam contracts. They convince him to run for Buchanan;s vacated seat, and they provide most of his financial backing. After a closely contested special election, in which LBJ once again demonstrates his now legendary capacity for hard work, he is improbably elected to the House over nine other candidates. He will remain a Congressman for eleven years.In 1934, Johnson meets Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor, and, after a whirlwind courtship, marries her. From the very beginning, LBJ proves himself a despicable, almost abusive spouse. He peremptorily orders Lady Bird around in public. He cheats on her with a succession of women. He ignores her at parties. Yet, this painfully shy, plain, woman remains staunchly loving and loyal to her man.Caro's portrait of LBJ the Congressman is decidedly negative. LBJ does much work on his constituents' behalf at first - bringing major construction projects to his district (almost all of them going to the Brown brothers and electric power to the Texas hill country. But he rarely, if ever, writes or sponsors legislation or makes speeches in the House. Still, he remains very popular among a grateful constituency.In 1941, after four years in the House of Representatives, LBJ takes another step along the path to ultimate power: he decides to run in the special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the recently deceased Morris Sheppard. Johnson is barely known outside his own Congressional district. In the end, it comes down to a three-man race. LBJ loses by just over 1,300 votes in an election that is almost assuredly stolen from him. It's a lesson that LBJ will remember for the future...Robert Caro, a journalist who is a virtuoso of research, and a master craftsman with the old typewriter he uses when writing, has painted a portrait of young Lyndon Baines Johnson that is rich, textured, filled with intricate detail, and scathing in its judgments. The pace of the tightly woven narrative never once flags. The prose is elegant, slightly ironic in tone, and written with an historian's eye for detail and a journalist's flair for the dramatic. I found the book so entertaining that it was nearly impossible to put down... the kind of book I found myself thinking about when I wasn't reading it, and anxiously awaiting the time when I could get back to it.Now... on to the next volume of "The Years of Lyndon Johnson."

I am not yet finished this volume,but feel compelled to respond to this review request while some impressions are still fresh.I don't know why I was drawn to this book, as I am old enough to remember Johnson and my memories are not fond. The author, at the outset, acknowledges his subject's profound failings. ( To the extent that I wondered why would you want to write about such a despicable character?) My conclusion is that Caro did not confine his research and writing to the man and that is what distinguishes this effortWhat I found in this volume was a thoroughly researched history of the geographic, economic, social, political and familial environment that birthed,nurtured and enabled Johnson's intense and hyperfocused ambitions. The descriptions of the "trap" of the Texas Hill Country, the dismal lives of its inhabitants, the US Government's shameful agricultural policy, the effects of the Geat Depession were vivid and enlightening. The descriptions of FDR and his programs made me understand my late father's idolatry.In chronological order, Caro sets the scene and then shows how Johnson processed this information and stimulus to customize his tactics. Since his initial politicking in college, the foundation of his strategy stayed remarkably consistent with tactical adaptation to circumstance. He employed the most obvious of artifices ( such hyperbolic flattery) to engraciate himself with the powerful and disadvantage his peers to establish himself as a " person of importance" at each rung of his ladder. His ability to identify whom to use ( both above and below) and make them love it was uncanny.Johnson's drive to distinguish himself from the common did not require moral compromise as he had no moral center or core values to consult. His political philosophy was remarkably flexible - yielding to his superiors in his relentless quest for advancement. He was God's own liberal to Roosevelt and the scourge of liberals to the Texas oilmen simultaneously.Johnson attacked each challenge with unprecedented energy and creativity. Unfortunately, each such effort left a corrupted legacy. He was indefatigable in his campaign schedules - driving himself and others to exhaustion. His campaign financing practices outdid his predecessors in rapaciousness, laying the foundation for the current day systematic shakedown of and pandering to wealthy special interests. He perfected the Texas art form of vote rigging and buying. ( with one costly omission in his first Senate race). At each turn, he surveyed the landscape, quickly perceived how he could turn circumstance to his advantage through ingenious actions executed with consummate energy. His volume of personalized correspondence was prodigious ; his use of media ground- breaking. Anyway, this is what Caro thinks and his narrative contrasting Johnson's practices with those prevailing seem to support his argument. To give the devil his due, Johnson was consummately imaginative and energetic, but he left the political landscape the poorer for his efforts. He took a bad system and made it worse and I saw the beginnings of so much that is wrong today in what I read.Some niggling questions are - Johnson's relationship with Sam Rayburn and some of Sam's actions. I did not quite understand their relationship during and after the "Cactus Jack" presidential bid. Also Lady Bird is a cipher in this tale. Maybe she was. Is she hardly mentioned because she was shunted aside/forgotten by her husband or by the author?

Includes good history of south Texas. Great author.

"The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson" by Robert Caro is the first volume in a multi-volume biography of the 36th President of the United States. This book covers the early years of Johnson's life, from his childhood in Texas through his early political career. Caro's writing is detailed, and informative, and provides a fascinating look into the life of one of the most powerful and controversial figures in American history.Caro's research for this book is extensive and it shows. The author delves deep into Johnson's personal life, uncovering details about his childhood and family that have never been revealed before. He also provides a detailed account of Johnson's early political career, including his time as a young congressman, and his rise to power as a senator.One of the book's greatest strengths is the way it provides a glimpse into the political landscape of the time and the people who shaped it. Caro's descriptions of the political maneuvering and behind-the-scenes dealings are both enlightening and entertaining.The book also offers a critical look at Johnson's leadership style, exposing his ruthless tactics and tendency to use people for his gain. It is a nuanced and complex portrait of the man, warts, and all.Overall, "The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson" is a must-read for anyone interested in politics, history, or the inner workings of government. Caro's writing is masterful, and his research is unparalleled. This book offers a comprehensive and in-depth look into the life and career of one of the most significant figures in American history.Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I started in May and now here it is on November 19th, 2018. This four book series is a masterpiece and a must read for fans of American politics. LBJ was a giant in American history no matter how you feel about him. If I had to rate all four book it would be as follows:1- Master of The Senate - Amazing stories of LBJ controlling the Senate as majority leader2- Means of Ascent - the 1948 Senate race in Texas was fascinating and historical in hindsight3-Path to Power - a great look at the young LBJ and is time as a Congressman4- Passge to Power - cover LBJ as Vice President and his early days as PresidentI can't wait for the final installment.

After reading this first volume of four I was in awe and disgust of LBJ, bright and dark that is what LBJ was. But what a book, what a man and what a story and how fascinating written... 700 pages of reading pleasure. If you want to know the life and times of the 20th century people living in rural Texas and America and LBJ especially, buy this first volume and work your way up to the second, the third and fourth... a hell of a read...

Riveting, revealing and encapsulating. This 780 page book that follows LBJs life up to the age of 32 is probably one of the best books I've ever read....and dare I say ever written.Painstakingly researched over 7 years, 3 of which Robert Caro (with his wife Ina) actually moved to the Hill Country where LBJ was born to ingratiate himself amongst its inhabitants.We're taken on a whirlwind tour starting from LBJs ancestors, a fascinating explanation on how LBJ grew up in poverty using the grass in the Hill Country as a touchstone, what caused him to have this extreme ambition and his ruthless tactics at achieving his goals...and above all his political genius. We go from a life of poverty to the San Marcos Southwest Texas Teachers University, a brief stint at a Mexican Teaching school in Cottula, on to becoming probably the most effective Congressional Secretary in political history to becoming a Congressman of the 10th District through sheer grit and perseverance. His scheming opportunism gives way and oscillates back and forth from his sincere and innate liberal idealismI beseech you to give this a try, you won't be sorry. If anything for the chapter called Sad Irons alone...

Investigates the genesis of Johnson's unquenchable thirst for power, from his ancestors and his childhood in the miserable Hill Country of Texas, to his election as congressman at a very early age.Caro does a wonderful job -- this is a book you won't be able to put down. Truly one of the best biographies ever written.

This book starts with some of Lyndon Johnson's ancestors (Johnsons - impractical dreamers; Buntons - tempered dreams with doing what's necessary to succeed in life); moves into a discussion of the Hill Country (fascinating vignette of depleting natural resources); then onto Johnson's family and his early life (always needed to be the centre of attention; if he couldn't lead, he wouldn't play); his relationship with his parents (especially his father whom he idolised when his father was doing very well in life and with whom he fought tooth and nail when he failed in business); his leaving home a couple of times; life at college (he was unpopular but found a way to power for the first time); in politics (on the staff of a local Congressman; and his political campaigns).The picture that emerges is rich, complex and detailed. Johnson got things done - he brought electricity to the Texas Hill Country (against the odds - people named their children after him - he had transformed their lives); and he seems through a later invention to have pretty much turned the 1940 Congressional elections in favour of the Democrats. But there's always a dark side - he has no clearly discernible principles (he seems like a model liberal to FDR but to hate the New Deal to his Texas big business backers - for whom he wins government contracts, and from whom he funds his campaigns). He will do whatever it takes to win power.The years of research that inform this first volume of the biography are clear on every page. It's impossible really to question Caro's narrative or most of his judgements (he seems harsher on Johnson here than in Volume 4 - by which time he seems to have decided that Johnson did have some political beliefs - they were just extremely well hidden until he became President, for the most part). Only one aspect of Johnson's life I'd have liked to know more about - his increasingly frequent hospitalisations seem to be linked to brief depressive episodes. They aren't, however, quite treated as that - Caro makes clear that they are partly psychological - but doesn't delve into just what's going on at these times in Johnson's internal world.It's a great read, though, and I'd very strongly recommend it to others.