This seems to be history week on athingirl.com. since I feel the need to weigh in after seeing the film Jackie, that annoyed me on many levels, starting with Natalie Portman’s over the top performance, but what I’d like to add light to, are the Johnsons.
The world, if nothing else, knows he succeeded JFK after the assassination. They might even know how hated he was by the Kennedys and the Irish Mafia, as their loyal cronies were aptly called.
After JFK asked him to be vice-president, Bobby Kennedy, who may have loathed him the most, tried very hard to backpedal Jack’s offer, but Johnson held firm.
Here are some facts I’ll bet few people know…
LBJ refused to leave Dallas without Jackie when the secret service wanted him to. She wouldn’t leave without her husband’s body the Dallas coroner wouldn’t release. There was a law stating, anyone who died there had to have an autopsy before it was let go.
Still, Lyndon and Lady Bird, perhaps not a smart move safety wise, stayed, until strings were pulled, before they all returned to Washington.
It’s been written, he wanted Jackie by his side to make him look more presidential.
How about, he had two daughters of his own, and the man he was, was not about to leave a girl of 34, who just watched her husband die, all alone.
One of the first things he did, when he got back home, was write letters to John and Caroline, telling them what a special father they had.
He also told Jackie, to take all the time she needed to move.
He then said, the school Jackie had started in the White House for Caroline and her little peers, could continue till the year was up, so not to disturb their routine anymore than necessary.
These things are interesting to me, and should have all been in the film.
Why weren’t they?
Because goodness doesn’t sell tickets?
As for accuracy, who cares.
When Jackie died, 31 years later, Lady Bird, her husband long gone, attended her funeral. There she was, old yet sturdy, saying good bye to an old friend.
All politicians are ruthless, just look who’s about to take the helm, and LBJ was no exception…
but in November, 1963, he was a caring, noble, just man…to a very shaken, sad, young widow, who I’m certain, never forgot it.
SB
So interesting! Thanks for sharing.
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Our history is so interesting.
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Good on you for recognizing these important yet boring human qualities that keep societies together. Any family that has survived tragedy is nodding in agreement. When push comes to shove a lot of trivialities disappear. Those of us who have faced death respect it and respect others including their differences as a result. Blessed be
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Your comments Coyote, are always so passionate. I’ve never faced death, but fear I’m quite acquainted with.
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Nothing like a room of queens singing new York at about 1am. Known all sorts of great people… greatness? Kindness and sense of humor.
I loved the Gerry Garcia song that said as much
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Kindness and humor, what else is there.
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🤔😏 hope you are well Susannah. I appreciate your perspective on everything
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Thanks. That’s a nice thing to say. Thank you…:)
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It’s an interesting subject. Looking back on history, both the saints and the despots are human. I am sure one could find tales of compassion, respect and kindness about even the most reviled of monsters. I am told Hitler was kind to animals for instance (I have no idea if this is true!). None of this is to suggest LBJ was a monster: I know very little about him. I am just wondering what prompts apparently normal and nice people to commit the heinous crimes we witness. Are our political systems inherently inclined towards evil?
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All I knew about Hitler, who I have a hard time reading about, is he had a German Shepherd. Cruelty to that degree, mystifies me.
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Me too. So how can a nice guy drop napalm on Vietnamese villages? It makes no sense. I think LBJ was part of the process. So did he just get railroaded by the system or could he compartmentalise his mind in some way?
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Many facets, make up a person. Like I said, politicians are ruthless, and imagine being in that position? You have the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are mostly warmongers urging you to drop that napalm. Have you ever read 13 Days about the Cuban Missile Crisis? It’s a short read Bobby Kennedy wrote, and you see how, if you don’t have it in you to hold your ground, forget it. Johnson was bigger than life. Robert Caro wrote beautifully of him warts and all. All I know is, he acted decently during a time many people though of him as the enemy taking JFK’s place. Like he had a choice.
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Susannah, because Jackie was so poised, we often forget how young she was. I nave only read/heard the negatives about LBJ. Thanks for the enlightenment.
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He was no saint, but he was from Texas, and they have manners in their DNA. Bill Hicks was from Texas, politest man I’ve ever known…:)
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You’re right about LBJ’s actions after the assassination and it’s important that people who have not read about him understand that aspect of his life. He was a sometimes rough around the edges, old school southern politician whose image didn’t fit well with the Kennedy’s “polish.” But without Johnson and Hoffa, history would be very different.
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I’m so glad you agree with me. love the, Kennedy’s polish…yes, he was the opposite of that but in some ways, had it all over them…at times…not all the time.
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He wasn’t all bad. He followed through with civil rights, voting rights, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, etc. The Vietnam war tanked him. I expect that his wife, who was brought up as a Southern lady, counseled him on proper manners. How could you not have empathy for a young widow with two very young children. We also can’t forget that she just lost a baby too.
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That’s right. Patrick . Losing that baby brought she and Jack closer, according to lore…which was why she agreed to campaign with him. It still makes me sad.
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Susannah, I love what you said to skinny and I feel the same way. I have found many a Texan who exhibit manners, almost unfailingly, and although I am not a big fan of LBJ, I felt he was very classy during those horrible days following the assassination. He was kind, he was considerate, and offered the country a figure we could all be proud of in a time when it was so badly needed. In my opinion, it was his finest hour.
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Yes, his finest hour indeed. Wish they showed that in the film. When he wouldn’t leave Dallas. That would have said it all.
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That would have been a real touching moment for people to have seen, particularly in a film about such a sensitive subject, even after all these years.
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I so think so. It’s a pity we didn’t make that film Paul…:)
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The millions we could have made! 😀
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sigh…
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Alas, twas not to be—and our bank accounts are proof of that. 😀
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This is true since that film is racking in the dough. My dough, don’t know about yours, could rise a bit more…:)
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Well, I know my dough is not film dough. 😀
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As long as you know that. Then I know you haven’t gone round the bend. 🙂
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LOL! Well not yet anyway. 😀
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Is that why? I wondered…:)
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LOL 😀
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I don’t know that much about LBJ, but from what I’ve seen he was a pretty good guy. I’m glad you shared this about him though, since I hadn’t known that.
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They only associate him with Vietnam. There was more to him than that. He died in his early 60s of heart failure I believe. The pressures of politics.
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That’s interesting. I recall the scene in “Jackie” when Bobby told him to sit down, and the loathing between them was evident.
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RFK is a hero of mine, but he had a mean streak, that quelled quite a bit after his brother died. But he hated Lyndon Johnson. Hated him, so when he stepped up to take his brother’s place, that had to be so tough for him.
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Thank you History Grasshopper, thank you very much!
My mother was telling me that LBJ was a beautiful writer. You could disagree with his policy, but you could never deny the sentiment in his writing.
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See, V knows. We should do a panel, me and your mother. Tell her. Love the grasshopper line…LOL
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