RIP Lady Bird

[William Haskins]

AUSTIN, Texas-- Lady Bird Johnson, who was first lady during the 1960s and in her later years became an advocate for beautifying public landscapes, died Wednesday, family spokesman Tom Johnson said. She was 94. She was the widow of Lyndon Baines Johnson, sworn in as the nation's 36th president on November 22, 1963, just hours after President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/11/obit.lady.bird/index.html

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/kennedy/lbj-airport.jpg

[tourdeforce]

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/kennedy/lbj-airport.jpg

I did not have sexual relations with this woman.

[William Haskins]

oh, gotham...

[blacbird]

Ladybird Johnson was a class act. It's funny how many first ladies seem to be classier acts than their husbands.

caw

[William Haskins]

in austin, it's wall to wall coverage, memorial services of varying sorts every day through sunday, flags at half-staff.

great woman, great first lady and great conservationist. LBJ would've never made it without her.

[Jean Marie]

Ladybird Johnson was a class act. It's funny how many first ladies seem to be classier acts than their husbands.

caw
Why is that?

In this case, it was true.

RIP, Lady, in every sense of the word.

[gerrydodge]

Ladybird Johnson was a class act. It's funny how many first ladies seem to be classier acts than their husbands.

caw

I agree, blacbird, but there was a reason she was so devoted to her husband. I read a spendid biography about LBJ by a guy by the name of Robert Caro (I think that was his name). He died tormented about his involvement in escalating the war in Vietnam. Close advisors to him said he would get up at three in the morning every day to see the body count of American soldiers for the day. You can see in his face when he publically announced he wouldn't run for a second term, that he was full of despair. I know about his indescretions and all the rest, but I liked his undying devotion to civil rights.

A grand lady at 94.

[blacbird]

LBJ, as much as he drove me mad (I was drafted in 1968, not happily, I might add), was far from a total villain. Without Vietnam he might have wound up one of the great American Presidents. Frankly, I wonder sometimes if he might not have had more acumen and ability in the job than JFK. Of course, history being what it is, we'll never know.

caw

[gerrydodge]

Johnson used to make his aides stand near the door of the bathroom--with the door open, I might add--while he took a crap. I think it was something about reminding them who had the power. But I do think you were right. Vietnam was his albatros.

And Lady Bird was his champion--my goodness what a lovely woman she was.

[gerrydodge]

blacbird, I just checked amazon: The Path to Power and Means of Ascent, both by Robert Caro. Two facinating books about a man who always had the vision to become a great leader, who was born into poverty even greater than Lincoln's own modest beginnings.

[Joe270]

I used to sack Ladybird's groceries at the KashKarry store at Lamar and Barton Springs road. Even in August she'd wear a mink coat. She was very quiet, rarely spoke, but was nice all the same.

I sacked Ann Richard's groceries during that time, too, when she was county commisioner. Ann was a mean, nasty so and so.

But not Ladybird. Her long living legacy will be the incredible wildflowers Texas enjoys each spring. What a wonderful gift to give to so many.

Rest in peace, Ladybird.

[William Haskins]

her contribution to LBJ's philosophical embrace of civil rights was significant.

[TheGaffer]

Johnson used to make his aides stand near the door of the bathroom--with the door open, I might add--while he took a crap.

I wonder - is this true? Because I learned of it from the Seinfeld episode. Where I learned everything.



LBJ would've never made it without her.

The brief report I saw at the end of the Jim Lehrer hour had a bit from Lucy Baines saying that late in his term, Lady Bird made sure she or one of the daughters was always on "Daddy duty," making sure they were around her husband, due to the toll the war and surrounding political atmosphere were taking on him. I dare say it can't be much of a coincidence that he was dead not four years after leaving office. She indeed seemed to be a class act, much like Betty Ford is as well.

[blacbird]

She indeed seemed to be a class act, much like Betty Ford is as well.

Yes, absolutely, both. Rosalynd Carter, too. We've regressed a bit since then.

caw

[gerrydodge]

I wonder - is this true? Because I learned of it from the Seinfeld episode. Where I learned everything.

My uncle was an executive producer at CBS news when William Paley and Fred Friendly headed that great part of TV. My uncle told me the story then, and it was confirmed by Caro in The Path to Power.

[tourdeforce]

I know little if anything about Lady Bird Johnson and I am not saying that any of these first ladies are not class acts, but it does help to build that impression when you are supposed to just dress nice and keep your mouth shut unless you are promoting literacy for poor kids.

If you do little outisde of being a trophy side piece, then you risk little.

Hillary Clinton was the first recent presidential wife who had a real job and sought to make a signigficant impact on policy- in other words, to actually do something- and she has been villified by half of the American population.

I guess according to some, she didn't know her place.

I guess my point here is that I am not going to go out of my way to compliment someone on being a class act when they face little if any challenges that would put them in a position when they needed to not be classy.

[gerrydodge]

I know little if anything about Lady Bird Johnson and I am not saying that any of these first ladies are not class acts, but it does help to build that impression when you are supposed to just dress nice and keep your mouth shut unless you are promoting literacy for poor kids.

If you do little outisde of being a trophy side piece, then you risk little.

Hillary Clinton was the first recent presidential wife who had a real job and sought to make a signigficant impact on policy- in other words, to actually do something- and she has been villified by half of the American population.

I guess according to some, she didn't know her place.

I guess my point here is that I am not going to go out of my way to compliment someone on being a class act when they face little if any challenges that would put them in a position when they needed to not be classy.

I totally agree with you about Hillary Clinton; the same occurred with Eleanor Roosevelt. But I must say that Lady Bird was a behind the scenes kind of woman. If you listen to the tapes released when LBJ was in the White House, you soon learn that Lady Bird had a significant role in all of public policy.

[William Haskins]

she endured a lot of bitterness in the deep south when she bravely campaigned for him during the early days of the civil rights era, she expanded the scale of national parks and spearheaded beautification plans across the country. she was LBJ's closest advisor and, in fact, in his famous speech about not running ("...i shall not seek, and i will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president..."), it was lady bird who convinced him to insert the phrase "and will not accept", which was not in his original draft.

[gerrydodge]

she endured a lot of bitterness in the deep south when she bravely campaigned for him during the early days of the civil rights era, she expanded the scale of national parks and spearheaded beautification plans across the country. she was LBJ's closest advisor and, in fact, in his famous speech about not running ("...i shall not seek, and i will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president..."), it was lady bird who convinced him to insert the phrase "and will not accept", which was not in his original draft.

I didn't know that, William. What lined torment on LBJ's face.

[William Haskins]

if you have anything to back that up, i'd be interested in seeing it.

otherwise, it's just mean-spirited speculation.

[gerrydodge]

I think it's easy to look at the time in the world in hindsight. There were a lot of sensible people in 1968 who were in favor of the war--the "domino effect" and all that was insipidly implied by the concept. All the people who saw the war as a way to stop the spread of communism were not evil.

[gerrydodge]

Of course they weren't evil. I never said nor implied that they - or Mrs. Johnson - were evil.

Nevertheless, as we give our presidents tremendous privilege and power, I think it's only fair to expect that they demonstrate sound judgment, particularly when it comes to something as potentially catastrophic as war.

Right you are. I agree completley with you, but, as I said before, hindsight has such great magnification of an issue.

[talkwrite]

I met with her twice regarding the promotion of her native landscapes preserve. She was in her 70's then and one of the most gracious women I have met. What struck me was after all those years in the global public eye and the millions of people she had to meet and share her life with, she was as kind and as interested in you as if you were the only person in the room.
I wish her peace and her family comfort.