Money in Politics: A Case Study from 1948

January 22 2010

My reading of Robert Caro’s monumental three volume biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson has taken on new relevance in light of yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance.  In Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 2) Caro tells the story of how LBJ stole the 1948 election that brought him to Congress: with corporate cash.

LBJ was a little known congressman facing Coke Stevenson, a tremendously popular former governor known as “Mr. Texas.”  Most political experts thought LBJ didn’t stand a chance.  They were right; or they would have been right had this election not marked the transition into an entirely new era in American politics, as Caro argues.  What the experts didn’t know about was the enormous reserves of cash Johnson had at his disposal from a variety of large corporations who had appreciated his responsiveness as a Congressman, and could only imagine what he could accomplish for them as a Senator.  Not only did Johnson flood the airwaves with advertising and travel to campaign stops via helicopter, at the time an astonishing move, but he used campaign contributions to literally buy votes and stuff ballot boxes.  Even so, his opponent was popular enough that Johnson could only muster an 87-vote victory. Yes, he was mocked as “landslide Lyndon” when he entered Congress, but it didn’t take long for LBJ to make the most of his opportunities and emerge as a powerful Congressman who would later ascend to the Presidency.

The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down limits on corporate campaign donations suggests that we will see a lot more elections like this one, where unlimited spending perverts democracy and thwarts the will of the people.

Those who love liberty ought to ask: should corporations and organizations be granted the same rights and liberties as persons?  How much liberty will we have when our elected representatives can be purchased outright?

Those who want to read more about the history of money in politics might start with Means of Ascent (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 2) .

2009: The Year of Rand

December 31 2009

Of all the second acts in American lives, perhaps none is more remarkable than this year’s conservative embrace of Ayn Rand, the long-dead doyenne of American capitalism. In 2008 it seemed her version of free market capitalism had been discredited altogether; even Alan Greenspan had his doubts, famously telling Congress he had found “a flaw” in his Rand-inspired ideology. Yet in 2009 sales of her books began a ferocious climb, with Atlas Shrugged alone topping 300,000 copies sold.

Read more: 2009: The Year of Rand

A question about Howard Zinn

December 14 2009

A reader writes in with the following question:

I am currently reading A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present (P.S.) by Howard Zinn.  Can you please tell me how this book is viewed in the academic world of U. S. history since it is has a very different perspective.

A few years ago I became interested in Howard Zinn's work and decided to write a short piece about it.  Before I could get started, luckily, I happened upon this article by Michael Kazin, a historian at Georgetown University.  It is a scorching critique that demonstrates  how Zinn is viewed in academia and why his version of history has not made much headway among professional historians.  It is worth noting that Kazin considers himself a man of the Left, so this is friendly-fire, as it were.

Howard Zinn's History Lessons, Dissent, Spring 2004

Bookplates: Personalize your copy of Goddess of the Market!

November 27 2009

Special Bookplate Offer!

Jennifer Burns will sign decorative bookplates and send them to her readers upon request. Bookplates are engraved and printed on vellum, with self-adhesive backs, to be pasted on the inside of the book (they are basically a fancy sticker). Simply send a self-addressed, stamped envelope, with an additional note if you’d like more than one bookplate, and how you’d like them inscribed.

When requesting a bookplate please follow these guidelines to ensure you get your bookplates as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Mail your requests to:

Jennifer Burns

P.O. Box 400425

Charlottesville, VA 22904