The Gist

LBJ, Reconsidered

Without Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency, there would be little welfare state for the GOP to undercut in the first place.

Lyndon B. Johnson speaks at the White House on July 28, 1965, in Washington.

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Lyndon B. Johnson doesn’t always get the consideration he deserves as one of America’s great presidents. On today’s Gist, historian Joshua Zeitz says LBJ’s fight for welfare reform and civil rights redefined the country, even as those legal achievements come under attack by today’s Republican Party. Zeitz is the author of Building the Great Society: Inside Lyndon Johnson’s White House.  

Plus, a Spiel from the 2016 archives: Vote Jabba!

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