Word: rayburn
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...USED TO BE SAID of Lyndon Johnson that whenever he felt the urge to sacrifice a little political capital for the sake of principle, he would lie down until it passed. A generation of Texas Democratic leaders learned that policy at the knee of House Speaker Sam Rayburn, a Texan whose favorite motto was "to get along, go along." That attitude helped make Rayburn the longest-tenured Speaker the House has ever had--he held the job for a total of 17 years--and probably the most influential politician in Texas history. Fourteen years after his death, Texas politics...
...wholly admirable, are an indispensable part of the American political system and should not be despised merely because they fail to transcend its limitations. But, as Richard Nixon used to say, that would be the easy way. Instead, whether out of gullibility or perversity, Steinberg has chosen to portray Rayburn as a statesman of principle, integrity and elevated vision--a poor country boy who, through hard work and trust in the Lord, grew up to be "by far the greatest" Speaker in American history, and a hell of a cracker-barrel philosopher to boot...
That kind of approach works fine for presidential campaign biographies and The Lou Gehrig Story, but it's pretty thin stuff for serious historical scholarship. The result is a tedious, one-dimensional narrative that reveals little about Rayburn the Speaker or Rayburn the man. Steinberg generally hovers at the level of cliche, as in his description of young Rayburn's reaction to a speech by Texas Congressman Joe Bailey: "With a prophecy born of youthful excitement, he predicted that one day he would also become a congressman like Bailey...
...married a Texas model, Beryl Ann; they have three children. Mustered out as a major at 24, Bentsen was elected the youngest county judge in Texas. In 1948, he ran successfully for the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the youngest member. He impressed a fellow Texan, Speaker Sam Rayburn, who included Bentsen in his after-hours bourbon-and-strategy sessions. Even so, Bentsen did not make much of a mark in the House-with the exception of a speech he now regrets. During the Korean War, he urged that atomic bombs be dropped on the North Koreans unless they withdrew...
...eclipsed by Breslin's concentration on O'Neill. Breslin respects their effort, and describes in detail their persistence, coordination and sheer stamina. Rodino worked so hard that when at one point the workload of the committee became almost unbearable, "girls coming to a Xerox machine in the Rayburn Building at two in the morning found Peter Rodino, in shirtsleeves, running the machine himself...