Word: rayburn
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Thus, at their caucus on the Saturday before Congress convened, the Democrats made sure that henceforth things would be different. They did it by simply canceling a gentlemanly, if arbitrary, agreement made years ago between the late Speaker Sam Rayburn and G.O.P. Leader Joe Martin, to the effect that the ratio of party memberships on the two committees would be frozen, no matter what the makeup of the House. On Ways and Means, the majority party had 15, the minority 10, and on Appropriations the ratio was 30 to 20. The caucus voted to reject that standing ratio and make...
...mighty Rules Committee, which must pass on every bill before it goes to a floor vote. Until 1961 Virginia's conservative Democrat Howard ("Judge") Smith had almost dictatorial powers, because of a coalition with Republicans. Smith's strength was dissipated in 1961 when John Kennedy and Speaker Rayburn rammed through a change in committee membership. But Lyndon's lieutenants in Congress wanted to take no chances of any kind, and the caucus approved new rules that would give Speaker McCormack broad powers to release any bill bogged down in the Rules Committee for more than 21 days...
...newly released lieutenant colonel, Albert entered a five-man Democratic primary for Congress, eked out a 329-vote win out of more than 60,000 votes cast. Once elected, he immediately went to visit Sam Rayburn in Bonham, Texas, just across the Red River from Albert's home House district. Advised Rayburn: "Those who go along, get along." Answered Albert: "I'll be a good soldier...
...good way. I also learned the issues. And I stayed with my party as much as I could. I have been, I think, a real regular Democrat." In 1955, when Tennessee Democrat James Percy Priest decided he didn't want to be party whip again, Rayburn and then Majority Leader John McCormack pored over a list of House Democrats for a replacement. When they hit Albert's name, both said: "That...
...Congressman from 1937 to 1948, Johnson learned his politics from a couple of masters, Roosevelt and fellow Texan Sam Rayburn. Once, he wanted F.D.R.'s approval for an electrification project in his Tenth District, but found that every time he got into the oval office, Roosevelt dominated the conversation and waved him out before he had a chance to make his pitch. It is a technique that Johnson has since emulated with great success. In any case, Lyndon learned that Roosevelt was a sucker for photos of dams, brought along a batch of big glossy prints the next time...