[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 450] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page 450]] RECOGNIZING PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE 20TH CENTURY ______ HON. GENE GREEN of texas in the house of representatives Tuesday, February 1, 2000 Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that I greatly admire President Lyndon B. Johnson. Beginning last year, I have submitted, for the Congressional Record, several well written articles regarding the accomplishments of this historic Texan. Even today, his domestic agenda still influences our lives. On December 31, 1999, the Houston Chronicle published an article written by Stuart Lutz in which he makes the case that President Johnson should be considered the most influential American of the past 50 years. In his article, Mr. Lutz writes that ``the 36th president, in his 62-month term, radically advanced civil rights, initiated dozens of progressive federal programs to eradicate poverty and train new workers, expanded a small war in Southeast Asia and caused Americans to question the integrity of the presidency.'' He concludes by stating that ``it is hard, however, to see that anyone has had a greater influence on Americans' everyday lives over the past 50 years than the Texas giant, Lyndon Johnson.'' Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude my remarks by including, in its entirety, this very important article The Case for a Texas Giant as Man of the Half Century (By Stuart Lutz) The Great Society, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin, Medicaid, the credibility gap, Vietnam and the War on Poverty. These actions and events are among the most powerful of the second half of the 20th century. They also all have the indelible stamp of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the most influential American of the past 50 years. The 36th president, in his 62-month term, radically advanced civil rights, initiated dozens of progressive federal programs to eradicate poverty and train new worker, expanded a small war in Southeast Asia and caused Americans to question the integrity of the presidency. His forceful actions that greatly changed America for the better and worse came in four distinct areas: civil rights; Vietnam; governmental lying; and progressive domestic legislation. Let's examine them one by one: Civil rights. Johnson desperately wanted to be remembered as the president who did more for African-Americans than anyone since Abraham Lincoln. Using his trademark legislative maneuvering in the wake of the Kennedy assassination, he secured passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In a few pen strokes, he outlawed segregation in employment and public accommodations, thus giving Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's goal of racial equality a legislative framework. To further his commitment to civil rights, LBJ signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act that banned literacy tests, encouraged minority voter registration and empowered the federal government to enforce its provisions. He also appointed Thurgood Marshall as the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Johnson's actions changed voting blocs and paved the way for minority Cabinet members, mayors and governors. Most importantly, to America's youth today, ``Colored'' signs and segregated accommodations are antiques of the foggy past. Vietnam. This was the most important and influential American event in the second half of the 20th century. Johnson turned a small conflict into a war involving over 500,000 American troops. After the manufactured Gulf of Tonkin ``incident'' in August 1964, Johnson secured the right to wage virtually unlimited war on North Vietnam and knowingly lied about the war's failing results. Vietnam assumes such overriding importance in the second half of the century because it is the defining and dividing event for the baby boom generation, since virtually all males needed to decide whether to be drafted, evade the military either legally or illegally, or flee to Canada. Since Lyndon Johnson's war, the American public has been reluctant to allow presidents to send troops abroad--whether to Grenada, Iraq or Bosnia. Vietnam caused American foreign policy to become more isolationist and made Americans reconsider Teddy Roosevelt's vision of our role as the world's policeman. Government lying. When Johnson was inaugurated at Dallas' Love Field following John Kennedy's assassination, Americans respected and generally believed their presidents. By early 1968, LBJ's self-created ``credibility gap'' forced him to give speeches only at military bases, and he chose not to run for re-election. Johnson's falsehoods about Vietnam led Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York, his challenger for the Democratic nomination, to state that Johnson ``tells so many lies that he convinces himself he's telling the truth.'' Although Richard Nixon was the only president to resign, LBJ's administration set the stage. Since Johnson's term in office, the American public has never fully believed the statements of succeeding presidents, whether it was Ronald Reagan's poor recollection of the Iran-contra scandal or Bill Clinton's ``I didn't inhale'' statement. Progressive legislation. Lyndon Johnson wanted to be best remembered as ``the president who educated young children . . . helped to feed the hungry . . . and helped the poor to find their own way.'' Johnson's progressive domestic legislation, popularly known as the Great Society, included Medicare and Medicaid, the Job Corps, Head Start, the Water Quality Act, the Clean Air Act, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act and the Highway Safety Act. These laws not only increased the power of the federal government and made it a watchdog for citizens, they provided a safety net for all, particularly the poor, elderly and disadvantaged. With the exception of Franklin Roosevelt, no other 20th- century president has passed so much influential domestic legislation. Today, Johnson's three-decade-old vision is hotly debated on Capitol Hill as Congress tries to decentralize welfare and keep Medicare afloat. Many Americans have had a profound effect over the past half century. It is hard, however, to see that anyone has had a greater influence on Americans' everyday lives over the past 50 years than the Texas giant, Lyndon Johnson. ____________________