[texas booster]

As Caro would report in a later volume, John Kennedy surprised almost everyone with his last-minute pick of then Senate Majority Leader Johnson as his running mate in 1960. JFK knew the election would be close, and he knew Johnson had the wherewithal to win Texas – by hook or by crook.

The ticket did carry Texas by 46,000 votes, well within Johnson's wheel house. Thanks in large to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's vote-manufacturing machinery, the ticket carried Illinois by 8,000 votes.

For the record, JFK carried New Jersey by 22,000 votes in 1960. I don't doubt that the pols in Newark manufactured enough votes to carry the state.

Robert Caro is a self-professed liberal. He openly agrees with LBJ's "ends" but not to the point he is willing to ignore the "means" he used to attain those ends. In reporting those means, Caro is relentless.

A little more detail from the article.

[rktman]

Yes, that is from the piece. Thanks. Most FReepers (me included) do the header and move on. 😁👍