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Landslide
PRESIDENTIAL SERIES
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WE ARE OPEN - WEEK ONE - PRESIDENTIAL SERIES: LANDSLIDE - December 1st - December 7th - Prologue and Chapter One - No Spoilers, Please
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However if we discuss folks outside the scope of the book or another book is cited which is not the book and author discussed then we do have to do that citation according to our citation rules. That makes it easier to not disrupt the discussion. Thought that I would add that.
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The first week's reading assignment is:
Week One-December 1-December 7
Prologue and Chapter One-Stories-pages x to 29
Chapter Overview and Summary:
Prologue: Men on Horseback
LBJ has been president for almost a year following JFK's assassination. He returns home to cast his own vote. He reflects on his achievements and resentments and contemplates a run as California's governor. Ronald Reagan has less and less success in the film industry and instead makes a speech in favor of LBJ's rival Barry Goldwater. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas.
Chapter 1: Stories
The nation reacts to President Kennedy's assassination. LBJ assumes the presidency after a seemingly insignificant term as Kennedy's VP. The new president attempts to win Robert Kennedy over as an ally.
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Please post and check the table of contents and syllabus.
We Begin:
As an introduction - for all folks who have received your book and for those of you who will receive your book via the generous book offer from Random House - please post a brief intro here for your fellow readers of Landslide- introducing yourself and at the same time give us your general impression of the Prologue and Chapter One and details that made an impression on you right from the start - Remember we are only talking about Prologue and Chapter One right now.
We are open!
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Note: Don't be afraid - there are no right or wrong answers here and someone has to be first (smile).
I haven't read the sections yet, but here is an introduction.I'm a 55 year old married guy with 2 kids. I read a lot. Relevant to this book, I've read several biographies of LBJ, including those by
Robert A. Caro and
Doris KEARNS. I find him one of the most fascinating presidents. I haven't read any bios of Reagan.I am also quite interested in electoral politics and United States elections in particular.
I look forward to reading the book with the group.
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LBJ has always interested me too. Yesterday, I visited the JFK Presidential Library while I was up in New England and in Boston. I am always amazed at everything people did not know at the time about the Cuban Missile Crisis but also while watching the inauguration speech of JFK - my eyes kept moving to LBJ sitting there in the front fiddling with his hands trying to get them just right. He actually looked more visibly nervous than JFK giving his speech. Caro's books on LBJ are masterfully done but I think this book might give you some new insights about Reagan as well as LBJ. Glad to have you with us.
Robert A. Caro
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Hi everyone, and I'm happy to say that I study the presidency for a living. Glad to be on board and want to thank the publisher and author.I just read the prologue, but I liked how Darman sets the stage with two ambitious men who saw different futures for the country, but did have some similarities.
I think we will find how the 1960s really made a huge impact on recent history.
hi! my name is Theresa and I am interested in presidential bios. I have read along and participated in many of the presidential book reads from this group (including the LBJ selection). I am also the mother of a 2 year old.the first detail that comes to mind about this week's reading is LBJ's call with gov brown after the election and the governor telling him he lost 2 counties in CA and that one of them usually goes to the Democrats. to me, it set the narrative of LBJs decline in his popularity. everything about Reagan, so far, is new to me as I haven't read much of anything on him yet.
I am 41, a high English and Social Studies teacher, and recently a practicing attorney for 14 years. I did not sign up for the free book, because I didn't want all the responsibility, but I bought it and am reading along.I am not an expert in Johnson or Reagan, but have read extensively on FDR and Richard Nixon (in my view the two most interesting 20th Century Presidents), and am looking at the book through the lens of LBJ's major Democratic predecessor, and the major President to serve between the two. From that angle, I was most struck by this "Big Picture" view from the Prologue:
Prologue, p. xx
When the thousand days began [1964], America was still ruled by the same consensus politics that both parties had used to govern since the time of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal . . . In its place [after 1966] was a new kind of politics in which voters chose between two fantasies of the American future, two myths in which the federal government could only be America's salvation or America's ruin."
While any big picture in necessarily a broad generality, this does not at all seem to me an accurate picture of how America was changing. On the one hand, it is certainly true that the Reagan Republicans famously and proudly believed that "government was the problem" by 1980. But after 1966, the mainstream of the Republican party as still looking to big government, with Nixon founding the EPA to address environmental problems (with some success) and launching the "War of Cancer" (with somewhat less success.)
But, while I disagree that we were "there" in 1966, I agree that Republicans were moving in that direction. On the other hand, it seems like 1966 was not the beginning of the view that the federal government was "America's salvation," but instead it's swan song. Compared to the New Deal, Social Security, and and Johnson's Great Society, the Democrats after 1966 have barely tried (let alone succeeded) in using the federal government to do things as big as FDR and LBJ did. After 1966 it was all little things (FMLA, HIPPA, etc.) up until the Affordable Care Act, which is at least of the same order of magnitude as FDR and LBJ's policies, if not quite as important.
What I see after 1966 is both parties moving in the same direction, generally away from big government, with the Democrats moving from federal government as extremist Socialistic "salvation" fantasy to a more moderate position, picking on small problems that the federal government could address, while the Republicans moved from a moderate position to a more extremist Reagan "big government is the problem" fantasy.
Maybe this is due to Reagan's successes and Johnson's failures. Maybe not. But I certainly don't see the mainstream left pushing for things as extreme as what FDR and LBJ pushed for (or even what Nixon or Eisenhower succeeded in doing) in the years after 1966.
I have read the prologue and chapter 1. Here are some thoughts.First, I was startled at the fact that Reagan was only 3 years younger than Johnson. To me, they represent entirely different eras. Perhaps this is partly because I was a baby when Kennedy was shot and an adult when Reagan came to power (and actively working against his election). But not all of it is. As Mr. Darman points out, LBJ was uncomfortable on television while Reagan was at home there. The three biggest things in LBJ's administration were civil rights, the great society and Vietnam and both were far from the agenda in Reagan's era.
And we had (and have) forgotten what was. Surely there were plenty of poor people when Reagan became President, but (in part thanks to Johnson's actions) there was much less of the sort of grinding poverty that Johnson himself experienced in the hill country of Texas.
Second, the title of the book is, aptly, Landslide. Johnson and Reagan did, indeed, win by historically huge margins: Johnson got 61% of the vote and captured every state outside the deep south and Goldwater's native Arizona. Reagan got 59% and every state but Minnesota.
So, roughly 60% for each.
But in what other realm would this be considered "overwhelming"? If a group of friends is trying to decide what to eat for dinner and 6 want Chinese while 4 want Italian, that is not a landslide. In races for House seats, 60% is not a landslide either.
This ties in with another point - nearly all analysts (from all sides) tend to make too much of any particular race.
More specific points:
p. xxiii
"When Reagan took the oath of office.... 16 years later, the mood of the country had sharply changed".
Indeed. The country (partly due to Johnson, again) had been made aware of great injustice and great poverty that had been hiding in the long years between FDR and LBJ. They would not go to sleep again. But a new consensus would not form.
Other parts of the prologue: The contrast between how the two men ran the presidency is very nicely drawn.
Chapter 1:
I was struck by the searing enmity between Bobby Kennedy and LBJ. As we know, LBJ would soon occupy the White House as fully as anyone ever has, but those initial days.... Darman does a good job again of showing those days and that tension between the old President and the new.
Peter wrote: "I have read the prologue and chapter 1. Here are some thoughts.First, I was startled at the fact that Reagan was only 3 years younger than Johnson. To me, they represent entirely different eras. Perhaps this is partly because I was a baby when Kennedy was shot and an adult when Reagan came to power..."
I am in the same age group, so this is interesting to me in that aspect also.
Hi! I am a lover of history and genealogy and enjoy finding out what makes people tick. My day to day work is in the technology sector, but when I'm not working I'm in the garden or reading a book.I am interested in reading this book for much of what has been mentioned by others. I was born during LBJ's tenure in office and was a college student during Reagan's terms. I live just an hour or so from Johnson City, TX and visited LBJ's ranch last summer. I knew a bit about the man before that visit but understand him much better now and hope to add to that through this book.
I am only part way through this week's reading but I already get the sense of the strong attitudes of each men. Two ranchers that took different paths to the same job. Looking forward to reading more.
Hi everyone, my name is Steve and I'm a high school teacher. I have just recently fallen in love with reading about American history. I am very much a beginner on the topic, and I think this book will give me a better understanding of what was going on in our country during this era.There were two things that stood out to me in Chapter One of this book:
1) Johnson's decision to accept the vice presidency was surprising to just about everyone. The Kennedy administration offered it as a courtesy, and no one expected LBJ to accept. I had no idea that it worked that way back then.
"Though he would never say it after Dallas, he knew that the vice presidency was not a job without the possibility of promotion."
- Chapter One, P. 16
How far did this thought work its way into LBJ's mind? It seems like LBJ felt that his career had come up short, and I wonder if accepting the vice presidency was his one last "hail mary" that might potentially put him into the White House once and for all.
2) In reading the Prologue and Chapter One, it seems like LBJ was as egotistical as they come. From when he was a little kid writing his name in huge letters on the chalkboard, to his seemingly depressed state as he lost all his power in the obscurity of the vice presidency, his ego seems to have been a driving force that fueled his ambition.
Mod
No Jerome - but it was so crowded last time - it was a quicker visit. This time it was virtually empty - very few visitors - probably due to Thanksgiving week - but very pleasant to visit. I am told that it will be renovated in December through March - so my timing was good. It was interesting viewing all of the old footage and also seeing LBJ, Robert Kennedy and JFK together during this time period.
Mod
I just read the prologue, but I liked how Darman sets t..."
You have a great job Bryan (smile) - yes two very ambitious men with very different styles.
Mod
Hello Theresa,
Welcome to the discussion - LBJ aligning himself with the Kennedy agenda did not make him popular with his old constituency for sure.
Nor with the Kennedys.
Steve wrote
In reading the Prologue and Chapter One, it seems like LBJ was as egotistical as they come. From when he was a little kid writing his name in huge letters on the chalkboard, to his seemingly depressed state as he lost all his power in the obscurity of the vice presidency, his ego seems to have been a driving force that fueled his ambition.
I think Darman does a great job of capturing, in just a few pages, some of LBJ's personality; he did, indeed, have a huge ego and at the same time a great deal of insecurity, partly from his natural personality, partly due to his poor education (esp. compared to JFK and the others in his White House). But what he had more than anything was ambition.
Mod
In reading the Prologue and Chapter One, it seems like LBJ was as egotistical as they come. From when he was a little kid writing his name in huge letters on the chalkboard, to his see..."
I saw LBJ's insecurities when watching JFK give his inauguration speech and LBJ was sitting there listening to him. I think he was in awe of Kennedy in many ways - not Bobby - but JFK.
Mod
First, I was startled at the fact that Reagan was only 3 years younger than Johnson. To me, they represent entirely di..."
Welcome Kathy
Bentley wrote
I saw LBJ's insecurities when watching JFK give his inauguration speech and LBJ was sitting there listening to him. I think he was in awe of Kennedy in many ways - not Bobby - but JFK.
It was hard to tell with LBJ. His method had always been to be incredibly ingratiating to the person in power. He did this with Rayburn and with Russell; he did it with professors in college; he did it with teachers in grade school. He did it amazingly well.
It seems like JFK was the first person it didn't work with.
I think that, to someone watching, it would seem like awe. But was the awe real, or feigned?
Hi I'm Helga and have always been fascinated by bios and especially our presidents. I have not read much about either LBJ or Reagan so am learning a lot already and am pleased to be part of this group. I have read the prologue and chapter 1 and I too was surprised to read that these 2 men were just 3 years apart in age. It will be fascinating to read what Darman says about them. I grew up as a young child when LBJ was president having just arrived in this country around the time of JFK assassination and learning to speak English. I was finishing college when Reagan was president so remember his presidency more. The Civil Rights movement left an impression on me so I will be interested in reading more about it. This will definitely be an enjoyable read and discussion group.
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I saw LBJ's insecurities when watching JFK give his inauguration speech and LBJ was sitting there listening to him. I think he was in awe of Kennedy in many ways - not Bobby - but J..."
I do not know Peter but to me it looked like a man who was nervous. And feeling a bit like a fish out of water.
Mod
Indeed Martin - not so much with Bobby but I think at some level Bobby was satisfied that JFK's mission was at least being executed even though he looked at LBJ with "curled lip".
Mod
Hello Steve and welcome to the discussion. I think that JFK knew that they needed LBJ to carry the South and that is why he was on the ticket - JFK was always courteous to LBJ - Bobby was not. LBJ had opportunities to run for the White House spot but I think his insecurities demonized him. Maybe he thought that this was one way to move into the top spot - hard to figure out LBJ. Yes he had a big ego but I often wondered if it did not camoflage a huge deficit he had in terms of his own inner self esteem and how he viewed himself due to his childhood and his father.
We look forward to reading your posts and hearing your impressions.
Mod
Teri hello - you are in the lone star state and close to three of the presidential libraries - LBJ and the two Bushes. You are right - they were two ranchers who ended up in DC - quite the transition. Glad you are with us on this journey.
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Matthew hello - there is not much more responsibility than reading, discussing and posting about the book and a brief independent review. But we are glad to have you in any capacity so I hope you enjoy the book and glad you purchased it so you could join us.
Were you a teacher first and then an attorney now? There is always the attitude or the argument of big versus small government. It is interesting that this is a segment from the debate that JFK had with Nixon and his view:
"I know that there are those who want to turn everything over to the government. I don't at all. I want the individuals to meet their responsibilities. And I want the states to meet their responsibilities. But I think there is also a national responsibility.
The argument has been used against every piece of social legislation in the last twenty-five years.
The people of the United States individually could not have developed the Tennessee Valley; collectively they could have. A cotton farmer in Georgia or a peanut farmer or a dairy farmer in Wisconsin and Minnesota, he cannot protect himself against the forces of supply and demand in the market place; but working together in effective governmental programs he can do so.
Seventeen million Americans, who live over sixty-five on an average Social Security check of about seventy-eight dollars a month, they're not able to sustain themselves individually, but they can sustain themselves through the social security system.
I don't believe in big government, but I believe in effective governmental action. And I think that's the only way that the United States is going to maintain its freedom. It's the only way that we're going to move ahead. I think we can do a better job. I think we're going to have to do a better job if we are going to meet the responsibilities which time and events have placed upon us. We cannot turn the job over to anyone else.
If the United States fails, then the whole cause of freedom fails. And I think it depends in great measure on what we do here in this country. The reason Franklin Roosevelt was a good neighbor in Latin America was because he was a good neighbor in the United States. Because they felt that the American society was moving again. I want us to recapture that image. I want people in Latin America and Africa and Asia to start to look to America; to see how we're doing things; to wonder what the resident of the United States is doing; and not to look at Khrushchev, or look at the Chinese Communists. That is the obligation upon our generation. In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt said in his inaugural that this generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny. I think our generation of Americans has the same rendezvous.
The question now is: Can freedom be maintained under the most severe attack it has ever known? I think it can be. And I think in the final analysis it depends upon what we do here. I think it's time America started moving again."
I think unfortunately that there has developed a very selfish attitude of late and not many have the vision to make the country better than it thinks it can be or should be. Others saw what could and should be done while current politicians are only thinking of their next vote or what the lobbyists might think or do or their next campaign finance. There is little inspiration that I can see.
I found it interesting that LBJ tries to imitate FDR in these early stages of the book; from the use of his initials to his "Great Society". Both men were similar as they saw themselves as strong men on horseback come to save the day...though the difference between LBJ's leading us out of the swamp presents a very different image to Reagan's image of charging in from the hills to save the day. I think we will find that as the book continues, this image will stick as these men differentiate themselves from each other.
The other similarity and difference that caught me attention was the oft mentioned need of attention by both men...this was acted out on opposite ends of the spectrum. LBJ was the micro-manager...Reagan seemed quite distant from it all.
I have no memory of LBJ at all...but what I do remember of Reagan (besides my dad swearing at the TV when he came on) was that he seemed like the grandfather who stayed out of petty squabbles until it was necessary for his firm hand to come forward to settle things.
I can already see from the little reading we have done why LBJ's presidency would have a lasting impact on the U.S.; an impact still being seen today. I do not know much about the LBJ presidency, and grew up during the Reagan years, so I am curious as to how my opinions and perspectives will develop as we read on.
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"he seemed like the grandfather who stayed out of petty squabbles until it was necessary for his firm hand to come forward to settle things."Yes. This was Reagan as the CEO president. But another consideration to take into account is that a more hands-on approach by Reagan would have cut into nap time.
"LBJ's presidency would have a lasting impact on the U.S."
One of the lasting impacts, at least according to some, was the inflation resulting from his decision to escalate the war in Vietnam without increasing taxes, assuming I understand correctly. In the long-term, as the story goes, this set in motion the inflationary pressures that persisted through the Nixon and Carter administrations before coming to roost in Reagan's administration. Ultimatley it was Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, a Carter appointee by the bye, whose policies including strong medicine of high interest rates tamed inflation. Volcker ignored Reagan's remonstrations to lower interest rates.
Yet, to a large degree it's Reagan who frequently gets credit for taming inflation. This is Reagan as the Forest Gump president.
Chapter One was very interesting. I am looking forward to see if the author continues to fill out the "story" each man has to offer the American public. There were a few news things that I had never heard before reading this. One that stood out to me, was the section when Johnson went to bed and had his staff stay in the room while he slept. I didn't remember the fear at that time that the communist when planning an attack on the U.S.Johnson built his power by befriending men like Sam Rayburn. Men who had power and were older then he was. I wonder if his strategies didn't work with Joh and Bobby Kennedy because they were younger than he was and had a different view of the world than the older politicians.
I'm looking forward to see how the authors "story" continues.
Hello all and thanks to Bentley for arranging this great book offer. I am an assisting moderator for the History Book Club. I am of the age that I remember when JFK was assassinated and I remember my Father saying, "We are in trouble now. Lyndon Johnson is the President". He did not say it because of his political persuasion but because Johnson had a reputation as a wheeler dealer who stabbed his friends in the back to further advance his career. His comments about Reagan were equally memorable..."A 'B' actor who will be a 'B' President". Was my father right or wrong?...this book will give me insight into those presidents.
Bentley wrote: "Were you a teacher first and then an attorney now? There is always the attitude or the argument of big versus small government. It is interesting that this is a segment from the debate that JFK had with Nixon and his view:"I was a private-sector attorney in a large regional law firm for 14 years. Three years ago, I slowly closed my practice while obtaining a teaching certfications (in Social Studies and English) and have been teaching high school since then. I maintain my law license, but have no present intention to return.
The quotes from JFK are interesting, and could have been the Democratic line from any number of debates. If you had told me they were from Walter Mondale or Barack Obama, nothing would have tipped me off (if you replaced Kruschev with Brezhnev or Putin) that they were not. In the context of a debate, there is nothing really to go on except the words. For actual Presidents, however, we have a whole list of "achievements" to measure them against.
While I haven't done the math this precisely, I'm guessing that if you were the give every ex-President since FDR an exit-interview where you asked them, "Please list what you consider the five most important achievements of your Presidency," and then compared those five self-described successes against the standard of "helping the federal government be America's salvation" for each Democratic president, and the standard of "preventing the federal government from becoming America's ruin" for each Republican president, you would see the Republican presidents meeting the standard more and more closely, while Democratic presidents doing it less and less so.
In the 2016 debates, I am sure the Republican will lambast the Democratic nominee for thinking that big government can solve all of our problems better than the free market, and the Democrat will lambast the Republican for thinking that the free market can solve all of our problems without government intervention. When Kennedy made the claims in 1960, I don't think he was being very fair to Nixon. And when McCain calls Obama a socialist, I don't think he was being very fair to Obama. Look at FDR and all he accomplished (for good of ill). THERE was a socialist! Now look at Nixon ordering a wage freeze in 1971. Now THERE was a socialist policy.
Lack of inspiration, selfishness, lack of vision. These may all be the cause, but the effect is that nobody today thinks that the federal government can solve every problem, except for the straw man in Republican attack ads (and, perhaps, Bernie Sanders.)
Mod
Another point in the Prologue and Chapter 1 that I found interesting was that the Prologue sets out the dichotomy of Johnson being a specialist in up-close in-person or direct-phone negotiations, but was weak speaking to the "masses" on TV, while Reagan was exactly the opposite, able to charm millions, but seemingly empty and vacant up close.In the first chapter, however, we see LBJ trying out his up-close charm offensive and failing miserably -- at a task so simple in hardly seemed to require any negotiations at all. "I'm the President of the United States, and I want to get into my new office!" And yet, he is completely steamrolled and roadblocked by JFK's secretary and RFK. It is interesting that after setting up LBJ as the master of getting what he wants, the first time he tries to apply that gift he fails.
Hi my name is Chris. I am 39 and politics interests me a great deal. I love reading about history and politics. I was going to college for Political Science as my major and had to stop when my wife became ill. I will be going back in the summer to finish my degree. I apologize now because I work for a School District and I work a split shift so most of my posts will be at night. I do my errands in the morning before going to work.
I am looking forward to getting into this book in the weeks ahead and hope to participate in more events. This is the first time I have been in a book club of any kind. So this would be my first discussion as a member.
I am sure that LBJ was the consummate politician and had a talent for one-on-one contact. But he didn't stand a chance since the majority of those who surrounded Kennedy disliked him. They continued to protect the Office of the Presidency as if Kennedy would suddenly reappear. Any up-close charm that LBJ may have had was of no import to RFK or Evelyn Lincoln; therefore they blocked him at every turn.
What I found interesting in the Prologue was the Political shift after LBJ won the Presidential election. I find that if one looks at the political shift today it parallels that of what happened to LBJ. It made me laugh comparing the two different era's and how close they are to one another.In Chapter One I must say that time when JFK was assassinated that must have been very stressful for LBJ on the one hand. On the other hand one must wonder if he was relieved that he no longer had to take a back seat in the JFK administration.
Though I did find JFK and many in his administration characterization of LBJ a tad bit unfair and maybe a little unwarranted. He may have been a great Vice President had they allowed him to be one rather then putting him on the sidelines with no power to do anything.
I am Vince - 70 year old almost retired from a career in industry - mostly marketing and sale - mostly steel - mostly stainless. I am a hiker, reader, dad, husband, environmental activist etc. Here were my thoughts when I finished this section before the comment page was opened.Landslide
Prologue
This is an interesting setting for comparisons and lays out the “Landslide� title. I did not know that Johnson’s father was not so successful as I knew Reagan’s had been. This is from page 29 of the prologue � third paragraph about the fathers “two men…………�..who had instead chosen paths that led to ruin and disgrace� - I note the reference as I did not see any reference to LBJ’s father as having shortcomings in the first chapter.
My lack of previous in depth reading about them may show � I still want to read the Caro books.
I do find in my mind a grim possible causation of the fall of Johnson beyond Vietnam. Could it be that the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts made Johnson too pro African American for much of the electorate as seems may be the eventual case for Obama as certain people solidify against him.
Chapter One
What a tough chapter. It was it seems though Bobby Kennedy who would not control his emotions to the needs of the country as LBJ seemed to.
The story of LBJ is striking and I believe he worked his way along. I will wait to see some details on Reagan next.
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I am more and more a reader of history and non fiction and less and less of fiction. I am a casual student of or regarder of history - more and more.
This book reads easily and I would have not put it down if that was not the deal.
I would have chosen a different book at this time but the participation on this site with HBC is a positive reason to read a book.
I am looking forward to this read a lot.
Bentley wrote: "Cary hello - welcome - I think that the men following FDR were influenced by his "big vision" and energetic approach despite his physical limitations. Reagan however loved the camera and that was ..."So a comment on LBJ from memory not from this reading is that it seems to me that what he started worked well for him and the country (the Great Society, Civil Rights) and what he inherited just spun out of control - that is Vietnam.
JFK was not a military success as I see it as a president Cuban missile crisis almost gave us a war - maybe he had to but Bay of Pigs and Vietnam........................
Just my thoughts and observations
Martin wrote: ""he seemed like the grandfather who stayed out of petty squabbles until it was necessary for his firm hand to come forward to settle things."Yes. This was Reagan as the CEO president. But another..."
Hi Martin
I agree that LBJ had a lasting effect on the US but Reagan, literally forcing the Soviet Union to the point of collapse, may have had a bigger impact on the world.
The freedom and chaos that came to so many second world countries.
Johnson's results were more, domestically, I think in line with what he imagined. Reagan's results were just what happened with no one seeming to have a master plan following the somewhat unexpected fall of the USSR.
Mod
Excellent points Matthew but those were tough times so maybe he wasn't as forceful as he was normally.
Mod
Christopher - no worries here when you post - the thread is open 24 by 7 even though the moderators work and sleep (smile) but you can post at any time. Try to keep up with the weekly assignment - you will find the toc and syllabus thread - link provided in message one and you will do just fine. It is nice having the thread open so that you can always post your ideas, questions, and think aloud here. We look forward to reading your posts.
Mod
Yes. This was Reagan as the CEO president. But another..."
Reagan got more credit than he deserved and probably LBJ less.
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Yes, that was a mighty strange request Jim - I did not know that either. Jim I am interested to see how all of this unfolds too. Never thought about the age difference - very apparent that stylistically they were different although Bobby was a raw power guy too.
Steve wrote: "Hi everyone, my name is Steve and I'm a high school teacher. I have just recently fallen in love with reading about American history. I am very much a beginner on the topic, and I think this book..."Good points Steve. As I read of his acceptance of the Vice Presidency I was surprised that such a successful politician up to that point would do so because historically the VP job has been considered to be mostly thankless and invisible. LBJ did not seem the sort to accept (willingly) invisibility.
Mod
Love your Dad and I did not know him. I think what is most refreshing about our parents and our grandparents time period is that they had opinions and strong ones and everything did not always have to be politically correct (smile). Glad you are joining in Jill.
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For the week of December 1st - December 7th, we are reading the Prologue and Chapter One of Landslide..
The first week's reading assignment is:
Week One - December 1st - December 7th
Prologue and Chapter One
We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we did for other spotlighted books.
This book is being kicked off on December 1st.
We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, local bookstore or on your Kindle. Make sure to pre-order now if you haven't already. This weekly thread will be opened up December 1st
There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.
Bentley will be leading this discussion and back-up will be Assisting Moderators Jerome, Kathy, Jill and Bryan.
Welcome,
~Bentley
TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL
REMEMBER NO SPOILERS ON THE WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREADS - ON EACH WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD - WE ONLY DISCUSS THE PAGES ASSIGNED OR THE PAGES WHICH WERE COVERED IN PREVIOUS WEEKS. IF YOU GO AHEAD OR WANT TO ENGAGE IN MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION - POST THOSE COMMENTS IN ONE OF THE SPOILER THREADS. THESE CHAPTERS HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION SO WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK WITH THE CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY TO RECALL WHETHER YOUR COMMENTS ARE ASSIGNMENT SPECIFIC. EXAMPLES OF SPOILER THREADS ARE THE GLOSSARY, THE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE INTRODUCTION AND THE BOOK AS A WHOLE THREADS.
Notes:
It is always a tremendous help when you quote specifically from the book itself and reference the chapter and page numbers when responding. The text itself helps folks know what you are referencing and makes things clear.
Citations:
If an author or book is mentioned other than the book and author being discussed, citations must be included according to our guidelines. Also, when citing other sources, please provide credit where credit is due and/or the link. There is no need to re-cite the author and the book we are discussing however.
If you need help - here is a thread called the Mechanics of the Board which will show you how:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...
Also the citation thread:
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Introduction Thread:
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Table of Contents and Syllabus
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Glossary
Remember there is a glossary thread where ancillary information is placed by the moderator. This is also a thread where additional information can be placed by the group members regarding the subject matter being discussed.
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Bibliography
There is a Bibliography where books cited in the text are posted with proper citations and reviews. We also post the books that the author used in his research or in his notes. Please also feel free to add to the Bibliography thread any related books, etc with proper citations. No self promotion, please. We will be adding to this thread as we read along.
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Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts - SPOILER THREAD
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Directions on how to participate in a book offer and how to follow the t's and c's - Landslide - What Do I Do Next?
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