Serious question for veteran DU political observers about 1965

[steve2470]

In 1965, when I was a small boy, did the Repugs complain about being dominated in all branches of government ? Followup question: Have the Dems. ever had control of all 3 branches at one time ?

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Democrats controlled all three branches from 1961-1969.

[benddem]

2. and repugs

complained all the time. The rules were different though and the Dems never tried to turn the US into a theocracy or have it run by the corporations.

[unblock]

3. well, there's control, and then there's control....

in terms of numbers, yes, there have been periods where democrats outnumbered republicans in terms of presidency, house, senate, and court appointees.

but democrats haven't had genuine control -- the ability to do whatever you want with impunity, with the complete disregard for the other party that shrubbie et al. have -- since fdr's days.

[SharonAnn]

5. First of all, third of those Dems were Dixiecrats (Today's Republicans)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. Yes the first two years of CLinton Dems had all three houses

And during Roosevelt as well, and I think part of Carter's term

[Warpy]

6. yes, but what KIND of Dems?

Don't forget that most of the southern Democrats were ideological allies of the pugs during those years. The only reason they ran as Democrats was because they were still fighting the civil war.

Johnson's civil rights legislation changed all that. When Reagan came on the scene and handed the GOP over to the religious crazies and the ultra rich, they deserted in droves. The south has completely forgiven the GOP for once being the party of Lincoln, it seems.

In any case, the southern Democrats may have given the Dems a majority when it came time to deciding committee chairs, but it didn't always give them a majority in votes.

[housewolf]

7. Do you remember the Reagan-Bush I years?

Republican White House but Dem senate and house - all we ever heard about was "grid lock!" Reagan criticized the Dems EVERY DARNED DAY in every single speech that he gave - I was a republican then but boy, was it demoralizing and annoying!

The Dems in Congress were not angels. There was corruption and unfairness but never the abuse of power that we see today. Both sides valued bi-partisanship and working together. There were many close personal friendships between members of both sides.

The Dems basicallly had control of the House and Senate through the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's, up until 1994 when the Repubs got control of the House. The Dems kept control of the Senate until 2002.

It's never been before like it is now.

[H2O Man]

8. I think it is not accurate

to say all three branches. The executive and legislative, yes. But as mentioned, the southern Dixiecrats controlled the House and Senate by being the balance of power between the northern democrats and the southern and mid-western republicans.

However, it is an error to say the democrats controlled the judiciary. One need only take a closer look at the federal judges that wre involved in the most significant cases (as well as how many were on the benches of the federal courts) and do some simple math. Keep in mind that Ike had made the 1952-60 appointments. Republican appointed judges were actually more likely to be progressive than many of the democraticly appointed judges.