The whole LBJ/Civil Rights Act of 1964 comparison with today's healthcare bill needs to die today.

[Drunken Irishman]

Because it's completely and utterly dishonest.

I keep hearing people say how if LBJ were more like Democrats & Obama, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would not pass. But that comparison doesn't work because there were far different circumstances surrounding the Civil Rights Act and the current state of healthcare.

Firstly, that landmark legislation passed not even a year after Kennedy had been killed. Johnson was still working on a damn good mandate from the assassination of Kennedy and if anyone does not believe that aided his situation, they're naive to history.

But beyond that, the demographics in both the Senate & House worked to his favor.

It is correct in saying that the Congress makeup was very similar to what it is today. However, we were working with a vastly different ideological Congress than what we see today.

The Republicans were not a Southern Party. There were only 10 Southern Republicans in the Senate & one Southern Republican in the House. That party was far more liberal on social issues than they currently are and comparable to the Northern Democrats of that era (and far more liberal than the Southern Democrats).

That benefited LBJ in passing the Civil Rights Act. He had bipartisan support in its truest form.

Now the comparison doesn't work because from the start the Democrats had absolutely no chance of gaining support from the Republicans. Certainly not at the level seen with LBJ in the Civil Rights Act of '64 (80% of House Republicans supported the legislation).

So let's make the comparison work.

What if LBJ had faced the exact same situation he did with Southern Democrats, but also lacked the support of Northern Republicans? Civil Rights legislation does not become the slamdunk many thought it was before.

153 Democrats (63%) in the House voted for the Senate version. 91 (37%) did not.

136 Republicans (80%) in the House voted for the Senate version. 35 (20%) did not.

Now let's say every single Republican, like Pres. Obama is currently seeing, in the House votes no on passing Civil Rights. That puts it at 153 to 262. It does not pass.

In fact, it isn't even close.

So when some Republicans say that if it weren't for the GOP in the 60s, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 probably doesn't get passed - they're correct. It took 136 Northern Republicans to get that passed. Even mighty LBJ couldn't work the Southern Democrats to support the bill (only seven Southern Democrats did in the Senate & only one in the House).

Now we're told if LBJ were as defeatist as Obama, it would have never happened. Maybe. But LBJ also had wide support across the aisle and that made it much easier to pass the Civil Rights Act.

What Pres. Obama faces is not just disunity in his own party, he faces a united Republican Party.

LBJ didn't. LBJ faced disunity in his party to be sure, but he also had the Republicans on his side. Eighty-percent of Republicans voted for that Civil Rights Bill. If we could guarantee that eighty-percent of Republicans would vote for Pres. Obama's healthcare reform, it easily passes.

The America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 passed the House with a 220-215 margin. Thirty-nine Democrats voted no. Only one Republican voted yes.

There is no comparison between the two. Had LBJ faced a similar situation, his Civil Rights Act of 1964 probably doesn't pass. Regardless of how tough he seemed or how many arms he twisted.

[goclark]

1. K

[Hamlette]

2. it was similar in one way

it was very watered down (stay with me here). There were virtually no enforcement mechanisms in the civil rights act as passed in 1964.

Which they say is how LBJ sold it to the republicans who did vote for it: it hasn't got any teeth so what's the problem?

Like the health care plans under consideration now....they will be strengthened. IMHO. Like Social Security. Which was only for rich white people (not in so many words but it did not cover jobs held mainly by blacks) when first passed. We later fixed it.

I hate republicans.

Just saying.

[Number23]

3. These are also the same clueless know-nothings who loudly proclaim that Truman desegregated

the military with a "stroke of his pen" ignoring the entire history that led up to his executive order and the fact that the public, Congress and the military were so opposed to the idea of blacks serving that it took years AFTER the executive order was signed before anyone honored it.

There are alot of dumbasses around here.

[Drunken Irishman]

4. They also forget that a Republican congressman drafted the Social Security Act of 1965.

[quiet.american]

5. Great analysis. nt

[sandnsea]

6. Good info

Not to mention if we were out in the straights the way minorities were in the 60s, there'd be a lot more incentive to pass health care too.

Apparently only 500 people showed up in DC at the Feb marches last week. If we won't fight, why should Congress.

[CTLawGuy]

7. well done!

+1