Podcasts about Everett Dirksen

The U.S. Senate is so sharply polarized along partisan and ideological lines today that it's easy to believe it was always this way. But in the turbulent 1960s, even as battles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam dominated American politics, bipartisanship often prevailed. One key reason: two remarkable leaders who remain giants of the Senate--Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield of Montana, the longest-serving majority leader in Senate history, so revered for his integrity, fairness, and modesty that the late Washington Post reporter David Broder called him "the greatest American I ever met." The political and personal relationship of these party leaders, extraordinary by today's standards, is the lens through which Marc C. Johnson examines in Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate (U Oklahoma Press, 2023). Working together, with the Democrat often ceding public leadership to his Republican counterpart, Mansfield and Dirksen passed landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation, created Medicare, and helped bring about a foundational nuclear arms limitation treaty. The two leaders could not have been more different in personality and style: Mansfield, a laconic, soft-spoken, almost shy college history professor, and Dirksen, an aspiring actor known for his flamboyance and sense of humor, dubbed the "Wizard of Ooze" by reporters. Drawing on extensive Senate archives, Johnson explores the congressional careers of these iconic leaders, their intimate relationships with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and their own close professional friendship based on respect, candor, and mutual affection. A study of politics but also an analysis of different approaches to leadership, this is a portrait of a U.S. Senate that no longer exists--one in which two leaders, while exercising partisan political responsibilities, could still come together to pass groundbreaking legislation--and a reminder of what is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Senate is so sharply polarized along partisan and ideological lines today that it's easy to believe it was always this way. But in the turbulent 1960s, even as battles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam dominated American politics, bipartisanship often prevailed. One key reason: two remarkable leaders who remain giants of the Senate--Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield of Montana, the longest-serving majority leader in Senate history, so revered for his integrity, fairness, and modesty that the late Washington Post reporter David Broder called him "the greatest American I ever met." The political and personal relationship of these party leaders, extraordinary by today's standards, is the lens through which Marc C. Johnson examines in Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate (U Oklahoma Press, 2023). Working together, with the Democrat often ceding public leadership to his Republican counterpart, Mansfield and Dirksen passed landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation, created Medicare, and helped bring about a foundational nuclear arms limitation treaty. The two leaders could not have been more different in personality and style: Mansfield, a laconic, soft-spoken, almost shy college history professor, and Dirksen, an aspiring actor known for his flamboyance and sense of humor, dubbed the "Wizard of Ooze" by reporters. Drawing on extensive Senate archives, Johnson explores the congressional careers of these iconic leaders, their intimate relationships with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and their own close professional friendship based on respect, candor, and mutual affection. A study of politics but also an analysis of different approaches to leadership, this is a portrait of a U.S. Senate that no longer exists--one in which two leaders, while exercising partisan political responsibilities, could still come together to pass groundbreaking legislation--and a reminder of what is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

The U.S. Senate is so sharply polarized along partisan and ideological lines today that it's easy to believe it was always this way. But in the turbulent 1960s, even as battles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam dominated American politics, bipartisanship often prevailed. One key reason: two remarkable leaders who remain giants of the Senate--Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield of Montana, the longest-serving majority leader in Senate history, so revered for his integrity, fairness, and modesty that the late Washington Post reporter David Broder called him "the greatest American I ever met." The political and personal relationship of these party leaders, extraordinary by today's standards, is the lens through which Marc C. Johnson examines in Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate (U Oklahoma Press, 2023). Working together, with the Democrat often ceding public leadership to his Republican counterpart, Mansfield and Dirksen passed landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation, created Medicare, and helped bring about a foundational nuclear arms limitation treaty. The two leaders could not have been more different in personality and style: Mansfield, a laconic, soft-spoken, almost shy college history professor, and Dirksen, an aspiring actor known for his flamboyance and sense of humor, dubbed the "Wizard of Ooze" by reporters. Drawing on extensive Senate archives, Johnson explores the congressional careers of these iconic leaders, their intimate relationships with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and their own close professional friendship based on respect, candor, and mutual affection. A study of politics but also an analysis of different approaches to leadership, this is a portrait of a U.S. Senate that no longer exists--one in which two leaders, while exercising partisan political responsibilities, could still come together to pass groundbreaking legislation--and a reminder of what is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

The U.S. Senate is so sharply polarized along partisan and ideological lines today that it's easy to believe it was always this way. But in the turbulent 1960s, even as battles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam dominated American politics, bipartisanship often prevailed. One key reason: two remarkable leaders who remain giants of the Senate--Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield of Montana, the longest-serving majority leader in Senate history, so revered for his integrity, fairness, and modesty that the late Washington Post reporter David Broder called him "the greatest American I ever met." The political and personal relationship of these party leaders, extraordinary by today's standards, is the lens through which Marc C. Johnson examines in Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate (U Oklahoma Press, 2023). Working together, with the Democrat often ceding public leadership to his Republican counterpart, Mansfield and Dirksen passed landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation, created Medicare, and helped bring about a foundational nuclear arms limitation treaty. The two leaders could not have been more different in personality and style: Mansfield, a laconic, soft-spoken, almost shy college history professor, and Dirksen, an aspiring actor known for his flamboyance and sense of humor, dubbed the "Wizard of Ooze" by reporters. Drawing on extensive Senate archives, Johnson explores the congressional careers of these iconic leaders, their intimate relationships with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and their own close professional friendship based on respect, candor, and mutual affection. A study of politics but also an analysis of different approaches to leadership, this is a portrait of a U.S. Senate that no longer exists--one in which two leaders, while exercising partisan political responsibilities, could still come together to pass groundbreaking legislation--and a reminder of what is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

The U.S. Senate is so sharply polarized along partisan and ideological lines today that it's easy to believe it was always this way. But in the turbulent 1960s, even as battles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam dominated American politics, bipartisanship often prevailed. One key reason: two remarkable leaders who remain giants of the Senate--Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield of Montana, the longest-serving majority leader in Senate history, so revered for his integrity, fairness, and modesty that the late Washington Post reporter David Broder called him "the greatest American I ever met." The political and personal relationship of these party leaders, extraordinary by today's standards, is the lens through which Marc C. Johnson examines in Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate (U Oklahoma Press, 2023). Working together, with the Democrat often ceding public leadership to his Republican counterpart, Mansfield and Dirksen passed landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation, created Medicare, and helped bring about a foundational nuclear arms limitation treaty. The two leaders could not have been more different in personality and style: Mansfield, a laconic, soft-spoken, almost shy college history professor, and Dirksen, an aspiring actor known for his flamboyance and sense of humor, dubbed the "Wizard of Ooze" by reporters. Drawing on extensive Senate archives, Johnson explores the congressional careers of these iconic leaders, their intimate relationships with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and their own close professional friendship based on respect, candor, and mutual affection. A study of politics but also an analysis of different approaches to leadership, this is a portrait of a U.S. Senate that no longer exists--one in which two leaders, while exercising partisan political responsibilities, could still come together to pass groundbreaking legislation--and a reminder of what is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

The U.S. Senate is so sharply polarized along partisan and ideological lines today that it's easy to believe it was always this way. But in the turbulent 1960s, even as battles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam dominated American politics, bipartisanship often prevailed. One key reason: two remarkable leaders who remain giants of the Senate--Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield of Montana, the longest-serving majority leader in Senate history, so revered for his integrity, fairness, and modesty that the late Washington Post reporter David Broder called him "the greatest American I ever met." The political and personal relationship of these party leaders, extraordinary by today's standards, is the lens through which Marc C. Johnson examines in Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate (U Oklahoma Press, 2023). Working together, with the Democrat often ceding public leadership to his Republican counterpart, Mansfield and Dirksen passed landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation, created Medicare, and helped bring about a foundational nuclear arms limitation treaty. The two leaders could not have been more different in personality and style: Mansfield, a laconic, soft-spoken, almost shy college history professor, and Dirksen, an aspiring actor known for his flamboyance and sense of humor, dubbed the "Wizard of Ooze" by reporters. Drawing on extensive Senate archives, Johnson explores the congressional careers of these iconic leaders, their intimate relationships with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and their own close professional friendship based on respect, candor, and mutual affection. A study of politics but also an analysis of different approaches to leadership, this is a portrait of a U.S. Senate that no longer exists--one in which two leaders, while exercising partisan political responsibilities, could still come together to pass groundbreaking legislation--and a reminder of what is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Greg and Dan welcome Marc Johnson to discuss his new book, Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate, and its focus of bipartisan politics in the turbulent 1960s. Johnson's book centralizes around two remarkable leaders of the Senate – Republican leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield of Montana – and how bipartisanship often prevailed during the battles throughout American politics in the 1960s. Author Marc Johnson's Mansfield-Dirksen Book Talk is on Wednesday, October 11th at 6 PM in Bradley University's Westlake Hall. Co-hosted by the Dirksen Congressional Center and Bradley University's Institute for Principled Leadership, this event is free and open to the public.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Trump faces the music for a small slice of his crimes against our nation & our democracy, let's not forget that he's not the first. He was carrying on a GOP tradition stretching back to 1968… Plus, the demise of CNN - what did the Trumpian far-right move do for CNN? Phil Ittner - Did Russia accidentally lose Crimea and maybe the war too? Congressman Mark Pocan phones in for an update from DC. The Saudis want us to forget it's a murderous dictatorship - the Americans that have played into it are now rich & bought off.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tom Davis served seven terms in the House from Northern Virginia, including 2 cycles as NRCC Chair and as Chair of the House Government Reform Committee. In this conversation, he talks becoming obsessed with politics at an early age, working as a Senate page in the 1960s, playing a small role in the political operation of Richard Nixon, 15 years on the Fairfax County Board, 14 years in Congress, protecting the GOP majority in 2000 and 2002 while helming NRCC, why he left elected politics, the work he's most passionate about now, and his expectations ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. IN THIS EPISODE..One early moment when the lifelong political obsession started to click for a 6-year old Tom Davis…Working as a teenage U.S. Senate page…Tom spends 30 minutes in the Oval Office with President Nixon…Tom's early stint as part of the Nixon political operation…Tom talks the political legacy of Virginia's famed Byrd Machine…Tom remembers his 14+ years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors…Tom on the excitement as part of the 1994 House GOP wave…Tom talks the political skills (and flaws) of Newt Gingrich…Early impressions and surprises on his first term in the House…Memories of tough votes surrounding the impeachment of President Clinton…Tom's path to running the NRCC in both the 2000 and 2002 cycles…Inside the candidate-recruitment process of the Tom Davis-led NRCC…Highlights of his tenure as Chair of the House Government Reform Committee…The tough decision to pass on an open 2008 Senate race and ultimately forgo re-election altogether…The two types of lobbyists in Washington…Tom breaks down lessons for Republicans in Glenn Youngkin's 2021 Virginia win…How Tom is thinking about the 2022 midterms…AND Amherst, Appalachian State University, appendages, John Boehner, Harry Byrd, Eldridge Cleaver, Bill Clinger, Carl Curtis, Tom Delay, Harry Dent, Everett Dirksen, David Dreier, Dulles Airport, David Eisenhower, Martin Frost, gay newspapers, George Mason University, Jim Gilmore, Barry Goldwater, Bart Gordon, Bob Haldeman, Jesse Helms, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Jim Holshouser, Rush Holt, Linwood Holton, John Hostettler, Steny Hoyer, Roman Hruska, Hubert Humphrey, Andrew Jackson, Jacob Javits, Nancy Johnson, Kent State, V.O. Key, lifelong teetotalers, John Linder, Louisiana Smart, Malibu, Mike Mansfield, Terry McAuliffe, Wayne Morse, the Mountain Valley Group, no confidence votes, Oliver North, Barack Obama, Dick Obenshain, Bill Paxon, perfecting amendments, Colin Peterson, Jeffrey Pine, George Rawlings, rental seats, Tom Reynolds, Alice Rivlin, Willis Robertson, Win Rockefeller, the Rotary Club, Antonin Scalia, Chris Shays, slackers, Howard Smith, Billy Tauzin, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Charles Thone, Strom Thurmond, Tulane, Fred Upton, Bob Walker, John Warner, Mark Warner, the Washington Post, Watauga County, Roger Wicker, wiffle ball, Frank Wolf, Jim Wright, Dick Zimmer, Elmo Zumwalt & more!

Gallant Men was released by Capitol Records (5805) in December 1966. Several months later it had hit number 15 on the Billboard Top 100. It was scored by John Cacavas, written by Charles Osgood and narrated by Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen.

 "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation and only one bad one to lose it" Was ol' Benji Franklin right?  This week we space out on the James Webb telescope and then discuss it's namesake.  Some are out to realign the name from it's human origin, but why?  Then on DHOTW:  Megan Rapinoe hits Rock Bottom.With No Due Respect S04E07 (James Webb Renamed?)SHOW NOTES:"The Three-Body Problem" by Cixin LiuHubble Space TelescopeJames Webb TelescopeTasco TelescopeTrappist-1Bib & Tucker Tennessee WhiskyJames Edwin WebbNASA 1950's logoApollo MissionsLavender Scarehttps://www.thelavenderscare.com/Senator Everett DirksenLyndon Johnson"Trumbo"Abraham LincolnFord's TheaterJohn Wilkes BoothAdidas Commercialhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fujboh-W7SkWernher Von BraunMegan RapinoeDwayne JohnsonTogethxr LogoXFL LogoCedric McMillanCedric McMillian 2017 Arnold Classic Speechhttps://youtu.be/9mC8HWfytj0Gilbert GottfriedGilbert Gottfried - The Aristocratshttps://youtu.be/aGA0dIz9-Wk

Very few Americans have had the impact on public policy as has Joseph Califano. Though his parents only graduated high school, he went to Harvard Law  and by age 30 was working at high levels of the John F. Kennedy Administration - and shortly after was the top domestic White House aide to Lyndon Johnson. In this conversation, he talks his meteoric rise through the Kennedy / Johnson years, seeing first-hand as the LBJ “Johnson Treatment” built the Great Society, the toll that Vietnam took on President Johnson, & his work as HEW Cabinet Secretary under President Carter to start a national anti-smoking campaign that's had immeasurable benefits to public health in the US. This is a great conversation with a true American Dream success story and political dynamo.IN THIS EPISODE…Growing up as an Italian-American kid in the era of Franklin Roosevelt…How a working class Brooklyn kid makes it to Harvard Law…Why he left a lucrative private law firm to enter the Kennedy Administration…He talks working in the early days of the Kennedy Administration with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara…Memories from meetings with President Kennedy…Early impressions working up and close and personal with President Johnson…Why LBJ sequenced the 1964 Civil Rights Act ahead of other Great Society programs…Secretary Califano goes in depth describing “The Johnson Treatment”…Memories from the White House on the night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated…The “race against expectations” that informed much of LBJ's time in office…Secretary Califano talks the difficulty in passing Fair Housing legislation…The role that Lady Bird Johnson played in helping making President Johnson more effective…The connection between Secretary Califano's son and safety caps on medicine bottles…Reflecting on a political misfire as President Johnson missed an opportunity to appoint a new Supreme Court Chief Justice…The toll that the Vietnam War took on President Johnson…President Johnson's courageous early foray for gun safety laws…The last conversation he had with President Johnson after he left office…His time in the Carter Cabinet as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare…Why Democrats couldn't secure universal healthcare during the Democratic trifecta of the late 1970s…How he came to spearhead a national anti-smoking campaign…AND the AMA, Carolyn Agger, Brooklyn Prep, McGeorge Bundy, George Christian, Sterling Cottrell, Thomas Dewey, Everett Dirksen, Dwight Eisenhower, Abe Fortas, Gerald Ford, William Fulbright, the Harvard Law Review, the Hirshhorn Museum, Holy Cross, IBM, the JAG Corps, Lady Bird Johnson, Robert Kennedy, leak central, Russell Long, Mike Mansfield, Harry Middleton, Bill Moyers, John McGillicuddy, Harry McPherson, Richard Nixon, Dick Ottinger, PS 182, Claiborne Pell, Jake Pickle, a revolving son of a bitch, the Subversive Activity Control Board, Al Smith, sugar in gas tanks, Jack Valenti, Cyrus Vance, Earl Warren, Watts riots…& more!

Democrat governors in four deep blue states who are, in the words of former Senator Everett Dirksen, “feeling the heat,” are beginning “to see the light.” Oregon Governor Kate Brown, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Delaware Governor John Carney, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont all announced on Monday that they were rolling back their indoor masking requirements, including for schools.   Read Full Article Here!

The Kewanee Public Library has another 3D Printing Class for kids 12 years old and up on November 23rd. It's the 3rd in a series of 3D Printing classes as part of the Tuesday's on Tremont schedule at the Library. Sara Billiet from the Kewanee Public Library talked about 3D Printing and another Tuesday's on Tremont event happening on Tuesday, December 7th. This program is for the History Buffs and it's all about the life and legacy of legendary Illinois politician Everett Dirksen. Tiffany White from the Dirksen Congressional Center will be the featured speaker and presenter at 6 Pm at the Kewanee Public Library.

Who else has a story like Chuck Robb? Marries the President Johnson's daughter in a White House ceremony, serves in Vietnam, changes the political culture of Virginia in the 70s and 80s, two consequential terms in the Senate, helps found the influential centrist DLC, and casts several courageous, unpopular votes that ultimately take a toll on his career in elected office. This is a frank, revealing conversation though Governor Robb's one-of-a-kind political life.IN THIS EPISODE…Governor Robb's indirect connection to Woodrow Wilson…His formative time in the Marines, including combat in Vietnam…A young Chuck Robb's ceremonial role in the LBJ White House…He recalls a meeting in the Lincoln Bedroom asking the President Johnson's blessing to marry his daughter Linda…More of his memories from seeing President Johnson up close…He also speaks to the important role that Lady Bird Johnson played in President Johnson's career…He weighs in on the “rivalry” between the Kennedys and the Johnsons…The ribbing from John McCain that would always get a rise from Governor Robb…The early days kicking his political career off in Virginia…The 1984 DNC Convention speech he gave that gave rise to the centrist, DLC movement…Why he never ran for President…The long relationship between Chuck Robb and Doug Wilder…He remembers his iconic 1994 re-election race against Oliver North…He talks through his courageous 1996 vote against the Defense of Marriage Act…He also talks his reversal of opinion to cast a vote against the Flag Burning Amendment…He talks his losing 2000 race against George Allen and gives advice to candidates running as underdogs…Weighing in on the debate over the filibuster reform…He talks the roles he's taken on after his Senate career…AND…8th and I, Joe Biden, Harry Byrd, Bill Clinton, Marshall Coleman, Jim Crow, Everett Dirksen, Episcopalians, John Glenn, heifers, Howell Heflin, Hubert Humphrey, HMX-1, Scoop Jackson, Barbara Jordan, Robert Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, John McCain, mixed doubles with Ethel Kennedy, muddy boot Marines, Sam Nunn, Strom Thurmond, the USS Northampton, the WMD Commission, Robert W. Wooley, & more!

This episode opens in the final two days of the 1968 campaign as the election polls  have tightened to an even race. Vice President Hubert Humphrey has made up enormous ground and with the announced bombing halt of North Vietnam it looks like all the momentum is with him. Here you see both Humphrey and former Vice President Richard Nixon out on the stump working overtime trying to get the race won. In a last day rally in Texas at the Houston Astrodome President Lyndon Johnson comes out to sway Texas voters on behalf of the Democratic standard bearer. The race is to close to call but finally by the closest of  margins, even closer than the 1960 election, Richard Nixon holds on to win the Presidency. Hear both candidates speak to their supporters and hear President Lyndon Johnson console the Humphrey's just moments after Vice President Humphrey concedes the race. Then we listen in as President Johnson puts to use all his skills to persuade Senator Everett Dirksen and President - Elect Richard Nixon to work on making the Paris Peace talks happen. It is in these calls, and in another to Florida Senator George Smathers, that we hear what Johnson really thinks about who has been meddling in the attempts to bring the South Vietnamese to the table. It is the Un-smoking gun that sinks the Chennault Affair as being an act of treason committed by Richard Nixon, if you really care about truth that is.  You will also hear a promise from Richard Nixon to Lyndon Johnson the we will see Richard Nixon live up to throughout the next four years, at his own political detriment. It is a fascinating end to a fascinating year of massive UPHEAVAL in our country, the United States of America. 

Not since the Civil War had America been this divided. The decisions to both go to war in Vietnam and to pass several Civil Rights Bills that changed how America interacted socially led to an explosive Presidential Election year.  Never had their been a campaign with more extreme lows as this one had. First came a major offensive by the enemy in Vietnam during the Vietnamese New Year known as Tet. The offensive was actually a military failure but you would never convince anyone of that in the United States. It led to an upstart Senator from the State of Minnesota named Eugene McCarthy to challenge his own party's President in the New Hampshire Primary. He nearly won capturing over 40% of the vote. That brought in the younger brother of the slain former President, the former Attorney General turned New York Senator, Robert F. Kennedy into the race for President.  Over on the Republican's side, several Governors, George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller and even the new California Governor Ronald Reagan saddled up to run against Lyndon Johnson, but on that side of the aisle there was one clear front runner, Vice President Richard Nixon. Just six years before, in 1962, Nixon had lost a bid for the California Governorship and appeared totally washed up in politics. He had appeared to be a loser. But after the Republican's nominated an extremist candidate for President in 1964, Senator Barry Goldwater, many Republicans had abandoned the party and voted for President Lyndon Johnson in an unprecedented landslide election. Richard Nixon had not. He stayed loyal and worked harder for Goldwater than Goldwater did.  He then went out and campaigned all over the country for Republicans in the 1966 mid terms. Now Nixon was back, rested and ready, with a platform he had developed over many years in the wilderness and he, like all the democrats in the race, set dead aim on Lyndon Johnson, but LBJ had a surprise for them and when he bowed out it turned the entire election upside down. Sadly, just a few days later the Civil Rights Leader  who had led a movement of nonviolence and helped change the country for the better, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. It set the country on fire, and was just the first of many tragedies that 1968 would see happen. Relive this period of tumult in this first episode examining the critical year of Upheaval that was 1968. 

He was known as the Wizard of Ooze, a disheveled, elderly man with a distinctive voice and a great sense of humor and a thoughtful, cautious style.  He was the leader of the Republican Minority in the United States Senate. He often had only 36 members in his caucus. But that was often enough votes to break a filibuster and deliver enough votes to pass major legislation that would not happen with the majority party divided. Senator Everett Dirksen was a powerful figure in the country in the 1950's and 1960's. He was a man that John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson both depended on,  especially in the area of civil rights. Everett Dirksen worked with Lyndon Johnson to make sure it happened three times and when the 1965 Civil Rights act was passed, Senator Everett Dirksen, the Republican Leader, got the first pen. In this special edition of "Bridging the Political Gap" we honor this extraordinary man who often is forgotten in the story telling of the effort to pass civil rights.  Here we get to know him,  enjoy his Grammy winning version of the Pledge of Allegiance, and his tour through the U.S. Capital with ABC News anchorman Howard K. Smith and  even his guest appearance on "What's My Line?",  

If President Lyndon B. Johnson has a real claim to greatness it is for his work to pass the Voter's Rights Act of 1965.  It was the act that guaranteed every citizen in this country the right to vote. It came after a horrifying Sunday in the Alabama town of Selma. It was there that a contingent of Alabama State Troopers attacked a group of protesters as they marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The entire country watched it all on television, including the President.Lyndon Johnson had just passed a Civil Rights Act in 1964 that had guaranteed access to all Americans to public places. But that Act did nothing about laws and restrictions all over the country that were used to prevent African Americans from voting and registering to vote. Johnson knew that something had to be done and it could wait no longer. It had been a century since President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation and won a war to insure African Americans their freedom in America. During the century that had followed a  period of racist, shameful segregation had been allowed to exist unchallenged through out the land.Lyndon Johnson knew that his chance to gain a permanent place of greatness in our nation's history would be "to finish what Lincoln began." Here listen in as he works with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,  Senator Everett Douglas, and many others to get the 1965 act passed and to insure the safety of thousands of protesters in Alabama as they marched to secure their rights as Americans. Listen in as he pressures the Alabama Governor, George C. Wallace (no relation) into securing the safety of the marchers. It is truly a historic moment in the history of our country and thanks to President Johnson's taping system and the gift of audio recording we can listen in as it all unfolds. 

As the late Sen. Everett Dirksen used to say “A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talking real money.” Well flash forward 50 years and we're talking trillions.

Two old friends from when one was a brand new Congressman and the other a congressional elevator operator. But fate would land one in the White House through assassination, and it would coincide with the culmination of 100 years of struggle for civil rights in America. Lyndon Johnson would make it his priority to "finish what Lincoln began" but to do it he would have to turn to an old friend, from a different political party, another man like Lincoln, from Illinois, Everett Dirksen , the Republican Leader, to get it done. Here watch them horse-trade and maneuver past a maze of obstacles to get the 1964 Civil Right's Act and the 1965 Voter's Rights Act passed, two of the most important pieces of legislation in all of American History.  

Omar Moore on night two of the Republican National Convention, and why a 1968 phone call between LBJ and Everett Dirksen ties in to Donald Trump. August 26, 2020. Omar's voter education videos: Facebook: http://bit.ly/3aovXvD Instagram: http://bit.ly/3am65Ay YouTube: http://bit.ly/3alt4vN Omar's film review of “Da 5 Bloods” (bit.ly/37nliju). MOORE THOUGHTS: moore.substack.com. Moore On Medium: medium.com/@omooresf The Politicrat YouTube page: bit.ly/3bfWk6V The Politicrat Facebook page: bit.ly/3bU1O7c The Politicrat blog: politicrat.politics.blog PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to this to this podcast! Follow/tweet Omar at: http://twitter.com/thepopcornreel

In this episode I am joined by fellow B|O|S Principal Dave Campbell to tackle four questions about deficits. First, what are deficits? Second, what's B|O|S’ opinion, do deficits even matter? Third, why do deficits matter to investors? Fourth and finally, what are we doing about it at B|O|S?Show Notes:Important Disclosures: bosinvest.com/disclosures.The following links are included in the transcript below and provide context to aspects of the episode’s conversation.“Federal Reserve should embrace more pain for good of the economy”, San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed, Dave Campbell, Dec. 16, 2017.“Trust”, Dave Campbell, May 22, 2018.“Do Deficits Matter?”, Dave Campbell, November 11, 2019.“The Federal Budget in 2019: An Infographic”, Congressional Budget Office, April 15, 2020.“Federal Debt: A Primer”, Congressional Budget Office, March 12, 2020.“America's Fiscal Future: Federal Debt”, U.S. Government Accountability Office.“The 2020 OASDI Trustees Report”, Social Security Administration, April 22, 2020.“2019 Medicare Trustees Report”, April 22, 2019.“State and Local Government Pension Funding Status, 2002 – 2017”, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, December 20, 2019.Everett Dirksen, “A billion dollars here…”, Forbes.“Historical Debt Outstanding - Annual 2000 – 2019”, Treasury Direct.“Velocity of M2 Money Stock”, Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Economic Research.“About the Fed”, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.“United States Fed Funds Rate 1971-2020 Data | 2021-2022 Forecast”, Trading Economics.“Powell Has Become the Fed’s Dr. Feelgood”, James Grant, Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2020.“A Decade of Debt”, Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff, National Bureau Of Economic Research, February 2011.“Japan General Government Gross Debt to GDP 1980-2019 Data | 2020-2022 Forecast”, Trading Economics.Tax Cuts and Jobs Act bill summary, U.S Congress.“There Are No Libertarians in an Epidemic”, Peter Nicholas, The Atlantic, March 10, 2020.“Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey”, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bill Cameron celebrates 50 years in broadcasting! This week on Connected To Chicago features real Chicago tax payers giving advice to Mayor Lightfoot in a Townhall style press conference. Lightfoot answers questions on a multitude of city issues. In this week's round table segment, John Dempsey is joined by Ray Long of The Chicago Tribune,Heather Cherone, editor of The Daily Line, Lynn Sweet and Fran Spielman of The Chicago Sun-Times. The discussion opens up with an analysis of Mayor Lightfoot’s budget shortfall. What are some of the ways to achieve a balanced budget? The conversation shifts to national politics, and the 2020 election. Will Joe Biden get the nominee for president to run in 2020? It’s been 50 years since Everett Dirksen passed away. His legacy and importance is remembered on this week’s show. This week’s Community Spotlight is with Nick Gale. This week's segment takes a look at the recent annual training summit that the Illinois Emergency Management Agency held in Springfield. The featured speaker was Aurora Deputy Chief Keefe Jackson who talked about the mass shooting at the Henry Pratt Company and what the department learned from it. Mike Chamness, chair of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, also talks about recent action Gov. J.B. Pritzker took with regards to two bills that focus on mental health and school safety.

Donald Trump has been criticized for his history of unsympathetic, ambiguous, and openly racist remarks. They may have reached fever pitch after he failed to condemn white supremacy in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, but perhaps no remark of Trump’s is more telling than his campaign pitch to Black Americans: “What the hell do you have to lose?” Bestselling author, political analyst, and civil rights expert Juan Williams took Town Hall’s stage to offer his take on just what Black Americans have to lose, and how Trump is threatening to take it away. Williams cited observations from his book What the Hell Do You Have to Lose?: Trump’s War on Civil Rights, delivering a forceful critique of the Trump administration’s unprecedented rollback of key progressive programs and policies from the civil rights movement. He dove into the 1964 Civil Rights Act and told the lesser-known and forgotten stories of heroes like Bob Moses, A. Philip Randolph, and Everett Dirksen, who fought for voting rights, integration of public schools and spaces, and more. Join Williams for a history lesson about essential figures from the civil rights movement—contrasted with the Trump administration’s policies and intentions for America. Recorded live at University Lutheran Church by Town Hall Seattle on Saturday, September 29, 2018. 

Connie Morella on becoming a Republican ~ "Mac was running for office and he had very stiff competition. He was a Republican. I had to cross-over and become a Republican to vote for him in a primary. I did, and I thought, I think I'll go back. Then, I looked at what was happening in our Country. I saw Jacob Javits, Clifford Case, Everett Dirksen. I saw all of these great men who brought both sides together who were Republicans. Who believed in fiscal responsibility, but also believed in liberal rights, rights for people. I stayed a Republican. I became the Moderate Republican, which then gradually became an endangered species, and now it is almost extinct." Connie Morella (right) and Andy Ockershausen (left) in studio interview A Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen, and this is Our Town. We have such a delightful, delightful friend and one of the great women of my lifetime. In spite, my wife is right up there too. She's made such an impact on Our Town. So many ways in a national local level. She served in, The United States Congress representing the 8th Congressional District, of Maryland, as a Republican. That will never happen again. She's a mother to 9 children, a teacher, and an advocate for human rights, women's health, and domestic violence issues. Did she stop after Congress? No way. She was just beginning, and she's here today to tell us about what she's been up to besides Ambassador of France. She's had a wonderful, wonderful career after Congress, and that's Connie Morella. Connie Morella: Thank you very much Andy O. Your very lavish introduction reminded me of something attributed to May West if you can remember that name from the old, old ... When she said, "Too much of a good thing, can be downright enjoyable." A Ockershausen: Oh my God. May West, come up and see me sometime. I remember all those sayings. I think Ken might be too young. Ken's our technical director. Ken Hunter: No, I remember May West. Oh yes. Somerville, Massachusetts | Grammar School through High School A Ockershausen: Connie, you have had such a remarkable impact on Our Town. In addition to your work in Congress, but it's so many things. You are from Somerville, Massachusetts. It's a long way from Washington, but maybe it isn't. Maybe it was great. You went to school ... You went to grammar school in Somerville? Connie Morella: I did indeed, and high school. A Ockershausen: Catholic school? Connie Morella: No. Public school. On Boston University A Ockershausen: Wow. You went to BU, that's not Catholic either. Connie Morella: Yeah, right. A Ockershausen: Is that a city school, or is that part of U Mass? Connie Morella: No, no, that's a private school. A Ockershausen: Private school? Connie Morella: Boston University. A Ockershausen: It's not connected with any religious order? Connie Morella: You know, it's like so many of these major universities, have some kind of a connection. Sometimes very remote. There is a remote connection with Methodists. Just like American University. It's Methodist . . . A Ockershausen: They're actually common usually. Connie Morella: Exactly. Boston University is in that ... A Ockershausen: A very, very independent school. Connie Morella: Right. A Ockershausen: You learned a lot, and learned to be very independent. How did you learn ... Did you learn growing up to be a Republican, or did that evolve? Connie Morella: No. In Somerville, Boston, Massachusetts, you're not a republican. I grew up in a Democratic household. I was Democrat when we married and came to Washington DC, and then moved into Maryland. What happened? My epiphany came when Charles "Mac" Mathias, who was the Senator ... A Ockershausen: I knew Mac very well. From a Democrat to Republican Connie Morella: Yes. Mac was running for office and he had very stiff competition. He was a Republican. I had to cross-over and become a Republican to vote for him in a primary. I did, and I thought,

Our 5th, and final, installment of our examination of the history behind the phrase "Constitutional Convention", as it has been, and continues to be, applied to describe the Constitution's Article V State authorized amending mode, a "convention for proposing amendments". Last week we discussed the 1960's campaign, led by Senator Everett Dirksen, to promote an amending convention focused on overturning the apportionment rulings of an activist Supreme Court, and the responses from the likes of Senators Joseph Tydings, Robert Kennedy, William Proxmire, and Jacob Javits.  This final look at the fruits of the disinformation campaign will pick up with the influence of Senator Robert Kennedy and his political clout, the continuing presence of Yale Law Professor Charles Black, and culminating in the opposition successfully rebranding the phrase "convention to propose amendments" into the politically charged phrase "Constitutional Convention", as a means to counteract the Balanced Budget Amendment movement of the late 1970's/early 1980's. How has the prominence of the phrase affected the view of Article V? We'll spend a little bit of time with Convention of States news first.  And save some time for phone calls. "That Provident Article" is hosted by Convention of States Texas volunteer Paul Hodson, with the Convention of States since late 2013, a District Captain in Texas from February 2014 through November 2015, and now serving as Co-Director for the Convention of States Texas.

Remember when Mike Pesca gargled Pond’s cold cream on The Gist? That gargle honored the master orator and Republican Sen. Everett Dirksen, who collaborated with a Democrat, Lyndon B. Johnson, to pass major civil rights legislation. Today, Todd Purdum tells the story of the Senate minority leader who liked to give news conferences in the lotus position. He’s the author of An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties, and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For the Spiel, Angelina Jolie is brave. Don’t forget the #NotAMovie Challenge! From now until April 6, tweet titles of imaginary movies to @slategist using the hashtag #NotAMovie. Today’s sponsor: Automatic, the connected car adapter that pairs your car to your smartphone. Save 20 percent with free shipping and a 45-day return policy when you go to automatic.com/gist Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://www.slate.com/gistplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a legal revolution with far-reaching cultural, political, and economic import. But as J. Douglas Smith argues in On Democracy's Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought “One Person, One Vote” to the United States (Hill and Wang, 2014),the early 1960s witnessed a comparable sea change in voting law that deserves far more attention. Indeed, when journalists asked Earl Warren what he regarded as the Supreme Court's most important accomplishment under his tenure, the Chief Justice — who oversaw a series of landmark cases, from Brown to Miranda –– did not hesitate to answer: Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims. Few Americans today could identify and explain what these rulings did. But as Smith explains, they represented a dramatic break with a long-reigning electoral system that now feels almost unimaginable. America is exceptional among modern democracies for elevating the idea of unequal representation to a theory of”checks and balances;” the Senate being the most obvious example (California, with more people than the twenty-one least-populous states combined, has as tiny a fraction of the power in Congress). Yet the situation was far worse before the Court's forgotten revolution, with state legislatures across the country effectively disfranchising voters on a mass scale. Los Angeles County, with more than 6 million residents in 1960, had just one state senator. Three nearby counties, with less than 15,000 voters, each had the same. Many have argued that these facts have been inconsequential to U.S. political history, a very counterintuitive notion if so. But the early twentieth century politicians who relied on the inflation of rural and small-town districts — some of whom numbered among the most powerful arbiters of legislation and debate in Washington — certainly did not share this view. In reaction to the Court's decisions, Everett Dirksen, the Republican Minority Leader in the legendary 89th Congress, hired the consulting firm Whitaker and Baxter, widely thought to have pioneered modern campaigning, to repeal or roll back the rulings. Dozens of states lined up, with enormous funding from the nation's biggest corporations. The group even considered a Constitutional Convention, what would have been the first since 1789. Those efforts failed. But in the wake of this half-realized democratization, legislatures underwent dramatic political change. Notably, they also turned to gerrymandering and increasing reliance on the filibuster. Dubbed by the Washington Post one of the notable works of the year, Smith's book is well worth your read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a legal revolution with far-reaching cultural, political, and economic import. But as J. Douglas Smith argues in On Democracy’s Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought “One Person, One Vote” to the United States (Hill and Wang, 2014),the early 1960s witnessed a comparable sea change in voting law that deserves far more attention. Indeed, when journalists asked Earl Warren what he regarded as the Supreme Court’s most important accomplishment under his tenure, the Chief Justice — who oversaw a series of landmark cases, from Brown to Miranda –– did not hesitate to answer: Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims. Few Americans today could identify and explain what these rulings did. But as Smith explains, they represented a dramatic break with a long-reigning electoral system that now feels almost unimaginable. America is exceptional among modern democracies for elevating the idea of unequal representation to a theory of”checks and balances;” the Senate being the most obvious example (California, with more people than the twenty-one least-populous states combined, has as tiny a fraction of the power in Congress). Yet the situation was far worse before the Court’s forgotten revolution, with state legislatures across the country effectively disfranchising voters on a mass scale. Los Angeles County, with more than 6 million residents in 1960, had just one state senator. Three nearby counties, with less than 15,000 voters, each had the same. Many have argued that these facts have been inconsequential to U.S. political history, a very counterintuitive notion if so. But the early twentieth century politicians who relied on the inflation of rural and small-town districts — some of whom numbered among the most powerful arbiters of legislation and debate in Washington — certainly did not share this view. In reaction to the Court’s decisions, Everett Dirksen, the Republican Minority Leader in the legendary 89th Congress, hired the consulting firm Whitaker and Baxter, widely thought to have pioneered modern campaigning, to repeal or roll back the rulings. Dozens of states lined up, with enormous funding from the nation’s biggest corporations. The group even considered a Constitutional Convention, what would have been the first since 1789. Those efforts failed. But in the wake of this half-realized democratization, legislatures underwent dramatic political change. Notably, they also turned to gerrymandering and increasing reliance on the filibuster. Dubbed by the Washington Post one of the notable works of the year, Smith’s book is well worth your read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a legal revolution with far-reaching cultural, political, and economic import. But as J. Douglas Smith argues in On Democracy’s Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought “One Person, One Vote” to the United States (Hill and Wang, 2014),the early 1960s witnessed a comparable sea change in voting law that deserves far more attention. Indeed, when journalists asked Earl Warren what he regarded as the Supreme Court’s most important accomplishment under his tenure, the Chief Justice — who oversaw a series of landmark cases, from Brown to Miranda –– did not hesitate to answer: Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims. Few Americans today could identify and explain what these rulings did. But as Smith explains, they represented a dramatic break with a long-reigning electoral system that now feels almost unimaginable. America is exceptional among modern democracies for elevating the idea of unequal representation to a theory of”checks and balances;” the Senate being the most obvious example (California, with more people than the twenty-one least-populous states combined, has as tiny a fraction of the power in Congress). Yet the situation was far worse before the Court’s forgotten revolution, with state legislatures across the country effectively disfranchising voters on a mass scale. Los Angeles County, with more than 6 million residents in 1960, had just one state senator. Three nearby counties, with less than 15,000 voters, each had the same. Many have argued that these facts have been inconsequential to U.S. political history, a very counterintuitive notion if so. But the early twentieth century politicians who relied on the inflation of rural and small-town districts — some of whom numbered among the most powerful arbiters of legislation and debate in Washington — certainly did not share this view. In reaction to the Court’s decisions, Everett Dirksen, the Republican Minority Leader in the legendary 89th Congress, hired the consulting firm Whitaker and Baxter, widely thought to have pioneered modern campaigning, to repeal or roll back the rulings. Dozens of states lined up, with enormous funding from the nation’s biggest corporations. The group even considered a Constitutional Convention, what would have been the first since 1789. Those efforts failed. But in the wake of this half-realized democratization, legislatures underwent dramatic political change. Notably, they also turned to gerrymandering and increasing reliance on the filibuster. Dubbed by the Washington Post one of the notable works of the year, Smith’s book is well worth your read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a legal revolution with far-reaching cultural, political, and economic import. But as J. Douglas Smith argues in On Democracy’s Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought “One Person, One Vote” to the United States (Hill and Wang, 2014),the early 1960s witnessed a comparable sea change in voting law that deserves far more attention. Indeed, when journalists asked Earl Warren what he regarded as the Supreme Court’s most important accomplishment under his tenure, the Chief Justice — who oversaw a series of landmark cases, from Brown to Miranda –– did not hesitate to answer: Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims. Few Americans today could identify and explain what these rulings did. But as Smith explains, they represented a dramatic break with a long-reigning electoral system that now feels almost unimaginable. America is exceptional among modern democracies for elevating the idea of unequal representation to a theory of”checks and balances;” the Senate being the most obvious example (California, with more people than the twenty-one least-populous states combined, has as tiny a fraction of the power in Congress). Yet the situation was far worse before the Court’s forgotten revolution, with state legislatures across the country effectively disfranchising voters on a mass scale. Los Angeles County, with more than 6 million residents in 1960, had just one state senator. Three nearby counties, with less than 15,000 voters, each had the same. Many have argued that these facts have been inconsequential to U.S. political history, a very counterintuitive notion if so. But the early twentieth century politicians who relied on the inflation of rural and small-town districts — some of whom numbered among the most powerful arbiters of legislation and debate in Washington — certainly did not share this view. In reaction to the Court’s decisions, Everett Dirksen, the Republican Minority Leader in the legendary 89th Congress, hired the consulting firm Whitaker and Baxter, widely thought to have pioneered modern campaigning, to repeal or roll back the rulings. Dozens of states lined up, with enormous funding from the nation’s biggest corporations. The group even considered a Constitutional Convention, what would have been the first since 1789. Those efforts failed. But in the wake of this half-realized democratization, legislatures underwent dramatic political change. Notably, they also turned to gerrymandering and increasing reliance on the filibuster. Dubbed by the Washington Post one of the notable works of the year, Smith’s book is well worth your read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a legal revolution with far-reaching cultural, political, and economic import. But as J. Douglas Smith argues in On Democracy’s Doorstep: The Inside Story of How the Supreme Court Brought “One Person, One Vote” to the United States (Hill and Wang, 2014),the early 1960s witnessed a comparable sea change in voting law that deserves far more attention. Indeed, when journalists asked Earl Warren what he regarded as the Supreme Court’s most important accomplishment under his tenure, the Chief Justice — who oversaw a series of landmark cases, from Brown to Miranda –– did not hesitate to answer: Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims. Few Americans today could identify and explain what these rulings did. But as Smith explains, they represented a dramatic break with a long-reigning electoral system that now feels almost unimaginable. America is exceptional among modern democracies for elevating the idea of unequal representation to a theory of”checks and balances;” the Senate being the most obvious example (California, with more people than the twenty-one least-populous states combined, has as tiny a fraction of the power in Congress). Yet the situation was far worse before the Court’s forgotten revolution, with state legislatures across the country effectively disfranchising voters on a mass scale. Los Angeles County, with more than 6 million residents in 1960, had just one state senator. Three nearby counties, with less than 15,000 voters, each had the same. Many have argued that these facts have been inconsequential to U.S. political history, a very counterintuitive notion if so. But the early twentieth century politicians who relied on the inflation of rural and small-town districts — some of whom numbered among the most powerful arbiters of legislation and debate in Washington — certainly did not share this view. In reaction to the Court’s decisions, Everett Dirksen, the Republican Minority Leader in the legendary 89th Congress, hired the consulting firm Whitaker and Baxter, widely thought to have pioneered modern campaigning, to repeal or roll back the rulings. Dozens of states lined up, with enormous funding from the nation’s biggest corporations. The group even considered a Constitutional Convention, what would have been the first since 1789. Those efforts failed. But in the wake of this half-realized democratization, legislatures underwent dramatic political change. Notably, they also turned to gerrymandering and increasing reliance on the filibuster. Dubbed by the Washington Post one of the notable works of the year, Smith’s book is well worth your read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices