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How Did Lyndon Johnson Take Control of the Senate? · Dwarkesh Podcast

Dwarkesh Podcast

What I learned about power from LBJ and Robert Moses

I recently got to interview Robert Caro, who is my favorite author of all time. This gave me the excuse to reread his biographies of Lyndon Johnson and Robert Moses, and to compile my prep notes into this video essay. These guys pulled off some truly incredible schemes. Thanks to Max Farrens , who paired with me in writing the script for this video essay…

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Notes

  1. How Did Robert Moses Get Power Without Being Elected? at 2:01

    Dwarkesh Patel argues, drawing on Robert Caro's The Power Broker, that Robert Moses got power without winning an election by writing the laws that governed… Full answer

  2. Why Couldn't Mayors Fire Robert Moses? at 7:25

    Dwarkesh Patel says, drawing on Robert Caro's The Power Broker, that mayors and governors could not fire Robert Moses. Full answer

  3. Did Lyndon Johnson Support Civil Rights Before He Was President? at 14:42

    Dwarkesh Patel says no. Full answer

  4. How Did Lyndon Johnson Take Control of the Senate? at 16:13

    Dwarkesh Patel argues, drawing on Robert Caro's Master of the Senate, that Lyndon Johnson took control of the Senate by turning a job almost nobody wanted… Full answer

  5. How Did Lyndon Johnson Pass a Civil Rights Law? at 21:51

    Dwarkesh Patel says Lyndon Johnson passed a civil rights law by spending seven months on a deal that gave unrelated factions something each of them wanted. Full answer

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