专八人文知识需知美国名人--林登.贝恩斯.约翰逊

专八人文知识需知的美国名人--林登.贝恩斯.约翰逊

　　英语专八人文知识涵盖的知识面较广，考生们需要平时多积累小常识，这样在专八考试中才能游刃有余，新东方在线整理了专八人文知识需知的美国名人系列知识点供考生们参考。

　　林登·贝恩斯·约翰逊(LyndonBainesJohnson)是美国第36任总统。他于1908年8月27日生于德克萨斯州中部草原。约翰逊家族曾参与了约翰逊城的建设。约翰逊在任时提出了与"新政"、“公平施政”、“新边疆”一脉相承的改革计划。主要功绩：通过老年保健医疗制度、医疗补助制度、民权法和选举权法。同时，他让美国积极介入越南战争，随着战争的拖延，约翰逊总统的声望持续下降。即使其外交政策的失败，但是因为他的国内政策成绩斐然，约翰逊在一些史学家对历届总统的评价中依然获得高排名。

　　Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, servedas the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969 after his service as the 37th VicePresident of the United States from 1961 to 1963. He served in all four federal elected offices of theUnited States: Representative, Senator, Vice President, and President.

　　Johnson, a Democrat, served as a United States Representative from Texas, from 1937–1949 andas United States Senator from 1949–1961, including six years as United States Senate MajorityLeader, two as Senate Minority Leader and two as Senate Majority Whip. After campaigningunsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 1960, Johnson was asked by John F. Kennedy tobe his running mate for the 1960 presidential election.

　　Johnson succeeded to the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,completed Kennedy's term and was elected President in his own right, winning by a large margin inthe 1964 Presidential election. Johnson was greatly supported by the Democratic Party and, asPresident, was responsible for designing the "Great Society" legislation that included laws thatupheld civil rights, Public Broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection, aid toeducation, and his "War on Poverty." He was renowned for his domineering personality and the"Johnson treatment," his arm twisting of powerful politicians in order to advance legislation.

　　Simultaneously, he greatly escalated direct American involvement in the Vietnam War. As the wardragged on, Johnson's popularity as President steadily declined. After the 1966 mid-termCongressional elections, his re-election bid in the 1968 United States presidential election collapsedas a result of turmoil within the Democratic Party related to opposition to the Vietnam War. Hewithdrew from the race amid growing opposition to his policy on the Vietnam War and a worse-than-expected showing in the New Hampshire primary.

　　Despite the failures of his foreign policy, Johnson is ranked favorably among some historians due tohis domestic policies.

　　Early political career

　　Johnson briefly taught public speaking and debate in a Houston high school, then entered politics.Johnson's father had served five terms in the Texas legislature and was a close friend of one ofTexas's rising political figures, Congressman Sam Rayburn. In 1930, Johnson campaigned forTexas State Senator Welly Hopkins in his run for Congress. Hopkins recommended him toCongressman Richard M. Kleberg, who appointed Johnson as Kleberg's legislative secretary.Johnson was elected speaker of the "Little Congress," a group of Congressional aides, where hecultivated Congressmen, newspapermen and lobbyists. Johnson's friends soon included aides toPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as fellow Texans such as Vice President John Nance Garner.He became a surrogate son to Sam Rayburn.

　　Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor (already nicknamed "Lady Bird") of Karnack, Texas onNovember 17, 1934 after having attended Georgetown University Law School for several months.They had two daughters, Lynda Bird, born in 1944, and Luci Baines, born in 1947. Johnsonenjoyed giving people and animals his own initials[citation needed]; his daughters' given names areexamples, as was his dog, Little Beagle Johnson.

　　In 1935, he was appointed head of the Texas National Youth

　　Administration, which enabled him to use the government to create education and jobopportunities for young people. He resigned two years later to run for Congress. Johnson, anotoriously tough boss throughout his career, often demanded long workdays and work onweekends.

　　He was described by friends, fellow politicians, and historians as motivated throughout his life by anexceptional lust for power and control. As Johnson's biographer Robert Caro observes, "Johnson'sambition was uncommon—in the degree to which it was unencumbered by even the slightestexcess weight of ideology, of philosophy, of principles, of beliefs."

　　Senate years

　　1948 contested election

　　In 1948, Johnson again ran for the Senate and won. This election was highly controversial: athree-way Democratic Party primary saw Johnson facing a well-known former governor, CokeStevenson; and a third candidate. Johnson drew crowds to fairgrounds with his rented helicopterdubbed "The Johnson City Windmill". He raised money to flood the state with campaign circulars,and won over conservatives by voting for the Taft-Hartley act (curbing union power) as well as bycriticizing unions himself.

　　Stevenson came in first, but lacked a majority, so a runoff was held. Johnson campaigned evenharder this time around, while Stevenson's efforts were surprisingly poor. As the two candidatessee-sawed for the lead, the runoff count took a week. The Democratic State Central Committee(not the state, because the matter was a party primary) handled the count, and it finallyannounced that Johnson had won by 87 votes. By a majority of one member (29-28) thecommittee voted to certify Johnson's nomination, with the last vote cast on Johnson's behalf byTemple (Texas) publisher Frank W. Mayborn, who rushed back to Texas from a business trip inNashville.

　　There were many allegations of fraud on both sides. Thus, one writer alleges that Johnson'scampaign manager, future Texas governor John B. Connally, was connected with 202 ballots inPrecinct 13 in Jim Wells County that had curiously been cast in alphabetical order and all just at theclose of polling. (All of the people whose names appeared on the ballots were found to have beendead on election day.) Robert Caro argued in his 1989 book that Johnson had stolen the electionin Jim Wells County, and other counties in South Texas, as well as rigging 10,000 ballots in BexarCounty alone. A judge, Luis Salas, said in 1977 that he had certified 202 fraudulent ballots forJohnson.

　　The state Democratic convention upheld Johnson. Stevenson went to court, but — with timelyhelp from his friend Abe Fortas — Johnson prevailed. Johnson was elected senator in November,and went to Washington, D.C. tagged with the ironic label "Landslide Lyndon," which he oftenused deprecatingly to refer to himself.

　　Freshman senator

　　Once in the Senate, Johnson was known among his colleagues for his highly successful"courtships" of older senators, especially Senator Richard Russell, patrician leader of theConservative coalition and arguably the most powerful man in the Senate. Johnson proceeded togain Russell's favor in the same way that he had "courted" Speaker Sam Rayburn and gained hiscrucial support in the House.

　　Johnson was appointed to the Senate Armed Services Committee, and later in 1950, he helpedcreate the Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee. Johnson became its chairman andconducted investigations of defense costs and efficiency. These investigations tended to dig outold forgotten investigations and demand actions that were already being taken by the TrumanAdministration, although it can be said that the committee's investigations caused the changes.However, Johnson's brilliant handling of the press, the efficiency with which his committee issuednew reports, and the fact that he ensured every report was endorsed unanimously by thecommittee all brought him headlines and national attention.

　　Johnson used his political influence in the Senate to receive broadcast licenses from the FederalCommunications Commission in his wife's name.

　　In 1951, Johnson was chosen as Senate Majority Whip under a new Majority Leader, ErnestMcFarland of Arizona, and served from 1951 to 1953

　　Senate Democratic leader

　　Senate Desk X, used by all Democratic leaders, including Johnson, since Joseph Taylor RobinsonInthe 1952 general election Republicans won a majority in both House and Senate. Among defeatedDemocrats that year was McFarland, who lost to then-little-known Barry Goldwater, Johnson'sfuture presidential opponent.

　　In January 1953, Johnson was chosen by his fellow Democrats to be the minority leader. Thus, hebecame the least senior Senator ever elected to this position, and one of the least senior partyleaders in the history of the Senate. The whip is usually first in line to replace party leader (e.g.,most recently whip Harry Reid became Senate Minority Leader after Tom Daschle's defeat).

　　One of his first actions was to eliminate the seniority system in appointment to a committee, whileretaining it in terms of chairmanships. In the 1954 election, Johnson was re-elected to the Senate,and since the Democrats won the majority in the Senate, Johnson became majority leader.Former majority leader, William Knowland was elected minority leader. Johnson's duties were toschedule legislation and help pass measures favored by the Democrats. Johnson, Rayburn andPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower worked smoothly together in passing Eisenhower's domestic andforeign agenda. As Majority Leader, Johnson was responsible for passage of the Civil Rights Act of1957, the first civil rights legislation passed by the Senate since Reconstruction.

　　Johnson gives "The Treatment" to 90-year-old Rhode Island Senator Theodore F. Green in1957Historians Caro and Dallek consider Lyndon Johnson the most effective Senate majorityleader in history. He was unusually proficient at gathering information. One biographer suggests hewas "the greatest intelligence gatherer Washington has ever known", discovering exactly whereevery Senator stood, his philosophy and prejudices, his strengths and weaknesses, and what ittook to break him. Robert Baker claimed that Johnson would occasionally send senators on NATOtrips in order to avoid their dissenting votes. Central to Johnson's control was "The Treatment",described by two journalists:

　　The Treatment could last ten minutes or four hours. It came, enveloping its target, at the JohnsonRanch swimming pool, in one of Johnson's offices, in the Senate cloakroom, on the floor of theSenate itself — wherever Johnson might find a fellow Senator within his reach.

　　Its tone could be supplication, accusation, cajolery, exuberance, scorn, tears, complaint and thehint of threat. It was all of these together. It ran the gamut of human emotions. Its velocity wasbreathtaking, and it was all in one direction. Interjections from the target were rare. Johnsonanticipated them before they could be spoken. He moved in close, his face a scant millimeter fromhis target, his eyes widening and narrowing, his eyebrows rising and falling. From his pocketspoured clippings, memos, statistics. Mimicry, humor, and the genius of analogy made TheTreatment an almost hypnotic experience and rendered the target stunned and helpless.

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