Nothing represents the sad passage from postwar idealism to a culture of political cynicism and chicanery like a newly elected Richard Nixon smugly informing his White House predecessor, "What America wants, Mr. President, is honest government." That sour closing note carries echoes from 1968 to the present ethical vacuum a half-century later, when Washington, D.C., is now swampier than ever.
Like the previous installment, Schenkkan's new documentary drama premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival under the brisk direction of Bill Rauch, capably corralling the large gallery of famous figures and conducting the eventful four-year recap of political and social history. It's more enlightening watching Johnson work his unique mix of rough-edged Texan charm and strong-arm tactics to get his programs past reluctant opponents, often by cornering them in front of the press. His masterful manipulation of AMA president James Z. Appel into declaring his support for Medicare while announcing a network of volunteer-staffed free clinics in Vietnam is hilarious, leaving the doctor both helpless and speechless.
With racially motivated violence and rioting breaking out across the country, divisions within the Civil Rights movement fester, as King's nonviolent advocacy clashes with the Black Power agitation of Stokely Carmichael and others. Growing unrest at home also makes the continued pouring of billions of tax dollars into the Vietnam War increasingly unpopular.
ROBERTSCHENKKAN GreatSocietyBwy tough play and LBJ is probably one of the hardest parts ever written