lbj

The career of another senator-turned-president offers valuable lessons. Lyndon B. Johnson transformed the ties between the legislative and executive branches. ‘If it’s really going to work,’ LBJ said, ‘the relationship between the president and the Congress has got to be almost incestuous.’

During periods of one-party government, when Democrats controlled both the White House and the Congress, history shows that they have not shifted radically toward a leftward agenda.

Vice presidents don’t matter? Think again. More than 30 percent have gone on to hold the higher office.