Master of the Senate

While Caro's prior books have focused on Johnson's ascent to power, Master of the Senate is where Johnson's maneuverings have finally begun to pay off. Like a grandmaster before the chessboard, Johnson always seemed to be able to see dozens of moves ahead. His shrewd tactics enabled him to become arguably the most effective senator of the 20th Century.

Key to Johnson's success was his attention to detail and his painstakingly thorough knowledge of all senate procedures. With an extremely intricate and traditional set of norms, the Senate of the United States is one of the most complicated bodies in the world of politics. His knowledge of every rule allowed him to leverage the slightest misstep by the opponents to ram through a rule. A classic example during his fight against the democratic liberals was his maneuver to call a recess to prevent a bill from being presented to the floor. The maneuver was permitted by the unsuspecting liberals, who to their horror came to find out that due to a technicality they would be unable to raise the bill during the rest of the congress.

In addition to a comprehensive understanding of the rules, Johnson maintained a comprehensive understanding of the senators themselves as well. A notoriously accurate vote counter, Johnson always knew which way a senator would vote based on his constituents, lobbyists, and party affiliations. Johnson used this knowledge to devastating affect, even forcing a senator to vote against his constituents and eventually costing the senator his career.

An underemphasized reason for Johnson's success in keeping and maintaining his power throughout his run in the senate was his incredible discretion. Almost never was Johnson the victim of a leak (while he was often the perpetrator). This allowed him to keep his longtime affair secret, as well key alliances such as the deal with the Western Senators to give them Hells Canyon Dam in exchange for support opposing civil rights. It also allowed him to prevent skeletons from appearing such as George Parr or Brown & Root.

These tactics allowed Johnson to rule the Senate with unparralled success during his reign as the top Senate Democrat. Inheriting a moribund and backwater assignment as the party leader, Johnson used his conniving and connections to transform the position from one of minimal importance to the second most powerful position in the country.