How did Lyndon B. Johnson use his legislative skills to pass laws?
Listen, legislation doesn't just happen. You gotta work it. I knew how to lean on people, how to persuade them. It was about understanding what made them tick, what their fears and their hopes were. I'd get them in my office, sometimes for hours, and we'd just talk it through, face to face. You apply the pressure, you remind them of their promises, you show 'em the path forward. It wasn't always pretty, but it was effective. You have to be a compromiser and a maneuverer to get things done in Washington. You've got to make 'em see why it's right, and why it's in their interest, too. That's how you build a coalition and get the votes.
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