Q 1.
Johnson was patient enough not to interrupt his progression to the top job. Even as chief whip, he sought to term the position as a ‘nothing job’ and, consequently, diverting attention away from himself. As a result, he ensured that he did not disturb the press` impression of his role. Johnson choice of handling McFarlane was mainly based on his observation that he was exhibiting a failed congressional leadership ( Caro & 3M Company, 2009 ). He did not want to be involved in any of the ridicule and criticism leveled against McFarlane since that would taint his public image. He also knew that intervening between McFarlane`s exchanges with the press would divert attention towards him. It was expected that Johnson would support McFarlane the majority leader but he had no intention of doing so since he was also eying the position. When McFarlane was questioned by the press, Johnson simply decided to take a back sit and say nothing.
It is also apparent that Johnson deemed it fit to adopt a policy of not antagonizing anybody leading him to be named “Lying down Johnson”. Even when McFarlane asked Johnson to persuade a senator to pass a vote on administrative measure, he simply declined fearing to antagonize parties. While responding to reporters, the only stands he took was on subjects relating to preparedness ( Caro & 3M Company, 2009 ). During the time that Johnson received the nickname, long profiles climaxed in the Newsweek cover ( Caro & 3M Company, 2009 ). Johnson was, therefore, eager to remain relevant and this led him to support the nickname. He needed to take up greater roles than the job of chief whip which the press did not pay any attention to. Besides, Johnson was eager to gain the admiration of the Senate by lending them a hearing ear and responding to their proposed bills and his nickname helped him to earn their trust, thus, the critical need to promote it.
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Q 2.
The source of informational power wielded by Lyndon Johnson was indeed remarkable. He saw a loophole in McFarlane`s inefficiency and deemed it fit to exploit. Lyndon amassed a lot of information and within a short span of time, he was the man that Senators sought to see in the event that they wanted a bill off the Calendar ( Caro & 3M Company, 2009 ). Johnson could also report the amendments that were about to be introduced and also indicate the people who were seeking to vote against them and also those who were in support. Lyndon also turned out to be a useful source for statehouse since they needed to know if a bill they were seeking to have passed on the floor was likely to be voted for ( Caro & 3M Company, 2009 ). Lyndon had learned that the art of predicting the votes of a bill was one of the most useful information arts within the political arena and he was eager to partake in this.
Lyndon Johnson was using money to control the political world and this exhibited part of his expert power. For example, while promoting a congressional campaign, he handed five dollar bills to Mexican-American men seeking to gain a vote for every member of the family they belonged to ( Caro & 3M Company, 2009 ). His application of money in the political campaigns of others was a tactical form of power that led him to consistently gain their support. With time, it got to a point where Lyndon was the man that politicians sought to see in the event that they required financial support for their campaigns. It is also apparent that Lyndon was a great counter. For instance, a Senator would proclaim that they have many votes and he would remark that they are three votes off since some three individuals were going to vote against the bill ( Caro & 3M Company, 2009 ). This form of expert power was second to none, and he, therefore, used his influence to gain popularity and rise through ranks until he occupied the highest office in the country.
Reference
Caro, R. A., & 3M Company. (2009). Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson III . Place of publication not identified: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
