Would Kennedy have passed Johnson's civil rights laws if Johnson stayed in the Senate, per Robert Caro?

No, says Robert Caro. Asked whether a Kennedy presidency with Johnson still running the Senate would have produced the same 1960s laws, Caro said Kennedy was charming, a good president and stronger on foreign policy, but lacked Johnson's overriding desire to change America. Caro credits that drive, rooted in Johnson's time teaching poor children, for the civil rights and anti-poverty laws, and calls Vietnam the tragedy that ruined the presidency.

• Caro declined to explain why Johnson kept escalating in Vietnam, saying he is still working that out for his current book.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Dwarkesh Podcast (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

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