Existing comment:
Legislative Strategy for the Civil Rights Bill
On January 21, 1964, President Johnson met with Clarence Mitchell and Joseph Rauh to discuss legislative strategy. Johnson stated that he opposed any changes to the bill. He made it clear that he did not care if the Senate set aside everything else until the inevitable Southern filibuster was defeated and the bill passed. They all agreed to this no-compromise strategy, believing that any weakening amendment would result in the bill's defeat when it was returned to the House. They also recognized that the support of Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) (1896–1969) was key to securing the minimum twenty-five Republican votes needed to achieve cloture. |