How Bills Got Passed: President Lyndon B. Johnson and His Treatment

Former FBI Head James Comey expressed in his testimony to the Senate that the reason he kept notes of his meetings with Donald Trump and circulated them as memos was because he was very uncomfortable being left alone in a room with him. Now, that feeling is more than understandable, but politics aside, it's worth noting that Trump isn't the first man in the White House to intimidate the bejesus out of others. Andrew Jackson might take the prize, seeing that it was well known that prior to his presidency he had killed quite a few people (and as president beat up one would-be assassin), so that certainly was on his visitors' minds. However, the true champion of Scrubs-style tear inducing has to go to President Lyndon B. Johnson. The direct threat of violence was unnecessary for the greatest nightmare to haphephobics ever to take office, and in fact probably made the idea of dying seem like sweet relief to his victims. Johnson wasn't known as the Master of the Senate or able to get Civil Rights and Great Society bills to his desk by being a nice pencil-pusher. He used his God-given size, strength, and drive to make goal-based intimidation an art: The Johnson Treatment. Let's analyze one notable case here:

It should be pretty obvious who Johnson is in this picture. The other one though is Abe Fortas, not only Johnson's own Supreme Court appointee but also a longtime supporter of his. So this is Johnson parodying his own treatment. Still, Fortas doesn't seem to be at his best here. Let's go over the Johnson Treatment in detail:

Two witnesses looking like they just managed to snag tickets to the last gladiator match of the season. Except Fortas is the doomed gladiator and Johnson is the lion about to rip him to shreds. Note the safe distance the men are at, knowing very well they could be next.

Though both men appear to be sharing a laugh, it comes from opposite ends. Johnson is almost certainly roaring with laughter at one of his own jokes, whereas Fortas is laughing the kind of way horror-movie teenagers do between hopelessly concealing their fear at their current situation and getting axed. Note how Johnson is using his height to stare directly into his eyes from above like a fighter jet about to do a strafing run.

I don't know what Fortas is clutching here but he seems to be holding onto it for dear life, like it were a life jacket or a pitiful shield. Note the continuous decline of Fortas's back and how Johnson's abdomen is still parallel to his head and neck, like an industrial crane lowering steel.

I definitely don't think that this detail has to do with this picture, but it's impossible to paint an accurate picture of Johnson, let alone his Treatment without bringing up this aspect of him. I'll let the link do the talking. (PG-13 content ahead)

Finally, my favorite part of this photo. Whereas Johnson's right leg is planted like a Redwood and his left leg is barely leaning forward at all, not only does Fortas's left leg seem like it's trying to nonchalantly escape and leave the rest of his body behind, but his right heel is barely able to balance his falling body. In fact, it appears that if Fortas is forced backward one more inch, he'll just straight-up run away from the White House altogether, which Johnson knows, so instead of crossing the line he just keeps stomping his foot on it.

And this picture is just one aspect of the Johnson Treatment. There were loads of other methods Johnson incorporated into his treatment, whether it was driving his car into his ranch's lake (without letting his passengers know the car doubled as a boat) or making his aides follow him into the bathroom. Remember, however, that like a martial arts master, Johnson did his best to use his Treatment for good. Without it, his Great Society, Medicare, Medicaid, and Civil Rights Acts would likely never have happened. And he did it all without Twitter, for one, and knew exactly what he was doing. Domestically, anyway.