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Friday, November 22, 2013

JFK Changed House Rules So Segregationists Could No Longer Obstruct Legislation


Fifty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas, Texas. But a bit over 52 years ago today, Kennedy changed American politics forever.

When Kennedy entered office, the Senate wasn't the only chamber where a small minority could block the large majority. It could happen in the House, too. The House Rules Committee, which was controlled by arch-segregrationist Howard Smith, could simply refuse to pass a rule on a bill. That kept the bill from going to the floor. It rendered the House a graveyard for civil rights legislation.

One of the most consequential moments in JFK's presidency came when he decided to spend political capital on one of those "process issues" that presidents typically ignore. He partnered with Vice President Lyndon Johnson and Speaker Sam Rayburn to expand the Rules Committee's membership. The battle, a clear proxy for the large civil-rights struggle, was vicious. Rayburn later called it "the worst fight of my life." But it was successful. The Rules Committee was expanded. That expansion made the Civil Rights Act of 1965 -- and much else that passed as part of the Great Society -- possible.

Kennedy's rules change is largely forgotten today. It wasn't even very well known in Kennedy's time. But it changed the face of America. Rules changes often do.

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