Author: Bobby Baker
tl;dr: “Little Lyndon” and “101st Senator” were some of the nicknames Bobby Baker, one of the most prolific Senate aides in US history would come to be known by. When Johnson first arrived to the northern part of the capitol he recruited the young Baker to work for him. “Mr. Baker, I understand you know where the bodies are buried in the Senate.” he quipped.
The memoir details his meteoric rise and penchant for riches, just like the Senators he served. He used his influence to amass wealth and eventually it caught up to him. Starting in the early 60s Republicans started digging into him, in 1967 he was convicted of bribing Senator Robert Kerr in years past on behalf of the Savings & Loan industry. Lyndon Johnson dropped him like a bad habit.
DC of today, despite its bad rap, is nowhere near as corrupt as DC of the 50s & 60s. Nonetheless its an important read to learn the inter workings of Washington. The book has some wild stories too. He was a total playboy. For example, Baker’s condo was used by a myriad of Senators to solicit prostitutes.
Amazon: Wheeling & Dealing
First published on May 23, 2020