Lyndon B. Johnson photo

Remarks in Albee Square, Brooklyn, New York

October 12, 1966

Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Democrats:

I want to thank the next great Governor of New York, a man who follows in the tradition of Al Smith and Franklin Roosevelt, Herbert Lehman and Averell Harriman-the next great Democratic Governor of New York, Frank O'Connor.

I want to thank my friend and one of the greatest Senators in all New York's history, the able junior Senator of New York, Bob Kennedy.

I am happy to be here on the platform with a man who provides the leadership for the great Borough of Brooklyn, your own Borough President, Abe Stark.

Mr. Democrat of Brooklyn, your great Democratic County leader, Stanley Steingut. Your Comptroller, Arthur Levitt, who is going to be reelected by an overwhelming Democratic vote. And your next Attorney General, Frank Sedita.

Now that is what I call a real Democratic ticket that will be elected in a democratic way to work for Democrats.

I am happy to be here in the district of that fighter for educational opportunities for our children, that champion of the handicapped, your great Congressman, Hugh Carey.

I want to thank all of his colleagues in the New York delegation who came here with us today. I understand that I am here at the corner of the district of my old friend John Rooney.

Ladies and gentlemen, we need leaders like this to continue the record of the Congress which has done more good for the American people than any Congress in all our history. Measured by laws that mean something to people in education, in income, in health, in fighting poverty, this 89th Congress has not only done more than any other Congress, it has done more in these fields than all the other Congresses put together.

The 89th Congress averaged better than one major bill for each of the 82 weeks it has been in session.

Can the 90th Congress match that?

The 89th Congress gave us more for health and gave us more for education in America than any other Congress. The 89th Congress gave the Nation's cities new hope by creating a Department of Housing. The 89th Congress did more for low income people, more for college students, more for the elderly, and more for the poor than any other Congress.

I believe it can. I believe we will build our record, if we have a progressive Congress in the 90th Congress. We need a creative Congress. We need an energetic Congress. That means we must have a Democratic Congress.

So I ask you to return all the members of the New York Democratic delegation to the Congress.

I ask you to go to the polls on November 8 and vote for the candidates, the party, and the principles which you believe will bring your family the greatest prosperity.

Vote for the party and the candidates who will challenge this Nation's best ideals in the future. If you vote that way, I believe you will keep America on the march. If you vote that way, I believe both you and I will have happier lives; will have lighter burdens in the years to come.

I believe that if you elect Frank O'Connor and the Democratic State ticket, I believe if you elect Hugh Carey and the Democratic congressional ticket, we will have more jobs at better pay, with better education, with better health, with better social security, with better housing, and with better living conditions for all of our people.

More people have jobs today than ever before. We have the best school legislation we have ever had. So we are just getting started on a program for the 20th century.

Send this Democratic Congress to help us continue it.

Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 4:30 p.m. in Albee Square, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks in Albee Square, Brooklyn, New York Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238251

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