Going back through the seasons of House of Cards, I see a wonderful historical connection between Frank Underwood and the late President Johnson. LBJ was ruthless and had the dirt on everyone very similar to Frank Underwood. Johnson also was known for how he intimidated people, he would get in their face or very literally whip his dick out. Frank at one point is reading LBJ's biography by Robert Caro hinting at the idea that there is a connection between the two; Frank also has a picture of LBJ in his office.
(cmcforum.com)
Both men grow up poor in the South from farming families. While Frank lost his father, LBJ lost the family farm due to the Great Depression. They are both very self-made men and Southern Democrats — Frank from South Carolina and LBJ from Texas. Coming into their own, politically, they both became the Majority Leaders in the House of Representatives.
Then they both get stuck into the position of Vice President and feel absolutely powerless. They have all of this drive and are completely stuck in a position that has very little power. Even though neither of them really ever loved the position of Vice President, they both were very successful. LBJ headed a lot of major projects like nuclear negotiations, the space program, and equal rights legislation for minorities. (Spoilers) They both then move very quickly into the presidency and start doing things which is the most amazing part. Frank Underwood represents a President that gets things done, and Lyndon B. Johnson got things done as President.
Lyndon Baines Johnson started his presidency by pushing through several of JFK's programs and a couple of his own including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (biography.com). Johnson then won his presidential campaign by a landslide in 1965 and then started a war on poverty in the U.S. and communism in South East Asia. Johnson pushed a legislative agenda known as the "Great Society," with bipartisan support, Johnson was able to get many of the bills passed that have helped to shape how our society looks today (biography.com). Unfortunately, Johnson had his presidency tainted by the Vietnam War and that is what many people remember, but he was a great president, politician and, now a TV character as spirit lives on in Frank Underwood.
