LBJ's own impoverished childhood in rural Texas

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty, Johnson biographer Robert Caro talks on NPR of LBJ's personal motivation to wage and win that war:

His father failed. He once had been a very respected state legislator and businessman, and he totally failed. And as a result, for the rest of his boyhood, Lyndon lived in a home that they were literally afraid every month that the bank might take away. There was often no food in the house, and neighbors had to bring covered dishes with food. In this little town, to be that poor, there were constant moments of humiliation for him, and insecurity. It was a terrible boyhood.