Get It Done: A Conversation with Ben Barnes

The title of LBJ Foundation Vice Chairman and Governor Ben Barnes’ book, Get It Done: Seven Decades of Lessons from a Political Legend, said it all. For more than 60 years, Governor Barnes was a fixture in state and national politics, with a reputation for getting even the hard things done. He joined Mark Updegrove for a conversation about his storied career and his thoughts on the state of Texas and the nation. Following the program, guests joined a reception and book signing. The program was hosted by the LBJ Foundation and the Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin.

About the speaker

Ben Barnes was Speaker of the Texas House at the age of 26, and the youngest Lieutenant Governor in Texas history. He spent the next 70 years serving as a trusted consultant, lobbyist, and power broker. He serves at the CEO and Founder of the Ben Barnes Group.

About the Book

Ben Barnes started out as a whistleblower. He was only nineteen when he uncovered corruption in the Health Department in Austin, Texas, and testified against the culprits. He felt empowered—a guy like him could make a difference. Now at eighty-seven, despite his impressive career, he is trying to go more places and solve more problems than any other time in his life. Barnes is ready to share his decades of political experience and remind readers that there is a way to keep going and keep fighting, even in the golden years. The golden years are a fine time to get things done.

In Get It Done, Ben Barnes details never-before-heard stories of the most consequential politicians of the past several decades, including Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, John Connally, Hubert Humphrey, Ross Perot, Barbara Jordan, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump. He sheds new light on pivotal political events, including the Kennedy assassination, the Anwar Sadat assassination, the Vietnam War, and the Iranian hostage crisis. Further, Barnes offers actionable lessons to successfully face, combat, and thwart the consequences of the second Trump term.