My all-time favorite modern political figures (heroes, if you will) are Barry Goldwater and Ron Paul. You may recall that Reagan's political career really got off the ground in 1964 when he was supporting Goldwater against LBJ.
Goldwater made the sad comment that he was heartbroken when JFK was killed, not just because of their friendship, but because he had looked forward to debating with someone of that intellectual caliber. He had no such respect for LBJ.
Ron Paul (and Rand) represent the best modern voices for the principles of the Founders. It's sad that there is no one among the Democrats who is anywhere near their level, that they could debate meaningfully. Ah, well.
I never heard that story. It makes sense. LBJ never deserved such respect.
I really wanted to see a Presidential campaign between Bernie and Trump. It would have been a good time for the REAL battle: Capitalism vs Socialism.