The Congress: An Adequate Number of Democrats

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· LABOR: While the President asked for repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act's Section 14-B, which allows states to have right-to-work laws that prohibit compulsory union shops, any real presidential pressure to force this measure through Congress would almost certainly create an uproar. It might harden the conservative-liberal schisms in both houses to the point where Johnson could lose valuable support on other more important bills. Though repeal of the clause was demanded in the 1960 and 1964 Democratic platforms, there seems little likelihood the President will risk a fight for it now. Says Mansfield: "We ought to have the legislation, but I am doubtful that we will get it this year." Johnson also wants to expand the federal minimum wage ($1.25 an hour) to cover another 2,000,000 people—mostly hotel, restaurant and laundry workers. That measure has a far better chance.

· AGRICULTURE: Bluntly, the Johnson Administration has no idea what to propose for farm legislation this session. In his State of the Union address, Lyndon settled for brief platitudes, calling for "new approaches"—a phrase that drew laughter from him and his advisers as they drafted it. There is some talk in the Administration of lower support prices for larger, prosperous farmers, and higher ones for smaller growers. No matter what Johnson dreams up to mold the U.S. agricultural mess to fit the shape of a Great Society, 1965 farm legislation will be a sticky problem. Says Carl Albert: "This will be an urban-oriented Congress—and that means trouble for farm bills."

· IMMIGRATION: An early push will be given to a favorite Johnson bill—revising immigration to give priority to highly skilled people rather than fixing quotas arbitrarily for each country. This bill may hit a snag in the House, for the immigration subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee is chaired by testy Ohio Democrat Michael Feighan, who is as close to an isolationist as there is in today's Congress.

· APPALACHIA: Johnson wants this bill badly for his "war on poverty." It would offer about $1 billion—mostly in job-creating road construction—to the deeply depressed eleven-state Appalachia region where the unemployment rate has risen to 15%. The Senate approved a bill last year, but the House never got around to it because Democratic leaders could not muster enough votes in the waning hours of the session. Chances are brighter in the 89th, although Albert admits, "We may have some trouble."

· POVERTY: Johnson wants to double the $784 million appropriation he got last year for area-redevelopment and job-training programs. He will run into some skepticism from Congressmen with a show-us-some-results attitude, but sooner or later the liberal 89th will probably deliver.