Blog #113 – Was JFK a good president?
This week, we’ve been analyzing the main question – was JFK a good president? – and looking at his accomplishments and setbacks. A couple of the classes compared his shortened presidency to other presidents with shortened terms (Harrison, Taylor, Garfield, Harding, Ford). We also looked at how he compared on presidential rankings (he was ranked as high as #6 and as low as #18 with a composite ranking of #10). Then we analyzed 9 chapters from the book, 40 Ways to Look at JFK by Gretchen Rubin, and looked at different ways that biographers have portrayed JFK’s strengths (his excellence, high ideals) and his weaknesses (his lies, his health), and in some ways that are still unsettled (his views on Vietnam, Civil Rights, and his treatment of Jackie Kennedy). I have hoped that with this analysis (along with the Portrait contrasting Kennedy w/ Ike) provides you with a nuanced portait (no pun intended) of the president. 
There were three areas of contention among biographers:
- Civil Rights leader – he saw it as important, as a “moral” cause, but didn’t push hard enough to make true changes. In essence, he and his brother, Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General, were reacting to provocations that Civil Rights leaders made happen in the Freedom Rides, James Meredith at Ole Miss, and the Birmingham Children’s March. He also tried to derail the March on Washington in August 1963 for fears of antagonizing Southern lawmakers that he needed on his side to pass New Frontier legislation.
- Vietnam – Some historians stated that Kennedy was going to de-escalate or pulled Americans forces out of Vietnam, potentially preventing great loss of life on both American and Vietnamese sides. He wanted fewer advisors in Vietnam, but was unable to pull them out and never specifically said that we would leave. Other historians point to the fact that Kennedy increased the number of advisors from 1,000 to 16,000 by his death. These historians point out his harsh Cold War rhetoric and saw any retreat from confronting communism in Asia as a problem in his reelection. Kennedy believed that we could stay and win the war.
- His attitudes towards women – his treatment of his wife in particular, and his philandering with other women, sound very old-fashioned. He had no problem with paying women less. He treated his wife poorly (vacationing while she was eight months pregnant and not returning for the still-born birth of his child).
Here’s what I want you to do:
- Argue whether or not you think Kennedy deserves a top 10 ranking as president and explain why. Use specific pieces of evidence from the biographers’ comparisons and the answers to the questions on the Google Doc.
- Do the counter argument with what you just argued in #1. Use specific pieces of evidence from the biographers’ comparisons and the answers to the questions on the Google Doc.
400 words total. Due by class on Friday, October 19.
Wikipedia compilation of presidential rankings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_presidents_of_the_United_States
Latest presidential ranking by Boise State: https://sps.boisestate.edu/politicalscience/files/2018/02/Greatness.pdf
I believe president Kennedy deserves a spot in the top 10 list of presidents for multiple reasons. Using his charisma, good looks and his young family he gave a new image to America giving a new sense of hope to the American people. Kennedy’s administration laid the groundwork for the apollo 11 mission and funded many advancements in space exploration and technological advancements. The apollo 11 mission boosted us moral and gave the US a upper hand in the cold war. When Kennedy issued executive order 10924, he established the peace corps which sent American volunteers all over the world to help the poor and in-need in third world countries. Another achievement of kennedy was the Partial Test Ban Treaty(PTBT) which restricted nuclear tests everywhere except underground helping to lower the amount of radioactive particles in the atmosphere. One major reason Kennedy deserves a spot in the top 10 was how he handled the Cuban missile crisis and avoided a nuclear war with the soviets. Kennedy’s approach was not to initiate a first strike against the Cuban launch sites but to instead to take a less provocative approach. He circled the island of Cuba with a naval blockade successfully denying the soviet navy from delivering nuclear missiles to Cuba. This avoided the need for an invasion of cuba and a nuclear war with the soviets.The final reason is that he helped further the progression of civil rights and laid the groundwork for the civil rights act of 1964.
Meny will argue that JFK was not a good president and that he doesn’t deserve a top 10 spot on the list of presidents. One of the main reasons is that he only pretended to care about the civil rights to look good and gain the african-american vote. This was proven time and time again because he only reacted to problems that came up in the fight for civil rights instead of being a leader for the moment. Another reason was his treatment of his wife and his constant womanizing. He was never there for his wife, even when she a had a stillborn son, and had affairs with countless women including Marilyn Monroe. Kennedy also lied to the american people about his state of health during his campaign and presidency. He was so sickly that he was absent for most of his 1st term as a congressman. JFK also approved and carried out the failed Bay of Pigs invasion which eventually led to the strengthening of Castro’s power and the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
John F. Kennedy was an influential president during 60’s however he didn’t exactly live up to the standards that many american put him at. For example, he was somewhat morally corrupt and did not treat the first lady with the respect that he should have. He went on vacation without her and treated her like a prop to make his presidency more relatable. There were many lies Kennedy told about women he was with and about his faithfulness to Jackie. While their marriage looked like it was straight out of a fairytale, this was not completely true. This could have given the allusion of a perfect life but underneath the Kennedy’s had serious problems. Kennedy also lied about his health and surgeries and medications that he was taking. On top of that he constantly made hollow promises about important matters such as civil rights. Many of the promises he made during his campaign convinced activists to vote for him. When he never followed up on his ideas, they felt cheated. Another failure that made JFK’s presidency less iconic was Bay of pigs. He send 1,500 military trained fighters to cuba how every almost all of them were killed. The relates back to poor planning and impulsiveness on Kennedy’s part.
John F. Kennedy and his family were american Icons that most citizens idolized and saw their homelife as the American dream. Jackie Kennedy and her husband were in charge of the country during a very important time. The way the Kennedy family handles situations and carries themselves set a good and profesional example. Situations such at the cuban missile crisis showed that the young president could make important decisions that influenced warfare. The Kennedy administration was able to disarm cuban missiles which made people feel more secure and confident. JFK was a breath of fresh air compared to the old grey haired presidents that came before him. This gave hope to younger generations and made them feel better represented by the president. Another thing that made his presidency so influential and memorable was his establishment of the peace corps. This showed his compassion and his down to earth mind set. The peace corps are still working today and have long term effects on nations that need help
Pro Top Ten
JFK deserved a spot on the top ten list of presidents. He dealt with the Cuban Missile Crisis, averting a nuclear war with the Soviets, also compromised with them avoiding further escalation. He established the Peace Corps which sent people to help countries in need. He helped with the nuclear test ban treaty, which limited nuclear weapon tests. He was for the civil rights movement and said it was a moral problem; This helped gain support for the movement.He signed an executive order that ensured all employees were treated equal no matter which race, creed, color or national origin. JFK also would have pulled out of Vietnam saving lots of American casualties. Overall he achieved a lot even though he had a short term in office, and when compared to other presidents he achieved more in his short term than others in their two terms.
Anti Top Ten
JFK did not deserve a spot on the top ten list of presidents. He had the failed Bay of Pigs invasion which lead to Cuba turning to the Soviets.He escalated the Vietnam War to much to the point the US just couldn’t get out of it. He mistreated his family, mainly his wife Jackie who he cheated on when she was pregnant. He also missed the birth his child and when his wife had a miscarriage he complained about having to leave Florida and go back home. He mainly used Jackie as a trophy wife because she was young and JFK wanted to have a wife going into politics to not appear queer. JFK lied about his health to the public and did this to appear more outgoing to the public and he also lied about academic credentials. JFK also wasn’t really a civil rights activists, he just did it because he would gain more support from the public by appearings as if he cared. JFK did not believe in equal pay for women. JFK does not deserve a top ten ranking due to his mistreatment of his family, cheating on his wife, not being when Jackie needed him most, not actually being for civil rights, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, bad escalation of the vietnam war, and his lies to the public to make himself look better.