Captain Quackenbush's
If Not Killed, Kennedy Would Have Done Everything Right
RECEIVED Sun., Aug. 8, 2010
Dear Editor,
Compared to later Democratic presidents like Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton (a Democrat in name only) or Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy was more politically conservative – he came from great personal wealth and realized this made him greatly privileged. He saw – firsthand in some cases – the threats of totalitarianism as practiced by the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. And he saw how wrongheaded his father’s isolationism was. He also learned firsthand during his presidency how futile intervention was, first with the invasion of Cuba and by sending troops to Vietnam – both policies originating with Republican Dwight Eisenhower’s administration. Had Kennedy not been murdered, it is likely he would have reversed course and pulled our “advisers” from Vietnam. He is also believed to have wanted to close the Federal Reserve and revamp the treasury – any of the above would have been enough to earn a death sentence. Yes, JFK understood that an onerous tax burden would stifle economic development. But he (and brother Bobby), coming from wealth and privilege, also knew that government had (and has) a special responsibility toward those less fortunate, and that those of wealth and power have a special responsibility to foster a government – one that allowed and encouraged them to become prosperous – that protects the rights of all citizens and promotes the general welfare, something conservatives fail to get. An unintended consequence of JFK's murder was the passage of important civil rights legislation and practices – practices that conservative ”pundits” like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and Mike Savage (to name the most egregious), as well as the tea baggers, peg as the root of America’s problems.
Compared to later Democratic presidents like Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton (a Democrat in name only) or Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy was more politically conservative – he came from great personal wealth and realized this made him greatly privileged. He saw – firsthand in some cases – the threats of totalitarianism as practiced by the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. And he saw how wrongheaded his father’s isolationism was. He also learned firsthand during his presidency how futile intervention was, first with the invasion of Cuba and by sending troops to Vietnam – both policies originating with Republican Dwight Eisenhower’s administration. Had Kennedy not been murdered, it is likely he would have reversed course and pulled our “advisers” from Vietnam. He is also believed to have wanted to close the Federal Reserve and revamp the treasury – any of the above would have been enough to earn a death sentence. Yes, JFK understood that an onerous tax burden would stifle economic development. But he (and brother Bobby), coming from wealth and privilege, also knew that government had (and has) a special responsibility toward those less fortunate, and that those of wealth and power have a special responsibility to foster a government – one that allowed and encouraged them to become prosperous – that protects the rights of all citizens and promotes the general welfare, something conservatives fail to get. An unintended consequence of JFK's murder was the passage of important civil rights legislation and practices – practices that conservative ”pundits” like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and Mike Savage (to name the most egregious), as well as the tea baggers, peg as the root of America’s problems.
Daniel Lea
