It was 50 years ago last Thursday that John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as our 35th president. That day in 1961 was also my 14th birthday, and my mother let me stay home from school to watch. What a present! I was in awe of the man, initially because the Catholics, of whom I was a member, had built up his aura to saint-like status, something that in my perspective he lived up to. At the beginning of his campaign, my mother got to shake his hand and didn’t wash hers for what seemed to be a good three months. That’s the effect he had on people.
History says that JFK was a great president, despite his very brief term, cut tragically short by the bullets that ended his life on that fateful Friday in November 1963. His decision-making, his leadership and his ability to inspire a nation at a time when it was desperately needed were second to none.
He seemed to face one crisis after another, on the international stage and at home. I would offer that in JFK’s short 35-month presidency, there was more turmoil, more tension, and more tough decisions than in any other president’s first three years. Consider:
The Bay of Pigs – a failed attempt by US CIA-led forces to overthrow the Fidel Castro-dictated Cuban government initiated less than three months after JFK took office.
The Cuban missile crisis – one of his most defining moments, Kennedy made Russian chairman Nikita Khrushchev accede to our demands to pull their weaponry out of Cuba. Our spy satellites had discovered a build-up of Soviet weapons in Cuba, which ol’ Nikita denied. Kennedy initiated a blockade of Soviet ships headed towards Cuba and told Khrushchev the blockade would be in force until the arms were removed.
The economy – was shaky and the unemployment rate was at levels similar to what we’re experiencing now. Kennedy loosened monetary policy to keep interest rates down and the economy turned around and prospered.
The civil rights movement – JFK’s crowning achievement in my opinion, he intervened when Alabama Governor George Wallace blocked two African-American students from attending the University of Alabama. Wallace backed down as well. That evening Kennedy gave his famous civil rights address on national television and radio, launching his initiative for civil rights legislation – to provide equal access to public schools and public facilities and to protect voter rights.
Wisconsin, most specifically Milwaukee, had a strong influence on the 1960 election. Less than a month before the election, Kennedy made an extremely important strategic visit to Milwaukee to stomp for votes in the primary. Even back then, Wisconsin was a critical swing state.
This video is part of an HBO special that aired last Thursday, “A President to Remember, in the Company of John F. Kennedy”. Stay with it long enough to hear him speak, 3 minutes and 40 seconds in. He had a command of an audience (look at the adoration in they eyes of the people in the crowd) that was really unparalleled among our presidents. Watch his charisma, his awareness of the audience, his smile. Listen to his words. The audience was enthralled. At every word. This appearance turned out to be one of the key catalysts in the election. Watch the video here.
My fervent wish is that JFK be remembered for the hope and dreams he inspired. That inspiration started with his inauguration. “Kennedy was trying to write words for the ages,” says Richard Tofel, author of “Sounding the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address.” “Idealism and optimism are not always in style, but they continue to stand out and they continue to have real power.”
JFK’s most enduring words, taken from the most famous inaugural address in American history, have real power. If we could all take to heart their meaning and try to do something every day to live up to his plea, I believe this country, and our world, would be a better place:
“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
