Following his hair’s breadth election the night before,
President-elect John F. Kennedy arrives at the Hyannis Armory
and delivers his victory remarks on November 9, 1960.
NOTE: When updates occur, they will be below the main article.
** THANKSGIVING WEEKEND. AND AN ANNIVERSARY. Happy Thanksgiving to all! There is much for which to be thankful, and so on and so forth. Or, as the governor of California might put it, “and all that stuff.”
This year’s rather early Thanksgiving happened to fall on a date of more than a little import in American history. Fourty-four years ago, on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Which may make Arnold Schwarzenegger’s holiday celebration with the in-laws back East somewhat bittersweet.
You’ve seen much video of JFK over the years. He’s become one of the iconic figures in American history. For decades, Democratic presidential hopefuls, like the Republicans of today, yearned to be seen as “a new JFK.” Though his politics, which I think of as tough liberalism, haven’t been much in vogue throughout the period.
The video above hasn’t been seen much. It shows Kennedy, the morning after his hair’s breadth election over then Vice President Richard Nixon in November 1960, arriving at the armory in Hyannisport, Massachusetts and delivering his victory remarks.
It’s clearly an earlier, and probably better, time. The press and public are closer in to the politician. The imperial presidency was still in the future, as was today’s imperial campaign.
Of course, Kennedy’s assassination has something to do with the distancing. Although in many ways, security is simply an excuse for control.
A word about Kennedy’s politics, that tough liberalism. Which to some seems an oxymoron. It didn’t then.
Extravagant claims are made on the right and left about JFK’s legacy. Some on the right insist that if Kennedy were president today, he’d be George W. Bush. Others, on the left, claim that he was really a closet peacenik, that he would have ended the Cold War with Communism decades earlier.
Well. Bush, whatever his merits, would certainly not have promoted the production, as Kennedy did, of movies like The Manchurian Candidate, a sardonic thriller, starring JFK’s buddy Frank Sinatra, which posits a Joe McCarthy-style anti-Communist demagogue as an agent of a Communist conspiracy to take over the US. Or Seven Days In May, another thriller, in which a cabal of disgruntled generals and conservative pols tries a military coup against a president who negotiated a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. Kennedy urged the production of both movies, providing White House support.
Much is made of the fearful attitude of this post-9/11 era. And there is much to be fearful about. Islamic jihadists are determined foes of modernity. But the Cold War, which got very hot on occasion, was a much more fearful time. And unless the jihadists take over the Islamic world, their true goal, or obtain and are allowed to use actual weapons of mass destruction, their threat is significantly less than that of the old Soviet Union and its allies around the world. Who, after all, placed their allies in command of nations around the world (including less than a hundred miles from the US) and had the power to destroy America many times over. Compared to the skill and resources of the Soviet Empire, Al Qaeda and company are pretentious bumblers, as Lawrence Wright’s excellent, Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11,” much praised by some conservatives, makes clear.
Without rehashing the entire Cold War, much less the particulars of the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam, which was at relatively low counter-insurgency levels when Kennedy was assassinated — think less than a tenth of the current US role in Iraq — it seems obvious that Kennedy would not embrace either the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld doctrines of today’s right-wing or the “let’s treat Islamic jihadist terrorism as a law enforcement issue” mode of many on the left. The challenges posed by Islamic jihadism will require decades of vigilance and aggressive containment.
I strongly suspect that Kennedy would reject Cheney and Rumsfeld’s “one percent solution” (if there’s a one percent chance of something happening, act like it’s real) just as he would reject John Edwards’ line about the Terror War being a mere “bumper sticker.”
But enough of that. Enjoy the video from an earlier and perhaps better time. Though I don’t like the cars so much. Or the hats.
11/25 ** UPDATE: A DIFFICULT THANKSGIVING FOR SCHWARZENEGGER. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will wrap up a notably bittersweet Thanksgiving holiday this afternoon by touring the big Malibu fire. What caused this latest problem, which has burnt thousands of acres and destroyed about 50 homes? A combination of high winds, dry conditions due to drought, and a development pattern of nestling houses amidst a lot of trees and shrubbery.
In addition, Schwarzenegger’s mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, has been hospitalized since November 18th. The Special Olympics founder and sister of the late John F. Kennedy is in fair condition. Confounding casual expectations, the former action superstar is actually quite close to his mother-in-law. Schwarzenegger also had to deal with the death of his old mentor/idol, former Mr. Universe Reg Park. (See item below and lengthy quote from my 2002 profile of Schwarzenegger.) And, of course, Thanksgiving Day this year fell on the anniversary of the JFK assassination.
** STRUGGLING CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS CUT ORGANIZING. The current incarnation of the California Republican Party, whose woes were unveiled months ago on NWN, has just had another big setback. It’s had to cut its local organizing efforts because it doesn’t have the money for this basic operation. As the AP reports — they have a staff which works on holidays — the county executive directors program has been eliminated.
11/24 ** UPDATE: HOWARD OUSTED IN OZ. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a close conservative ally of President George W. Bush, was defeated Friday in his bid for another term as prime minister of Australia. Kevin Rudd led a strong victory for the Labor Party down under.
Howard also became only the second prime minister in Australian history to lose his own seat in parliament.
Rudd promised repeatedly during his campaign to immediately sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. This will leave the US as the only advanced industrialized nation still on the sidelines with regard to the greenhouse effect. Rudd will also pull Australian combat troops out of Iraq. (Which is more symbolic than anything, since there are only about 600 Aussie combat troops there, with about a thousand, who will remain, at least for now, in security and support roles.)
Australia may put more troops into Afghanistan, where things aren’t going all that well, given America’s preoccupation with the current military effort to stabilize the Iraqi security situation as a precursor to a political settlement.
Howard was best known in the US for three things: His close alliance with Bush in resisting anti-climate change efforts and promoting the Iraq War, and for saying right after Barack Obama declared his presidential candidacy early this year that Al Qaeda should pray for victory by Obama and the Democrats.
** UPDATE: CLINTON SPOKESMAN LOWBALLS IOWA OUTCOME. “Our definition of success doesn’t necessarily mean coming in first.”
11/23 ** UPDATE: SCHWARZENEGGER’S ORIGINAL IDOL/MENTOR DIES. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, celebrating Thanksgiving with his Kennedy and Shriver family in-laws on the bittersweet date of November 22nd, got some bad news yesterday. His old idol and mentor, Reg Park, died of cancer at age 79. Here is what Schwarzenegger said when I profiled him in 2002:
“As with everything,” he said, “you have those visions and those goals, and the closer you get the more you feel like, ‘Oh, it is within reach.’ I had this guy, Reg Park, who was my idol.
“And I remember the things that I saw in the magazines, him as a family man with all his children and his beautiful wife, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s cool,’ that’s where this whole thing goes. He had this gymnasium empire in South Africa, which in those days was 10 gymnasiums. Nowadays you would franchise 500 or something like this. He gave lectures at universities, and I read that as a kid at the age of 14 and thought, ‘Wow, this is unbelievable.’ And he won Mr. Universe. And he made movies, where he took the money and then built the gymnasiums. So that whole thing was like . . . I said to myself, ‘So this is all from working out? And becoming Mr. Universe? I’m in. This is it.’ It was not just Mr. Universe, it was the package. ‘If I could copy that, I will be home free.’ I was 13, 14 years old, you know. So I went after that. So of course I knew the steppingstones that he took: Mr. Universe. Then getting into movies. Then investing in business.”
** UPDATE: GOVERNMENT INCREASINGLY TRACKING CELL PHONES WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE. The Washington Post reports that government agencies are increasingly using cell phone tracking technology without demonstrating any probable cause of criminal activity. One of the inventors of tracking technology, which has well-known benign purposes, is California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.
This new mini-episode of Doctor Who just aired in the
UK for the annual “Children In Need” benefit.
** A FUNNY, NOSTALGIC NEW DOCTOR WHO. Doctor What, you may say.
The video clip above just aired in the UK as part of the annual “Children In Need” benefit. In case you’re not part of the large international cult of the show, the British Doctor Who is the longest-running TV drama in the world.
It launched, as fate would have it, on November 23, 1963, the day after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Like the Beatles and Bond, also products of that very fearful and, post-JFK assassination, depresssed time, Doctor Who was quickly embraced as a symbol of zany and mostly optimistic modernism. It ran continuously from 1963 to 1989 and then, after taking a break marked by some movies and specials, and continuing radio dramas, came back in full force as a regular series again in 2005. (The American TV response to the era was a little show called Star Trek, essentially JFK’s “New Frontier” in space.)
The titular character, whose name is not Doctor Who, is known simply as “the Doctor.” Although he’s a Brit, of course, he’s actually an immortal extraterrestrial with two hearts. Who is otherwise a Brit, aside from having an encyclopedic knowledge of history and science. Not that Brits don’t of course … (The show began as a mostly children’s show, to teach them history and science, but was quickly embraced by adults and later became the most violent show on British television.)
The Doctor travels about the universe, through time and space, usually with a comely young companion, by means of a time ship called the TARDIS (for time and relative dimensions in space). Which is in the shape of a blue police box, naturally much bigger on the inside than the outside. Police boxes, in those stone knives-and-bearskins days of communications, were kiosk-style call boxes which police officers used to make phone calls.
The Doctor, incidentally, regenerates from time to time. Which accounts for the role being recast, as it would have to be over 44 years. There’ve been ten Doctors so far. In the seven-minute mini-episode above, the current Doctor, number 10 (portrayed by the very amusing David Tennant), encounters the fifth Doctor (portrayed by Peter Davison, who had the role from 1981-84).
The show is clever and fun, its repartee can come fast and furious. And usually a bit tongue-in-cheek. As you’ll see in this nostalgic mini-episode.
** QUICK HITS. As I mentioned in Wednesday’s Forum section, the New Hampshire presidential primary will be on January 8th. By far the earliest in history, guaranteeing that presidential candidates will, quite ludicrously, be campaigning throughout the holidays. Hey, at least it’s not in December. … The Republican group trying to change the presidential outcome next year by switching California’s — and nowhere else’s — Electoral College vote from winner-take-all to by-congressional district, has reported raising $1.2 million so far for the effort. Which still seems low for how many signatures they need to gather. Which, incidentally, they should be turning in now. Or if not now, awfully soon if they hope to qualify for California’s June ballot in order to influence the presidential election in November without an obvious court challenge. The initiative, as I’ve pointed out, starts out under 50% support level. But there’s some money to be made. … The new national Zogby poll for Reuters shows a closer race on the Democratic side and mostly status quo on the Republican side. Hillary Clinton’s big lead has shrunk on the Democratic side, while on the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani is still the clear leader with a bunch of others bunched below. Here are the numbers. Among the Dems, Clinton continues to lead with 38% support, with Obama at 27% and John Edwards at 13%. On the Republican side, Giuliani leads with 29%, followed by Fred Thompson at 15%, the emerging Mike Huckabee at 11%, Mitt Romney at 9%, and John McCain at 9%.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the new Russia Today channel.
You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti.
While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND U.S. ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Crude oil is trading in a range of $97 to $99 per barrel.
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Judging from the Australian papers, John Howard’s “Liberal” party lost mostly for domestic reasons. While a large majority of Australians are against having Australian troops in Iraq, the election turned on some very harsh anti-labor initiatives on the part of the Howard government. The conservative shift in Oz politics sems to have run its course.
I watched it again, that is a great video of President Kennedy.
“STRUGGLING CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS CUT ORGANIZING”
This must have happened some time ago – I haven’t seen any signs of organization over there for a few years.
Obama is speaking to a sensitive subject with astonishing frankness and a candor most welcome, all to sharp political effect.
CNN reports that Obama spoke in “reference to a line made famous by former President Bill Clinton who, while admitting to trying marijuana, said he did not inhale.
“I never understood that line,” Obama continued. “The point was to inhale. That was the point.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/
. It blows my mind, man.
———
How intense
———
I love it, though. Here’s a guy playing to win and willing to take big chances to do so.
He’s going against the CW that says the American public wants (and expects) our politicians (presidents, especially) to lie to them. But what ba*&# !!
Actually, that was one of the stupidest things Bill Clinton ever said. Certainly the most parodied.
Actually, that was one of the stupidest things Bill Clinton ever said. Certainly the most parodied.
The funding cut decision was taken recently.Though it was inevitable.
>Brasky :
“STRUGGLING CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS CUT ORGANIZING”
This must have happened some time ago – I haven’t seen any signs of organization over there for a few years.
Nov 25, 2007 07:08 PM
It is.
>Jonas Blane :
I watched it again, that is a great video of President Kennedy.
Nov 25, 2007 07:02 PM
The Australian state of Victoria signed an accord with Schwarzenegger and California on climate change. Howard’s greenhouse denial hurt him in Australia.
>larry :
Judging from the Australian papers, John Howard’s “Liberal” party lost mostly for domestic reasons. While a large majority of Australians are against having Australian troops in Iraq, the election turned on some very harsh anti-labor initiatives on the part of the Howard government. The conservative shift in Oz politics sems to have run its course.
Nov 25, 2007 05:45 PM
Re: not inhaling; I’m not so sure Bill was lying about that. I know a few people of that age group who have told me a similar thing happened to them — they were at a party, a joint was passed, and they didn’t want to seem rude or square, so they held it for a moment then passed it on. Personally I would simply pass without the faking of inhaling — I’m pro-legalization but have zero interest in using myself and think it’s sort of a nasty habit, same as tobacco — and I’m not shy about my opinion. But, I can understand why somebody would make the decision that Bill says he made. *shrug*
Re: Howard; I was in Australia for most of a month in ’02 — first in Adelaide, then in the middle of nowhere to see a total eclipse, then over to Sydney — and had a non-trivial number of conversations that went something like:
Me: “Yes, I’m an American. I’m sorry about our president. I did not vote for him.”
Them: “No worries, mate, I hate OUR president too!”
Regarding Bill Clinton and marijuana. It’s not impossible he told the truth about not inhaling.
But it’s come to symbolize his mode of splitting the difference. He was cool, but he didn’t do anything bad …
Regarding Bill Clinton and marijuana. It’s not impossible he told the truth about not inhaling.
But it’s come to symbolize his mode of splitting the difference. He was cool, but he didn’t do anything bad …
True; it offered a moment like Kerry’s “I voted for it before I voted against it” — which was also both true, and entirely rational (he voted for a bill at one stage of its evolution, then against it because it had been amended in a way that made it intolerable) but fed a pre-existing storyline.
While I understand that this is the way the game works, and that given the general public’s tendency to only pay brief bursts of attention, it’s important to be very careful about image, I do wish the major media outlets would at least try to get their storylines to have some relation to reality. Like, with the Kerry story, why wasn’t the one-sentence explanation of what he meant (which I just provided above) included in every story or TV commentary about the infelicitous phrase? It’s not so hard to understand, and the public could stand to learn something about the way government actually works.
And again, on Clinton, having the story go a little farther than a Nelson-from-the-Simpsons “Haw haw! He said a silly thing!” and actually say, “Well, actually some people did that, isn’t it interesting how social norms have changed since then,” would have been both more interesting, and more informative.
I would add, in fairness to the opposition, that the same kind of critique can be leveled against liberals who giggle over Bush’s malapropisms.
Which I do think are funny. But they have no bearing on his policies.
Auros, I have to say that it’s rather amusing how you are talking yourself into believing something that most consider quite preposterous.
It all depends what the meaning of “is” is. lol
The opinion of “most people” is often illogical and poorly considered. You have to consider it, if you’re trying to get most people (the definition of a majority) to vote for you, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.
The opinion of “most people” is often illogical and poorly considered. You have to consider it, if you’re trying to get most people (the definition of a majority) to vote for you, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.
Auros, really, I don’t believe Bill Clinton on this for a nanosecond.
Indeed.
>Ann :
It all depends what the meaning of “is” is. lol
Nov 26, 2007 11:47 PM