JFK Election Eve Boston Garden

JFK gives his views on the presidency on election eve 1960.

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News & Politics

Tags:

• John
• Kennedy

[petereuropa]

If I was on that Convention, his words had become my direction. I had followed that man's intentions to a 100%! Because if I listened to his speach/es, there was always messages of hope and to work for a better World.

Now I'm Swedish, but he had inspired me here too. He have inpired me for my whole life.

[wisegambler]

Regardless whether Kennedy had the chance to fully bring about his vision for the world the clip here essentially is timeless in it's message and as relevant today as it was in 1960. Yes, perhaps great orators fail on certain cases to deliver the goods but the inspiration that Kennedy provided by such fantastic public speaking did indeed inspire in many the desire to enter public service and do good in this country and the world. That frankly hasn't been seen since and I can only hope we will s

[animatetime]

Bring him back, please.

[Nominay]

@senatorsnats He handled the Presidency well, a difficult thing to do hardly anyone else could've done, and at that time. Richard Reeves book on him unlike other books cannot be argued against.

[observer9670]

JFK used the term "center of action" often in describing the Presidency. In the tapes recorded by Ben Bradlee in 1959 for a possible book (which never happened) Kennedy used this reference several times.

[UncleMikeNJ]

Kennedy was a little off. There was one President between him and Lincoln who had a greater burden upon coming into office, Franklin Roosevelt.

But that does not minimize the problems JFK faced. And he understood, as did FDR, and Truman, and LBJ, and Clinton, and Obama, that the job IS a "center of action."

Unless you're Reagan... or Dubya.

[0907oliv]

Sorensen and others may have written his speeches - but he edited them extensively, sometimes threw out & rewrote whole paragraphs. It is now known that the most memorable passages of his inaugural address were written by him. Also, he wrote a large chunk of the Civil Rights speech himself and adlibbed almost the entire ending --- and he also re-wrote his Ich Bin Ein Berliner speech 15 minutes before he delivered it. As for his personal failings, we all have our addictions. Who gives a damn!

[senatorsnats]

Yeah, not bad for someone who had Ted Sorensen and Art Schlesinger for ghost writers. This was all a panacea. The superficiality of JFK was what entrapped the masses. Little did they know that he had a shameful private life that extended into the executive office. David Brinkley was confronted with this in an interview about ten years ago and he said, quite frankly, "we just didn't know". Bobby did an awesome job covering up his brothers' infidelities.

[larryiloos]

I loved Kennedys sense of humer and his qick wit.

I think politicians could learn,that levity can be effective political tool

[petereuropa]

@BamaChris Yes, I agree. But he never had a chance to prove that he had a mission for a better world. I am convinced that also Robert F K had a mission to clean up his country. I liked the USA then and I like USA now, but I am convinced about that I have liked the situation between for example Europe and USA better if they both had lived today. I must admit that Ronald Reagan was good for the world. USSR collapsed and is now rebuilding not only its economy, but also its friendship with the west.

[BamaChris]

@petereuropa There is a danger in that, though. Those who are good orators are often those who inspire us the most, but we then sometimes their leadership, decision-making, and talents, or lack thereof, in other areas are not up to par.