Was JFK a Conservative Democrat?

(My answer on Quora)

JFK is a very difficult politician to classify. His policies enacted (and championed) were a mixture of liberal tax cuts, progressive big government initiatives with a strong overtone of nationalist identity and anti-communism. Like Harry Truman before him and Ronald Reagan afterward he was an unapologetic Cold Warrior who was not afraid to dream big. On one level he was probably America’s most imaginative president in the post World War Two era.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy source http://history.com

US President (1961–1963)

To understand Kennedy’s political philosophy we need to be aware of the New Frontier a term that was coined by Kennedy himself in his 1960 Presidential acceptance speech.

We stand today on the edge of a New Frontier—the frontier of the 1960s, the frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, the frontier of unfilled hopes and unfilled threats. ... Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus

It was here that Kennedy outlined the policies that he would follow. But what were they? Focusing on economics

JFK supported an increase in jobless and child benefits for the unemployment and favoured social security and minimum wage increases. Slum clearance was a priority as was investment in economically distressed areas. The Food Stamp program was expanded as were GI insurance rebates. State Governors were urged to spend more on roads, hospitals and waste removal facilities. Housing, assistance for seniors and Farm Aid were a priority for Kennedy. He also expanded Eisenhower's Interstate Highway initiative.

However JFK was also very concerned with anti-recessionary measures. In this regard he sought to lower interest rates and made available more long term government bonds.

In some respects he sounds more like a Progressive or a Big Government Conservative. However there was another aspect to JFK that would likely put him at odds with the Democratic Party today.

He was a big fan of lowering tax rates most notably on average earners (demand side tax cuts) . The full extent of this rationale unfortunately was only realized after his death with the passing of the bipartisan Revenue Act of 1964.

Kennedy’s approach was neither that of a strict Keynesian nor that of a supply-sider but hogged the midpoint with the intent of increasing demand via disposable income. It worked. The mid 60's was a Golden Era in US Economic history. Unemployment sat at a low of 3.8 % in 1966. GDP growth was in the 5% range.

It was this initiative that is believed to have funded Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society Plans.

Here is an excerpt from a speech Kennedy gave to the Economic Club of New York in 1962.

The final and best means of strengthening demand among consumers and business is to reduce the burden on private income and the deterrents to private initiative which are imposed by our present tax system; and this administration pledged itself last summer to an across-the-board, top-to-bottom cut in personal and corporate income taxes to be enacted and become effective in 1963. I am not talking about a 'quickie' or a temporary tax cut, which would be more appropriate if a recession were imminent. Nor am I talking about giving the economy a mere shot in the arm, to ease some temporary complaint. I am talking about the accumulated evidence of the last 5 years that our present tax system, developed as it was, in good part, during World War II to restrain growth, exerts too heavy a drag on growth in peace time; that it siphons out of the private economy too large a share of personal and business purchasing power; that it reduces the financial incentives for personal effort, investment, and risk-taking

A modern day economic conservative couldn’t have said it better.

Kennedy in his own words source: American genius

Kennedy was a big supporter of Free trade and used the Trade Expansion Act (1962) to further trade with the European Common Market (forerunner to the EU) via a system of reciprocal tariff reduction.

Now economic policy is only one aspect of being a president. Kennedy faced many challenges during his shortened term in office. On the Civil Rights arena he was mainly concerned with eliminating discrimination in Federal Programs and issued several Executive Orders in this regard. He was influenced by the Freedom Riders and did take a strong stand against Jim Crow laws that were being enacted for interstate transportation. I have detailed further his policies here in this answer Gavin Kanowitz's answer to What are some of the most common historical myths or misconceptions?. Nevertheless Kennedy has been criticized for going too slow on Civil Rights reform although some of his suggestions formed part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Freedom Riders Memorial source: civilrightstrail.com

JFK did establish the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (headed by Eleanor Roosevelt) whose success was realized with the signing of the Equal Pay act of 1963.

On the environment Kennedy was a strong believer in Stewardship and this showed itself with the River and Harbours Act of 1962 and The Clean Air Act of 1963.

Anti-crime policies were a big feature of the Kennedy administration. The Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Act was signed into law and the Kennedy administration spent a great deal of resources going after mobsters (an avenue of pursuit that was driven by his brother Bobby).

JFK and First Lady Jaqueline Kennedy source: slicethelife.com

In the arena of Defense Kennedy demonstrated solid Anti-Communist credentials. He strongly advocated for greater US involvement in Vietnam. An anti-communist philosophy sits at the center of his thinking and is evident in this quote.

We don't have a prayer of staying in Vietnam. Those people hate us. They are going to throw our asses out of there at any point. But I can't give up that territory to the communists and get the American people to re-elect me.

The wisdom of the decision did not age well with hindsight. In Iraq it was ultimately initiatives taken during the Kennedy era that allowed the Ba’ath Party to take power in the country. The same party that would serve as the power mechanism for the hideous regime of Sadaam Hussein.

Kennedy though will forever be remembered for the way he succesfully stood up against the Soviets during the Cuban Missile crisis (1962). This was perhaps his greatest hour.

Cuban Missile Crisis - Khrushchev Arm wrestle - Probably the closet time that the West faced a WWIII situation. Kennedy was praised for his decisive action. source: Newark Advocate

However his West Berlin speech (the precursor to Ronald Reagan’s ‘Tear down this wall’ moment) cement Kennedy’s legacy as a champion of freedom, individual rights and democracy.

These words continue to ring true.

Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was civis romanus sum ["I am a Roman citizen"]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner!"... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!"

(Ich bin ein Berliner = I am a Berliner)

Kennedy’s championing of the US Space Program installed a sense of national pride that culminated in the Apollo 11 moon landing and was perhaps the strongest evidence of his imagination. Although NASA was founded during the Eisenhower Administration (1958) it was given a significant boost by Kennedy who followed up the earlier Mercury Program with the Apollo program.

Initially though Kennedy expressed some ambivalence toward the relevance of the Space Race but became a very strong backer after the Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961.

These often quoted words reflect his sentiment.

... I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.

So ideologically where does this leave Kennedy?

As mentioned in the initial paragraph of this answer Kennedy seems to stand above the politics of ideology. He certainly demonstrated a distinct vision but was willing to borrow from both sides of the political equation to formalize policy. He did have a great appreciation for universal ideals that comes through in his decision to establish the Peace Corps and this should not be forgotten.

In today’s political arena he most certainly stands further to the right of the Democratic Party but I am not convinced that he would support Trump on a foreign policy level. Kennedy was very much of an interventionist. Economically he would criss-cross both party platforms.

To juxtapose Kennedy into today’s world, considering that he was very much a product of Cold War politics is problematic, but I do believe that as a patriotic American he would be very concerned about the attacks on national identity by Marxist front groups, the growing political malaise and the looming threat of Beijing as a force on the global horizon.

Sources:

1. New Frontier - Address of John F. Kennedy upon Accepting the Liberal Party Nomination for President, New York, New York, September 14, 1960
2. An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963 (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2003)
3. King, John A. and Vile, John R. (eds.) Presidents from Eisenhower through Johnson, 1953–1969 (2006) p. 95. Speech to Economic Club.
4. Reeves, Richard (1993). President Kennedy: Profile of Power. New York: Simon & Schuster (source for Vietnam Quote)
5. Economic Speech sources. Home | JFK Library
6. David Shreve, “President John F. Kennedy and the 1964 Tax Cut,” (Miller Center Report, Spring, 2001.