The JFK comparsion
Barack Obama today was officially annointed as the next John F. Kennedy by the most devout keeper of the assassinated president's legacy, Theodore Sorensen.
In a New Republic article that just went online, the 79-year-old Sorensen walks through what he sees as the many parallels between the man he served as a loyal aide and the current Democratic presidential candidate. These range from issues ("On foreign policy," Sorensen writes, "both emphasized the importance of multilateral democracy, national strength as a guardian of peace, and the need to restore America's global standing, moral authority and leadership,") to the biographical (both "gained national acclaim through their best-selling inspirational books" -- Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage" and Obama's "The Audacity of Hope").
Sorensen also sees similarities in the contours of 1960's political landscape and the one Obama is navigating. "Most of Kennedy's opponents, like Obama's, were fellow senators -- (Lyndon) Johnson, (Hubert) Humphrey and (Stuart) Symington -- who initially dismissed him as neither a powerhouse on the Senate floor nor a member of their inner circle. That mattered not to the voters; nor does it today."
True enough, but we detect the dangers of overselling historical analogies in this latter point. On any number of fronts -- their institutional strength throughout the Democratic Party, their appeal to the rank-and-file, their organizational skills -- the trio of Johnson, Humphrey and Symington paled in comparison to the opponent Obama must overcome, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
As Sorensen's piece illustrates, the enduring Kennedy mystique for many Democrats remains noteworthy, even as those who actually remember the 1960 campaign and the roughly two years and 10 months of the Kennedy administration become a declining share of the electorate.
The last Democratic nominee, John F. Kerry, long has reveled in his shared initials with the politician who also was a senator from Massachusetts. And just Wednesday, Obama and John Edwards drew upon the inspiration of Bobby Kennedy in separately focusing on the poverty problem.
-- Don Frederick
Don Frederick has served as an editor helping guide coverage of every presidential election since 1984. He is a third-generation Washingtonian, so watching the political world comes naturally to him.
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000.
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Sen. Obama is no Pres. Kennedy. He doesn't inspire me and I am tired of all the hype trying to convince me that he is something special. Sorry, but I just don't see it. As far as uniting this country, I fear just the oppsite, with some people feeling he is only interested in helping African Americans at the expense of Caucasans.
Posted by: TJ | December 13, 2007 at 07:00 PM