Would JFK Be a Democrat Today?
I’ve always considered myself a Democrat in terms of party preference. I came to that position in the context of the ideas and policies of people like John F. Kennedy and other liberals and Democrats of that era (such as Daniel Patrick Moynihan). But when I think about today’s Democratic Party, including many of the people who speak for it and the ideology and policies they favor, I have to wonder what happened over the past couple of decades. I have to wonder if JFK himself would be a Democrat today.
As a Democrat, I believe that society, meaning government, has a responsibility to help the less fortunate; all men and women should have equal rights and equal opportunity; government should operate with maximum openness and transparency; capitalism and the free market are the best economic system, but business must be reasonably regulated and controlled to protect the people; taxes are required to fund the operations of an effective and efficient government, although under the right circumstances lower taxes can produce greater revenue; progressive taxation that places more burden on those who earn higher incomes is necessary and proper; and constitutional and human rights must be respected and protected by government.
I’m also pro-choice, in favor of gun control, against the death penalty, tolerant of gay marriage, indifferent to sexual orientations, opposed to censorship, insistent on absolute freedom of speech, and against mixing religion and government.
I believe we should be strong in defense of our nation and our values, which includes maintaining strong armed forces. We should never shrink from challenges overseas, employing force wisely but as necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies.
JFK most likely would have agreed with everything I just said, with the exception that he may have been pro-life because of his Catholic beliefs.
The difference between then and now is the degree to which Democrats pursue these principles and the way they do it. The primary voice of the Party seems to come mostly from the far left. There’s no longer much room for compromise, the extremes of every principle are pursued to the maximum, and those who disagree are viciously attacked.
Would JFK be a Democrat today? I think he would find it difficult. Or maybe with more leaders like him, the Party itself would be different.
I say none of this with reference to the Republican Party. They have their own strengths, failings, and problems. But I’m not one of them, so it doesn’t bother me so much. What does bother me is the current state of the Democratic Party. I haven’t left it, but more and more it seems to have left me.
I was motivated in part to write this article by a Jeff Jacoby column in The Boston Globe, ‘Kennedy’ once meant ‘tax cutter’. It’s worth reading.
(This article was also posted at Opinion Forum.)
That is even more patently absurd than the notion he would not be a democrat. He supported a 25% hike in the minimum wage and the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1960, an all out push for Medicare in 1962 and many other programs aimed at worker protection and poverty eradication. He supported civil rights legislation.
Yes- he cut the highest marginal rate from 91% to 70%. But that in no way supports the notion that he would support the current rates- which are half- the elimination of things like the ECIC, or a flat rate. Moreover- the reason he cut the rates was because he was Keynesian. He was not a supply sider. Lets get clear on who JFK was. This notion is tripe.
https://www.nationalcenter.org/JFKTaxes1961.html
That is even more patently absurd than the notion he would not be a democrat. He supported a 25% hike in the minimum wage and the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1960, an all out push for Medicare in 1962 and many other programs aimed at worker protection and poverty eradication. He supported civil rights legislation.
Yes- he cut the highest marginal rate from 91% to 70%. But that in no way supports the notion that he would support the current rates- which are half- the elimination of things like the ECIC, or a flat rate. Moreover- the reason he cut the rates was because he was Keynesian. He was not a supply sider. Lets get clear on who JFK was. This notion is tripe.
https://www.nationalcenter.org/JFKTaxes1961.html