The Kennedy Half-Century (131 page)

14
. “DNC Tribute and Speech by Sen. Edward Kennedy,” C-SPAN, YouTube,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4fh80ZkVNk&feature=player_embedded#!
 [accessed March 28, 2012].

15
. John McCain, “Remarks to a Town Hall Meeting in New Mexico,” August 20, 2008, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=78611
 [accessed May 9, 2013].

16
. John McCain, “Remarks in Columbus, Ohio,” October 31, 2008, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=84678
 [accessed May 9, 2013].

17
. Kennedy received about 37% of the Protestant vote in 1960, so low that it nearly outweighed the 82% of Catholics that he won. According to the 2008 election day exit poll, Obama won 43% of whites, a better showing than some white Democrats have posted among this racial group in past presidential elections. For example, John Kerry (D) garnered only 41% of whites in his contest with President Bush in 2004. Incidentally, it is a measure of how much the religious factor has faded that Obama, a Protestant, secured 54% of the Catholic vote in 2008, but just 45% of the Protestant vote. See Larry J. Sabato, ed.,
The Year of Obama: How Barack Obama Won the White House
(New York: Longman, 2010), 65–68; and Donald
R. Kinder and Allison Dale-Riddle,
The End of Race? Obama, 2008, and Racial Politics in America
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), 72.

18
. There are also quotations from FDR, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Jon Ward, “Obama Replaces Bush Oval Office Rug with New Quote-Emblazoned Carpet,”
Daily Caller
, August 8, 2010,
http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/31/obamareplaces-bush-oval-office-rug-with-new-quote-emblazoned-carpet/
 [accessed March 29, 2012].

19
. E-mail from Ted Sorensen, October 22, 2010.

20
. See Barack Obama, “Inaugural Address,” January 20, 2009, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=44
 [accessed July 19, 2012].

21
. See “Joe Scarborough: State Of The Union Speech ‘Boring All Around,’ ”
Huffington Post
,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/25/joe-scarborough-state-of-union-boring_n_814064.html
 [accessed July 19, 2012], and Colby Hall, “Bill O’Reilly Criticizes Obama’s Iraq War Speech for Being Boring,”
Mediaite
, August 31, 2010,
http://www.mediaite.com/online/bill-oreilly-criticizes-obamas-iraq-war-speech-for-being-boring/
 [accessed July 19, 2012].

22
. The reason for the lack of Kennedy citations cannot be the Obama speechwriters. In 2009 Obama appointed then twenty-seven-year-old Jon Favreau as director of speechwriting. Favreau cited the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr., as providing some of his inspiration, and said he had done a good deal of reading about them. Ashley Parker, “What Would Obama Say?”
New York Times
, January 20, 2008. Another Obama speechwriter, Adam Frankel, assisted JFK aide Ted Sorensen on his memoirs, and Frankel’s paternal grandfather, Stanley Frankel, wrote speeches for Adlai Stevenson, Robert Kennedy, and George McGovern. Peter Nicholas, “The Brain Behind Obama’s Speeches,”
Los Angeles Times
, September 3, 2010.

23
. David Jackson, “Obama Celebrates Birthday of White House Situation Room,”
USA Today
, May 13, 2011,
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/05/obamacelebrates-birthday-of-white-house-situation-room/1
 [accessed July 19, 2012]; Jason Djang, “Inside the Situation Room,” White House blog, December 18, 2009,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/18/inside-situation-room
 [accessed May 9, 2012]; “Inside the Situation Room: A Guided Tour,”
Rock Center with Brian Williams
, May 4, 2012,
http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/04/11539949-inside-the-situation-room-a-guided-tourTlite
 [accessed May 9, 2012].

24
. David Jackson, “Caroline Kennedy Likely Next Ambassador to Japan,”
USA Today
, April 1, 2013,
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/04/01/obama-kennedy-japan-ambassador/2041675/
 [accessed April 1, 2013].

25
. Barack Obama, “Remarks at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York City,” September 22, 2009, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=86657
 [accessed May 31, 2012].

26
. See Barack Obama, “Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session with Young African Leaders,” August 3, 2010, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=88275
 [accessed May 31, 2012]; “Remarks in Santiago, Chile,” March 21, 2011, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
 
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=90189
 [accessed May 31, 2012]; and “Remarks at a Town Hall Meeting and a Question-and-Answer Session on Health Care Reform,” July 28, 2009, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=86479
 [accessed May 31, 2012].

27
. Barack Obama, “Remarks at an Obama Victory Fund 2012 Fundraiser,” January 9, 2012, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=98855
 [accessed May 31, 2012].

28
. In February 2010, the
Washington Post
reported on Obama’s plans to shelve “Constellation,” a program launched by President George W. Bush to return U.S. astronauts to the moon. Obama also proposed cuts to the Ares 1 program, NASA’s hoped-for successor to the space shuttle. See Joel Achenbach, “NASA Budget for 2011 Eliminates Funds for Manned Lunar Missions,”
Washington Post
, February 1, 2010.

29
. Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan, “Is Obama Grounding JFK’s Space Legacy?”
USA Today
, May 24, 2011,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2011-05-24-Obama-grounding-JFK-space-legacy_n.htm?csp=hf
 [accessed June 14, 2012].

30
. Barack Obama, “ ‘John Kennedy’s Life … Was a Source of Inspiration,’ ”
USA Today Special Edition, JFK’s America
(Fall 2010): 9.

31
.
http://mycmag.kantarmediana.com/videos/PRES_REALLEADER_LED_THE_WAY_60.mov
 [accessed June 4, 2012].

32
. “Romney’s ‘Faith in America’ Address,”
New York Times
, December 6, 2007,
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/us/politics/06text-romney.html?pagewanted=all
 [accessed May 14, 2012].

33
. See Richard Reeves,
President Kennedy: Profile of Power
(New York: Touchstone, 1993), 15; and 1960 Census Data, United States Census Bureau website,
http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1961-02.pdf
 [accessed August 2, 2012].

34
. Jarod Favole, “Third Presidential Debate,”
Wall Street Journal
, October 23, 2012,
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203406404578074280108831690.html
 [accessed November 13, 2012], and “Vice Presidential Debate: Transcript,”
Wall Street Journal
, October 12, 2012,
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443749204578052240221885884.html
 [accessed November 13, 2012]; Russell Contreras, “JFK’s Last Night Recalled as Watershed Event for Latinos,” Associated Press, November 25, 2012, reprinted in
Abilene Reporter News
,
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/nov/25/jfks-last-night-recalled-as-key-event-for/
 [accessed December 3, 2012].

35
. One small but telling example: in November 2012, the JFK Fifty-Mile race, one of the oldest “ultramarathon” events in the United States, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The race grew out of President Kennedy’s challenge to U.S. Marines to march fifty miles in twenty hours in order to demonstrate their physical fitness. Some civilians quickly adopted the Kennedy fifty-mile standard, including eleven members of an athletic club located in Boonsboro, Maryland. Boonsboro continues to host the JFK Fifty-Mile event, which today draws runners from all over the world. See Lenny Bernstein, “JFK 50: A ‘Soft American’ Accepts the Challenge,”
Washington Post
, November 6, 2012,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/jfk50-a-soft-american-accepts-the-challenge/2012/11/05/6066df4a-1d86-11e2-ba31-3083ca97c314_story.html
 [accessed December 13, 2012].

36
. The University of Michigan commissioned Paul Long Productions to produce the hour-long documentary. The UM commemoration of JFK’s Peace Corps speech was brought
to my attention by Ted Sorensen. In an October 15, 2010, e-mail just days before his fatal stroke, Sorensen wrote, “Talk about the JFK legacy!” See the Paul Long Productions website,
http://www.paul-long.com/
 [accessed June 14, 2012], and also Tom Perkins, “Students Commemorate John F. Kennedy’s ‘Peace Corps’ Speech at the Michigan Student Union,” Ann Arbor.com, October 14, 2010,
http://www.annarbor.com/news/students-commemorate-john-f-kennedys-peace-corps-speech-at-the-michigan-student-union/
 [accessed August 2, 2012].

37
. Natasha Lennard, “President Obama, Kennedys Salute JFK,”
Politico
, January 21, 2011,
http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1101/obama_kennedys_salute_jfk.html
 [accessed April 19, 2012].

38
. Matt Viser, “JFK’s Words Echo Once More in Washington,”
Boston Globe
, January 21, 2011,
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2011/01/21/jfks_words_echo_once_more_in_washington/?page=1
 [accessed June 14, 2012]; “Second Time Around: Caroline Kennedy Helps ‘Launch’ Second USS John F Kennedy 44 Years After Christening Original Carrier,”
The Daily Mail
, May 30, 2011,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392234/Second-time-Caroline-Kennedy-helps-launch-second-USS-John-F-Kennedy-44-years-christening-original-carrier.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
 [accessed June 14, 2012].

39
. Barack Obama, “Remarks on the Death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy in Chilmark, Massachusetts,” August 26, 2009, Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project
,
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=86565
 [accessed April 11, 2012].

40
. Jen Doll, “Our Obsession with the ‘Kennedy Curse,’ ”
The Atlantic
, May 17, 2012,
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/05/our-obsession-kennedy-curse/52451/
 [accessed May 17, 2012].

41
. Michael Cooper, “G.O.P. Senate Victory Stuns Democrats,”
New York Times
, January 19, 2010.

42
. Briefly after JFK’s election as president, the seat was given to John Kennedy’s Harvard roommate, Benjamin Smith, because Ted was not yet of the constitutional age of thirty for Senate service. As planned, Smith stepped aside in 1962 so that Ted, now of age, could run for the seat in the scheduled special election. Abby Goodnough, “Patrick Kennedy Packs Up 63 Years of Family History,”
New York Times
, December 16, 2010.

43
. See “Different People, Same Message,” YouTube,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iddquwGpXMo
 [accessed March 14, 2012]; and Matt Viser, “For Brown, JFK Transcends Party Lines,”
Boston Globe
, December 31, 2009,
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/31/for_brown_jfk_transcends_party_lines/
 [accessed March 14, 2012].

44
. Caroline Kennedy was never formally chosen by Governor David Paterson (D), and his appointment went instead to U.S. Representative Kirsten Gillibrand.

45
. Patterson Clark, “The Kennedy Family Tree,”
Washington Post Online
,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/08/12/GR2009081200033.html
 [accessed August 7, 2012].

46
. See Ted Sorensen,
Counselor
(New York: HarperCollins, 2008); James W. Douglass,
JFK and the Unspeakable
(New York: Touchstone, 2008); Lamar Waldron and Thorn Hartmann,
Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination
(Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2009); Steven M. Gillon,
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After
(New York: Basic Books, 2009); Mark Lane,
Last Word: My Jndictment of the CIA in the Murder of JFK
(New York:
Skyhorse Publishing, 2011); Chris Matthews,
Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 2011); Eliza Gray, “Camelot Tales: Why Is ‘Vanity Fair’ So Obsessed with the Kennedys?”
The New Republic
, April 12, 2011,
http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/86560/vanity-fair-kennedy-middleton
 [accessed June 14, 2012]; and Brad Watson, “Case Thrown Out Against Seller of Conspiracy Magazines at Dealey Plaza,” WFAA.com, December 17, 2010,
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Case-thrown-out-against-seller-Dealey-Plaza-112050554.html
 [accessed June 14, 2012]. In 2012, pop star Lana Del Rey and rapper A$AP Rocky reenacted JFK’s assassination for the video of Ray’s hit single “National Anthem.” The video game
Call of Duty: Black Ops
features a special mode that allows players to defend JFK against a zombie attack. See Ann Lee, “Lana Del Rey Plays Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O in National Anthem Video,” Metro, June 27, 2012,
http://www.metro.co.uk/music/903449-lana-del-rey-plays-marilyn-monroe-and-jackie-o-in-national-anthem-video
 [accessed June 28, 2012] and Matthew Shelley, “Call of Duty Black Ops Secret Stage: JFK, Nixon and Castro Battle Zombies,” CBS News, November 10, 2010,
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20022370-501465.html
 [accessed June 14, 2012].