# Why Is JFK So Deified? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 28, 2015, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541 "2015-12-28T06:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/61 "2015-12-30T14:17:30Z")
I think it is less that he is actually deified by anyone than it is his present-day critics enjoy believing him deified. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi to feeling all iconoclastic that makes it even more better. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/62 "2015-12-30T14:22:56Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I don’t think it’s so much a matter of who’s quotes were better, but rather whose quotes come to mind most readily when the president in question is mentioned. Most people seem to think of Kennedy’s “_Ask not_” and “_Put a man on the moon_” and “_We will pay any price_” quotes almost simultaneously with mention of his name. No other quote, not even FDR’s “_fear inself_” quote made during a time of war, comes to mind so readily with the mention of that president’s name. > > In other words, Kennedy’s charisma caused these quotes to resonate with and be taken to heart by the populace in such a deep and long-lasting way that he’s famous for them even now, fifty-two years after his death. I don’t think the same could be said for the other quotes mentioned. I think that FDR’s quotes are the victim of time, not of being overshadowed by JFK’s aura. I was an elementary student 20 years after FDRs death, in the 60s, and “Fear itself” was a familiar quote into the 70s. I think that JFKs quotables have about the same rate of retention, adjusting for time. I haven’t done a study, but, IME, that’s the way it appears. Kind of like “The business of America is business”, spoken by H. Hoover. I suspect not even a history professor knows of that one, now, but, into the 90s it was at least known, and put into some history books. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/63 "2015-12-30T14:36:32Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I think it is less that he is actually deified by anyone than it is his present-day critics enjoy believing him deified. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi to feeling all iconoclastic that makes it even more better. You are really desperate, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/64 "2015-12-30T14:53:30Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > You are really desperate, aren’t you? Nope. Just describing what I see. The same attitude is present from some on the left when they tear into Ronald Reagan. Either way, the delight in criticizing an iconic politician is typically all out of proportion to the substance of the criticism offered. Similar wankery is sometimes displayed by present day Abraham Lincoln critics. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/65 "2015-12-30T14:57:44Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > … FDR’s “_fear inself_” quote made during a time of war … Nitpick. FDR’s famous quote concerned the Great Depression and is from 1933. [QUOTE=Franklin Delano Roosevelt (in his First Inaugural Address)] So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/66 "2015-12-30T15:00:36Z")
Does anybody remember Calvin Coolidge? When asked about the US’s refusal to cancel the Allies war debts, Coolidge replied “they hired the money, didn’t they”-ah, Calvin…the soul of Vermont brevity!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/67 "2015-12-30T15:02:24Z")
I always liked JFK’s speech to Berliners" Ich bin ein Berliner" (translation : “I am a jelly filled doughnut”!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/68 "2015-12-30T15:10:22Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > I always liked JFK’s speech to Berliners" Ich bin ein Berliner" (translation : “I am a jelly filled doughnut”!🙂 Except h[e didn’t say that…](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner#Jelly_doughnut_misconception) ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/69 "2015-12-30T15:10:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > An equally valid explanation is that Kennedy is remembered for his pithy quotes because there’s not much else to remember. He did leave behind a glamorous widow and two good looking kids. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/70 "2015-12-30T17:08:53Z")
Tear down this jelly-filled doughnut! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/71 "2015-12-30T18:19:09Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > …Kind of like “The business of America is business”, spoken by H. Hoover… Coolidge: [“The business of America is business” – a famously unfair misquote… - This Day in Quotes](http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2010/01/business-of-america-is-business.html) > [@botsgotme](#): > > Does anybody remember Calvin Coolidge?.. There you go. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/72 "2015-12-30T18:32:10Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Nitpick. FDR’s famous quote concerned the Great Depression and is from 1933. Thanks for correcting a longstanding wrong impression. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/73 "2015-12-30T19:17:52Z")
Well, the wartime version is less well-remembered. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. And the Germans. And the Japs. They might kill us all.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/74 "2015-12-31T15:57:38Z")
“The Italians… not so much.” ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/75 "2016-01-01T22:29:41Z")
> [@botsgotme](#): > > Does anybody remember Calvin Coolidge? When asked about the US’s refusal to cancel the Allies war debts, Coolidge replied “they hired the money, didn’t they”-ah, Calvin…the soul of Vermont brevity!🙂 I think his most-remembered line is “a return to normalcy.” Kennedy’s best quip ever, by the way, was his praising of Washington DC for its “Northern charm and Southern efficiency.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/76 "2016-01-02T00:44:09Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > I think [Coolidge’s] most-remembered line is “a return to normalcy.” … Harding: [Return to normalcy - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_normalcy) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/77 "2016-01-02T02:45:24Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Harding: [Return to normalcy - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_normalcy) Ignorance fought, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![JBGUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JBGUSA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBGUSA)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/78 "2016-01-02T02:53:37Z")
I think that he was not a good President at all. I think his “accomplishments” such as the Test Ban Treaty amounted to cave-ins. One of his cardinal sins was to attend the Khruschev (sp) summit totally unprepared. Even to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis he had to pledge to remove missiles from Turkey ten years hence. His image created an atmosphere of hope and excitement, much like Obama. His accomplishment record is similarly slender. Kennedy continued the long patter of craven surrenders started with Eisenhower. During the period from January 20, 1953, when Eisenhower opened his terms by caving to the Communists in Korea, through Kennedy’s Test Ban Treaty and assassination of Diem in South Vietnam(the list goes on): [ol] [li]Korean armistice (Eisenhower);[/li][li]Stand-down in regard to Hungarian Revolution of 1956(Eisenhower);[/li][li]Forcing Britain, France and Israel to back off in regaining control over Suez(Eisenhower);[/li][li]Fueling harmful African and Asian “independence” under West’s financial tutelage and no-strings attached aid (Eisenhower);[/li][li]Standing down on Quemoy, Matsu and other South China Sea boundary issues (Eisenhower);[/li][li]Allowing Castro takeover within Cuba, clearly within American “zone of influence” from Monroe’s days (Eisenhower);[/li][li]Bay of Pigs (Kennedy);[/li][li]Cuban missile crisis agreements involving removal of missiles from Turkey and allowing Soviet domination to stand within American[/li]“zone of influence” from Monroe’s days (Kennedy); [li]Merely rhetorical response to Berlin Wall construction (Kennedy);[/li][li]Test Ban Treaty (Kennedy); and[/li][li]Assassination of Diem (Kennedy)[/li][/ol] Kennedy ran to Nixon’s right on foreign policy, promising, with soaring rhetoric, to fight the Cold War on America’s terms. The simple fact is he didn’t try. He even went to the Vienna summit meeting with Khrushchev utterly unprepared. That’s something a 26 year old first-year lawyer, not a President of the U.S. would do. ---
**Author:** ![JBGUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JBGUSA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBGUSA)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/79 "2016-01-02T02:54:38Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > I think his most-remembered line is “a return to normalcy.” That was Warren Gamaliel Harding. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541/80 "2016-01-02T05:20:38Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Harding: [Return to normalcy - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_normalcy) > [@JBGUSA](#): > > That was Warren Gamaliel Harding. Should I use my power of invisibility for good, or evil? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-jfk-so-deified/741541.md?page=5)