I Like “Ike” and Kennedy’s New Frontier

• Eisenhower felt that the Executive should not be the leader of social reform—that belonged in Congress—the real voice of the people.

• When asked why not send more Bills to congress … “I don’t feel like I should nag them.”

• Eisenhower believed in something called “Dynamic Conservatism.”

• 1) Budget cutting (reduce unnecessary spending);

• 2) Laissez Faire toward business (it was at this time that GM stated “what was good for GM was good for America);

• 3) More power in the hands of the states and local governments.

• Eisenhower stated, “I will be conservative … in money matters … a liberal when it comes to human beings.”

• To prove his determination to allow business to proceed he appointed 8 of 9 Cabinets posts to corporate executives.

• Eisenhower was a staunch opponent of deficit spending—in no one’s logic is deficit spending logical—he pointed to England and France to prove how unsuccessful it was.

• He vetoed two Public Housing Bills, fearing they would become more Tenements and crime ridden and poverty stricken as they had in New York and other Big Cities.

• He vetoed some public works projects because they did nothing to boost the economy—and temporary work cost more than the return.

• However, it increased the federal military and foreign aid budgets—for home security and prestige abroad—keep small countries from turning communist—He also raised SS coverage and expanded it—increased the minimum wage and expanded unemployment insurance

• Liberal Democrats and many minorities argued for a more activist Executive; they used 2 focused arguments:

• 1) America’s cultural and spiritual malaise;

• 2) Cold War politics.

• Americans wanted someone more dynamic and could lead America in anew direction.

• (Eisenhower did not pursue very hard)

1960 Campaign• Many Americans were looking for new

leadership; a more dynamic Executive, and activist, especially the Democrats and the Civil Rights activists.

• Both parties found their candidate—Rep. Richard M. Nixon; the Dem John F. Kennedy.

• Nixon had been Eisenhower’s V.P. He had made the famous “Checker’s Speech” To many republicans he was a logical and viable candidate—Dr. King actually preferred Nixon.

• Kennedy was young, dynamic and very charming. The press loved him; the Dem’s idolized him.

• It was a close race. It came down to the very first ever live Television debate between the two candidates.

• On Radio Nixon won, but on TV where it counted the most, JFK won. Nixon looked to shadowy—Kennedy looked youthful and honest.

• Kennedy won a close election—real close. It could have been contested, but Nixon thought, even though he wanted to be President, that something as crass as contending the balloting would create more harm and diminish the Office—

• Kennedy entered office asking people to change their minds about Government service and join his New Frontier—peace corps,etc …

• His New Frontier—a torch passed to the new youthful leaders of America had three main points:

• 1) A more sophisticated sense of Economics—he hired the “Whiz Kids” to be his trusted counsel;

• 2) An emphasis on social welfare programs—the poor in his mind had suffered enough;

• 3) Different tactics in the Cold War and promote and accelerate the Space program.

• Kennedy had 8 major goals—most defeated:• 1) ↑ Federal aid for Education (Defeated)

• 2) Enact Medical Care for the elderly (Defeated)

• 3) ↑ Minimum Wage (passed)• 4) Urban Reforms (modest successes)• 5) Civil Rights (none)• 6) End to Poverty (failed)• 7) Major Tax Cuts (defeated)• 8) Cold War goals. (Yes) JFK increased Cold

War spending to erase the mythical ‘Missile Gap’ and spent much money on the Space Program.

• Proved to be a man of much rhetoric and little action:

• Economics: moderate increase in federal spending; expanded global trade; stabilized interest rates; wanted major tax cuts.

• He did stand tough against the Russians in Cuba and in Berlin. Overall many of his tax policies panned out to be right, but after his assassination in Dallas, TX Nov 22nd 1963.

• Because of the aura of mystery and conspiracy surrounding his death, the Young President has been ever since lionized in Political history.

• Interesting, every President since 1840 that had been elected in a zero year had died in office:

• 1860 Abraham Lincoln; 1880 James A. Garfield; 1900 William McKinley; 1960 John F. Kennedy had all been assassinated;

• 1840 Zachary Taylor; 1920 Warren G. Harding; and 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt had all died in office—seem to be a curse!

• Regardless of the Kennedy Mystique and the aura of “Camelot,” (jfks favorite play) Kennedy did plan and did pursue a more aggressive stance toward communism.

• Argued for a “Flexible response” and preemptive “Brush fire wars.” Keep it contained into small wars.

• Vietnam and Cuba would be early tests to his resolve and to his legacy as President.

• Upon entering office, he immediately had to engage in damage control; The Bay of Pigs fiasco (1961).

• Soon after he also had to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK took a strong stance and essentially forced the Russians to back down in Cuba

• The Missiles of October, were about as close as we ever came to a actual nuclear exchanges;

• Kennedy enforced a ‘Quarantine Line’

• The Russians in response shot down a U-2 plane over Cuba;

• Luckily cooler heads prevailed; disaster was avoided

• The Cuban crisis made JFK change his mind on Missile defense; he still believed in the ‘Missile Gap’; he still believed in fighting communism abroad; but he did engage in ABM and Test Ban negotiations with the Russians.

• He vigorously began to pursue Space initiatives—the idea of Sputnik 1 and 2 and now the Missile issues, also the Wall in Berlin became a black eye to JFKs administration;

• Peaceful co-existence began to be his mantra.

• JFK initiated the Peace Corp; he initiated what would become Americorp—a domestic Peace Corp where young Americans were recruited from the Universities and sent out as ambassadors, project managers and governmental liaisons to ensure that the American Dream and assistance reached all people’s foreign and domestic.

• In essence it was a re-named Marshal Plan. One wins converts with honey not vinegar.

• Unfortunately we will never know what JFK would have accomplished; Dallas TX.

• What we do know, however, is that many of his tax plans which were more Republican in nature, proved to be successful in the end—again proving that Keynesian economics by itself is misguided

• There was also that little Asian nuisance hovering on the horizon; Vietnam.

• LBJ took the oath of office on Air Force One;

• He continued the policies and works of the Kennedy administration;

• What JFK couldn’t pass in life, Congress passed for him in death

• Johnson was from humble origins, a Texan.

• He was a fervent New Dealer– a staunch Keynesian idealist; fundamentally believed that the government should regulate and enforce and oversee many avenues of private life;

• Originally he was a political rival of JFKs, but Kennedy needed the SW vote; Once in Office, Johnson was truly dedicated to abolishing racial inequality—his voting base was poor whites and African Americans.

• MLK thought him sincere but misguided and a politician that would do anything to get what he wanted—still, he ushered through many Civil Rights initiatives such as Voting Rights, Immigration reform, and many social programs.

• What he wanted was a mandate from the people—not just riding on JFKs coattails. He overwhelmingly defeated Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election—he had his mandate—after that everything fell apart on him.

• Goldwater was a tactless and too honest politician for national politics;

• He did accuse and suggest through LBJs previous stances on communism that he was soft;

• LBJ had been on two fact finding mission in Vietnam as VP; he decided that the Mekong Delta should become the TVA of Asia—now he was determined more than ever to succeed in Vietnam.

• Though Vietnam would define LBJ, he did have some successes in his domestic policies;

• “The Great Society” his war on poverty.

• He argued for “maximum feasible” participation of the poor and minorities in the economic, social and political opportunity in America.

• There were many governmental programs to help combat poverty, such as medicare, medicaid, better SS benefits, money for education and training—give the poor a skill.

• LBJ was a workaholic, engrossed in legislative details; coercing people to follow his policies was something he was good at;

• LBJ read a book by Michael Harrington (1962), The Other America, it greatly influenced him—there also was Oscar Lewis’ book The Culture of Poverty, it was a cultural thing, culture and perception needed to change to change the idea of poverty in America—LBJs war on poverty was designed to help the poor, but also redefine their cultural perceptions. Living in the present and not looking into the future perpetuated poverty--

• The Johnson administration looked at poverty in America through sociological, psychological, political and moral lens’.

• If poverty is perpetuated, a culture of poverty, then LBJ wanted to change culture—understand why there was a lack of strong male role models, why there was so many babies born out of wed-lock etc … scientifically and morally it could be corrected.

• Head Start, HUD, Vista program and Peace Corps were expanded—wanted to self-start a generation replacing cultural poverty with self-made dynamic opportunistic individuals that would lead their poverty areas as models of economic successes.

• Again, Vietnam and too many policies and programs were failing;

• many minorities took to the streets;

• The “Long Hot Summer” of 1967 that began in Watts in 1965 revealed the frustration and the inability of the Johnson administration to see the fruits of its labor—achievements were small and frustration was high;

• From LA to Washington DC.