Listening In (47 page)
Authors: Ted Widmer
I think you can get the real story told if it’s a good speaker. That’s why the film’s gonna be—and you might lead off with the film, then the keynoter, because people are sick of it after half hour of watching anyway; if you lead off with the film, then the keynoter. … There’s no doubt, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a short one [film] on Franklin Roosevelt.
JOHN BAILEY:
Well what you could do is on the Democratic Party is have the five Presidents of—that we’ve had since Cleveland, Wilson …
JFK:
Well, this century. I think, I think Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman … but I think that Wilson’s good if you can get a lot of good film. Roosevelt, Truman, I think that’s a good idea—four Democratic Presidents—that’s a good idea.
BAILEY:
And that way you—can bring you in at the end. …
JFK:
But what is it that we can make them decide they want to vote for us, Democrats and Kennedy? The Democrats [are] not as strong in appeal, obviously, as it was twenty years ago. The younger people, party label—what is it that’s going to make them go for us? What is it we have to sell them? We hope we have to sell them prosperity, but for the average guy, the prosperity is nil. He’s not unprosperous, but he’s not very prosperous; he’s not going make out well off. And the people who really are well off hate our guts.
So that, what is it? There’s a lot of Negroes, we’re the ones that are shoving the Negroes down his throat. What is it he’s got, though? We’ve got peace, you know what I mean, we say we hope the country’s prosperous, I’m trying to think of what else. I think probably, we’ve got so mechanical an operation here in Washington that it doesn’t have much identity where these people are concerned. And they don’t feel particularly—I’m not, they really didn’t have it with Truman, only in that retrospect they have Truman … hell of a time. Franklin Roosevelt had it, even Wilson had it, but I think it’s tough for a Democrat with that press apparatus working. So I’m just trying to think what is it?—
[tape ends]
PRESIDENT KENNEDY AT THE HMS
RESOLUTE
DESK
“OUR LOT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT,” PRIVATE DICTATION, NOVEMBER 12, 1963
This dictated memorandum, never before published, was recorded privately, in the same format that Kennedy reserved for events of high significance. It reveals him to be in a state of some apprehension and perhaps even low morale as he contemplated a bleaker than expected political picture in November 1963. The progress of the Civil Rights Movement had created major problems in the South, where reliable Democrats were becoming Republicans, and required considerable attention as he turned his thoughts to the hard campaign he would face in 1964. The exasperation with which he says the date, “Tuesday, November 12,” is quite out of character with the driving confidence so clearly on display in the vast majority of the recordings.
JFK:
Politically, the news is somewhat disturbing, looking toward 1964. The election in Texas on the poll tax. The Republican meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, which, the Republicans were more optimistic than usual about the South. The slowness of the Congress, which is giving it a bad name, and therefore the administration, which is also Democratic. The hatchet job on the foreign aid bill, which has gone on more than two weeks, led by the liberals, supported by the Southerners and conservative Republicans.
All these make the situation politically not as good as it might be. In addition, the cattle growers are angry because of the increase in imports and the depression of their prices, which, while it comes about from their overproduction, is blamed upon us.
Tuesday, November 12, having difficulties in Latin America or the Alliance for Progress.
12
The Argentines threatening to expropriate our oil. The Brazilians, the Brazilian [João] Goulart,
13
ignoring the Alliance for Progress. Obviously, both playing a very nationalist game. And then the rumor that the Dominican Republic may break relations with us. They’re irritated with the United States for not recognizing, and making their lot more difficult. All this is, indicates a rising tide of nationalism and a lessening of their dependence upon the United States. In addition, they have a radical left who [unclear] at home, so that our lot becomes more difficult.
Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy,
Ken-ne-dy for me!
Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy!
Do you want a man for president,
Who’s seasoned through and through?
But not so doggone seasoned,
That he won’t try something new.
A man who’s old enough to know,
And young enough to do.
Well, it’s up to you, it’s up to you,
It’s strictly up to you.
Do you like a man who answers straight,
A man who’s always fair?
We’ll measure him against the others,
And when you compare,
You cast your vote for Kennedy,
And the change that’s overdue,
So, it’s up to you, it’s up to you,
It’s strictly up to you.
And it’s Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy,
Ken-ne-dy for me!
Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy!
Kennedy!
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