JFK vs. Nixon: A Showdown of Evil

Funny thing about history: it’s never really as over as you think. In fact, the often spewed phrase, “the right side of history…” is a reference to a fantasy; a fallacy for the simple. The right side of history changes. The right side of history is more debatable than the more intellectually aggressive like to admit. One such case might be a reexamination of the comparison that has existed in American politico-history since 1960. This, though, is an argument—not a discussion. Simply put, President John F. Kennedy was more evil than his commonly vilified counterpart, and later President, Richard M. Nixon.

Professional Politicians:

Both men were chiseled products of a media era from a young age to be politicians and nothing else. Obviously we can’t all be James Franco and academically dabble in a thousand creative fields that are marginally improved by quantifiable education, but most people change their professions, their dreams or at least their interests more than either of these former presidents. JFK and RMN were the beginning of professional politics and the life of perpetual campaigning.

A Presidential Precedent:

From the beginning, JFK set the stakes and deserves proper blame for the world Nixon would come to inherit. This isn’t about the specific problems, but rather the image of the White House JFK created for himself, and by proximity Nixon. JFK was the first president to order the IRS to investigate personal enemies and political opponents. JFK understood the world of politics and how a financial investigation can lead to a political score. One, the person being audited or interrogated has to spend money, time and energy on the actual investigation. Two, the investigation MIGHT bring up some financial discrepancies that would not have otherwise been caught. Thirdly, and most damning, JFK could then refer to his opponents’ “problems with the IRS” as a way of painting them guilty of, if nothing else, not being president. Admittedly, Nixon would later abuse his listed enemies, but this was post-Kennedy's administration—if not explicitly because of Kennedy. Also, JFK used secret audio recording…so there’s that morally shaky precedent, too.

Phony Thinker vs. Independent Thinker:

One of Kennedy’s crowning achievements in his fabled 1000 Days in Office, was the (temporary) restoration of a seemingly qualified executive cabinet. While Kennedy didn’t go so far as to hire or acknowledge political rivals, he did employ a team of Washington outsiders who seemed so unaccustomed to the potential glitz and glamour of D.C. that old Johnny Boy had no real rivals for the cameras. Naively trusting of his team, Kennedy let each department have near sovereignty, so long as they occasionally popped into the West Wing for roll call. Conversely, Nixon—a Washington player for the better part of two decades—assembled a small team of deeply collaborative experts. At times this team might have been made of just Kissinger and Nixon, but, hey, committees don’t breed efficiency.

The Masochist vs. The Prop Master:

As mentioned before, Nixon treated his wife Pat like a prop, only arguably less dispensable than Henry Kissinger. However, the Kennedy's, with all of their quasi-royalty, were playing the same sad game, and maybe better than the Nixon's. A TIME magazine reporter asked JFK if they could speak to the First Lady, to which the President said, “My wife? What do you want to talk to her for?” Apparently, Mr. Kennedy was flabbergasted that Jackie could have any political relevance herself, much less have an opinion on anything. Amazingly, it was actually Jackie that could talk about history and culture to Charles de Gaulle and other world leaders who chalked up John F. Kennedy as a pretty boy meat head.

The Womanizer vs. The Loner:

Beyond that, JFK’s sex-capades would simply make Charlie Sheen look gay; whereas Nixon’s first love, as cold as it sounds, was the embrace of a political victory. This comparison may immediately side some of my readers with Kennedy; readers making sex-cuses, perhaps envisioning some Mad Men/West Wing crossover series, but this is a decidedly anti-cheating point. Perhaps Nixon would have jumped into the sack with Ali MacGraw had there been a political advantage (and chance in hell), but as it stands in revealed history, Nixon was nothing short of a solid, albeit distant, family man.

Silver Spoon vs. Bootstraps:

In 1940, Kennedy’s college thesis (“Why England Slept”) was published and became a best seller, thrusting him into the realm of America’s young academics and—in theory—becoming a model for future presidents to be intellectually engaged. That Kennedy’s essay was a defense of England’s de facto policy of pre-WWII appeasement, that Kennedy’s father was the American ambassador to England at the time, and that Kennedy’s father bought thousands upon thousands of copies of the book are relatively absent points in the minds of modern readers. Continuing, JFK’s wartime heroism “documented” by Reader’s Digest was ridiculously exaggerated, to the point of mythology, and JFK’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Profiles in Courage,” was as written by John F. Kennedy as this blog post. His whole legacy stands in vibrant contrast to Nixon, who was a self-made lawyer, drafted into the Navy, rose to lieutenant commander, left the service after the war, partook in teaching/acting hobbies and eventually ran for Congress using his poker winnings.

Invasion vs. Diplomacy:

JFK led the Bay of Pigs fiasco. JFK put additional troops/advisors in Vietnam with the primary objection of being fired upon—to rev up that American, wartime, proto-patriotism that carries a shelf-life of about six months (or if in the Middle East, six days). It was JFK who overthrew the anti-Communist government of South Vietnam and authorized the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother, because they weren’t anti-Communist enough for possibly the most enthusiastic war mongers who have ever seen the inside of the Oval Office. But thanks to depictions of RMN in "Futurama," and worse shows, Nixon is incorrectly known as a violent instigator. Nixon was the first president since Truman to say, “hey, maybe China is a legitimate country.” More than that, Nixon was the one who traveled to communist China and communist Russia to warm-up relations during the Cold War. Furthermore, the Vietnam War’s, somewhat synthetic, resolution only occurred under Nixon’s administration--something neither Johnson nor Kennedy could muster.

Indifference vs. A Difference:

Domestically, JFK’s policies can largely only be hypothesized as not every problem can be assassinated away over the weekend. Frankly, there is barely any evidence Kennedy cared about or envisioned anything on the scale of Theodore Roosevelt, FDR, Truman or LBJ. Simply, Kennedy didn’t have the courage to expend any political capital during his presidency and its relative infancy. Meanwhile Nixon managed to address and positively affect issues concerning Native Americans, welfare reform, space travel, creation of the EPA and federal affirmative action. The last of which earned him the support and praise of Sammy Davis, Jr.—a former Rat Pack member alongside Peter Lawford (who was the brother-in-law of...

...wait for it...

...John F. Kennedy.)

Dammit! I thought he was going to say Joey Bishop!

Over-hyper Martyr vs. Unacknowledged Loyalist:

Have you ever covered for a friend’s mistake? Why would you do such a thing? The answer is obvious to anybody with friends, including Richard Nixon. He himself did nothing provably illegal until he lied about his knowledge regarding the Watergate break-in while under oath. Really, it’s the same crime (perjury) committed by Martha Stewart, Bill Clinton, Lil’ Kim and countless others. But the crime’s inherent humanity separates it from the more heinous of crimes, such as murder and indecent exposure (the two most common accusations leveled at Kennedy). Really, that even murmurs existed about Kennedy’s face being carved into Mount Rushmore is ludicrous when so little can be deduced from his legacy. Historically, he is only fractionally closer to that Rushmore pantheon than the likes of James Garfield and Zachary Taylor—both moderate, mid-level celebrities who became president, talked a big game and then went and died like JaMarcus Russell’s career.

Beginning to understand how JFK is more evil than Richard Nixon? Understanding history means understanding some ambiguity. It also means looking at evidence twice and adapting to new evidence. Really, it just means that while I didn’t lie at any point in this, or any, post, I did not state the historic truth as I understand it.

Nixon was the worse president, and even the worst president, and I’ll tell you why next time.