Was JFK a Liberal, a Moderate or a Conservative?

[DevotedDemocrat]

I've seen, in the days before and now after the Anniversary of the Assasination, both the right wing and the left wing trying to claim him as an icon for their side. Right wingers like Glenn Beck have put forward the argument that JFK was actually a Conservative, not too far ideologically from Ronald Reagan; that his Conservatism is evident in his pushing of the Tax Cut, his increase of the Defense Budget, and his staunch anti-Communism.

On the other hand I have seen the left claim him as the true heir to FDR, whose New Frontier would've finished what FDR began, and used as evidence is his support of what became Medicare, his support of what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964, his desire to have a "War on Poverty" in his second term, and his creation of the Peace Corps as well as his alleged softened views of the USSR in the last months of his life. It seems with the anniversary, both the right and the left want JFK as their icon....

My question is, what was he truly? Besides way overrated?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Moderate Hero

[RogueBeaver]

Liberal.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

JFK certainly considered himself a liberal, but True Leftists would say he was just paying lip service.

[Yank2133]

Kennedy was a liberal.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Definitely a liberal.

[RogueBeaver]

JFK certainly considered himself a liberal, but True Leftists would say he was just paying lip service.

Eleanor Roosevelt also doubted JFK's liberal cred, but IIRC that had more to do with his father and McCarthy than his voting record.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

JFK was liberal but he wasn't a liberal of the "sock it to the rich" progressive variety. More of Middle Wayer than a True Leftist.

[H. Ross Peron]

JFK was liberal but he wasn't a liberal of the "sock it to the rich" progressive variety. More of Middle Wayer than a True Leftist.

[ElectionsGuy]

Liberal then, moderate now.

[All Along The Watchtower]

JFK was liberal but he wasn't a liberal of the "sock it to the rich" progressive variety. More of Middle Wayer than a True Leftist.

How many True Leftists have been President?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

JFK was liberal but he wasn't a liberal of the "sock it to the rich" progressive variety. More of Middle Wayer than a True Leftist.

How many True Leftists have been President?

FDR wasn't quite a True Leftist, but he was willing to let them do a lot.

In many respects Truman was, but was constrained by a Congress and a Court that wouldn't let him be one, and he had the sense to not try for the impossible.

LBJ was an odd combination of a Hawk and a True Leftist, who let his Hawk run wild to be able to indulge his True Leftist.

And if you think any or all of those three weren't really True Leftist, I won't argue the point since all three were borderline True Leftists at best, but they are it.  Certainly we haven't had a President since who has come even close to be a True Leftist.

[© tweed]

JFK was liberal but he wasn't a liberal of the "sock it to the rich" progressive variety. More of Middle Wayer than a True Leftist.

proto-Third Way.  I like it.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Voteview has him as the 2nd most liberal post-war President, after Carter.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Voteview's method does not really enable comparisons of stances at different times.

[Peter the Lefty]

Moderate liberal, evolving into more of a true liberal when he died.

[Miles]

My state Senator thinks that JFK could have founded the tea party:

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[useful idiot]

In his time he was moderate, who leaned liberal on some things and conservative on others; certainly wasn't a social democrat in the LBJ/FDR mold. If he weren't an Irish Catholic, would it have been shocking if he were a Republican at the time? I don't think so. Not to say that there weren't liberal Republicans then, but I think that goes to show how unattached he was to any ideology or faction when it came to his personal beliefs. He didn't really accomplish anything substantive during three years in office, so that should tell you something.

In our day I could see him being a Jon Huntsman sort of conservative.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Vulture capitalism and occupy Wallstreet was the new name given to Handouts to the Federal Reserve. Populism was the term given to Dems before their move to left on Cold War during Iran Contra. Yes, he was very much like the Daley clam in building up the Federal Reserve, along with Wilson and LBJ and Carter.

[smoltchanov]

Main criteria, on which people decided who was a liberal and who - conservative, were, in JFK time, economical. Now they are social. JFK was an economical liberal (pragmatic liberal, but still liberal), but i am not sure he would easily support, say, "gay marriage" or "light narcotics possession for personal use"

[TDAS04]

Moderately liberal. 

[hopper]

Moderate.

[Peter the Lefty]

Main criteria, on which people decided who was a liberal and who - conservative, were, in JFK time, economical. Now they are social. JFK was an economical liberal (pragmatic liberal, but still liberal), but i am not sure he would easily support, say, "gay marriage" or "light narcotics possession for personal use"

Actually, believe it or not, his lifelong best friend was gay, and letters exchanged between the two indicate a pretty liberal attitude on JFK's part with regards to homosexuality.

[Maxwell]

JFK was a moderate, but really, this is kind of meaningless, as JFK would've governed the electable way.

[PJ]

Moderate liberal, evolving into more of a true liberal when he died.