1. This thread by Prof. @KevinMKruse unfortunately presents a misleading & oversimplified history of John F. Kennedy & his presidency. Let's dig in and explore why, moving from the general to specifics. https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1104826912445206529 …
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10. One example of that dynamic is this: JFK's invocation of separation of church & state was *defensive* because he was trying to reassure fears about a Papist president that had led Al Smith in 1928 to lose must-win Democrat base states in the South. https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1104826913342849031 …
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11. And it is tendentious to just say that “JFK was, after all, the president who coined the phrase "affirmative action.” https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1104826917235163137 … The actual text of the EO says "without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/thelaw/eo-10925.html …pic.twitter.com/DympGeak5D
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12. On the specific issue of race-conscious remedies, JFK took a stance rather different from the one Prof. Kruse implies - a position that would get him condemned by today's Ds & embraced by today's Rs: https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-press-conferences/news-conference-60 …pic.twitter.com/BpQ2g69W3H
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13. One, religious liberty is a conservative cause today, not a liberal one. Two, if you actually watch the video, JFK never endorses the decision, implies he disagrees, waffles on a Congressional response, & tells everybody to go pray with their kids. https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1104826914127134726 …
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14. This is a distinction without a difference. JFK pushed to cut marginal rates across the board, like Reagan or W, & corporate taxes, like Trump. Like Reagan, W & Trump, he defended this with both supply-side & demand-side rhetoric. https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1104826920653504512 …
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15. There is no reasonable universe in which you can dispute the fact that JFK's arguments for lower taxes were conservative arguments or that marginal & corporate tax cuts are conservative, not liberal policy. He explicitly argued that cutting taxes would raise revenue!pic.twitter.com/ZZyWvoRWuO
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16. Prof. Kruse excuses this by noting that JFK left rates a lot higher than they are today. True! But he also pushed to increase defense spending, even though he inherited a *vastly* bigger defense budget than we have today.
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17. JFK pushed defense spending to almost 10% of GDP and 50% of federal spending; today it is roughly 3.5% of GDP & 16% of federal spending. He also ran on fears of a "missile gap" - that Eisenhower, of all people, was soft on nukes - & expanded our nuclear arsenal.
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18. Like many aspects of JFK's policies, his expansion of defense spending was clawed back some, & he built more missiles but also signed a nuclear test ban treaty. But then again, Reagan signed arms control deals, too. History is complicated!
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19. JFK urged "strengthening NATO, promoted free trade and denounced the use of protective tariffs." Yes, these are longstanding conservative positions, & are shared by many Rs in Congress today. This just shows that JFK was more conservative than Trump. https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1104826910306197504 …
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20. Tariffs are taxes; JFK cutting them was consistent with his overall orientation towards tax cuts. Also "strengthening NATO" is an understated way of saying JFK was a vocal & vigorous Cold Warrior who almost came to blows with the Soviets in Berlin.https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/standoff-checkpoint-charlie-1961/ …
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21. Prof. Kruse does the same thing here: "oh yeah, he stood up to the Russians." Tough-on-USSR was, of course, the conservative position throughout the Cold War, not the liberal one. It has remained the position of many non-Trump conservatives since. https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1104826923589554176 …
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22. Again, "JFK was really, really against Communism" is not the killer gotcha that you think for why he was more a liberal than a conservative. He wasn't a Bernie Sanders "honeymoon in Moscow" guy. He almost had nuclear war over Fidel Castro. He spoke of Communism as evil:pic.twitter.com/RFRqtv4SQy
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End of conversation
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