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Kennedy's Grand Democratic Design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2009

Neal Riemer
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Extract

This Article will explore four major questions. Is there a grand democratic design to be detected in John F. Kennedy's political philosophy? Was the design coherent? May it still profitably guide us today? And does it have enduring significance?

Perhaps these questions ask too much of a President whose primary task is statesmanship and not philosophy or science. Yet if political theory is a “critical study concerned with harmoniously relating the normative, empirical, and prudential components of politics,” then even a focus on Kennedy's public policy inevitably throws light on his goals and his grasp of political reality. And as the statesman seeks (in the light of political possibility) to advance his policies in order to fulfill his purposes, he must in some fashion grapple with the fundamental problems of politics. Consequently, recognizing that Kennedy's approach to the key problems of political philosophy will not be critical, comprehensive, or complete, we may still want to explore his approach in the context of his own grand democratic design.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Review of Politics , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , January 1965 , pp. 3 - 16
Copyright
Copyright © University of Notre Dame 1965

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References

1 Riemer, Neal, The Revival of Democratic Theory (New York, 1962), p. viiiGoogle Scholar.

2 State of the Union Message, January 29, 1961. See Gardner, John W., editor, To Turn The Tide (New York, 1962), p. 18Google Scholar. This volume contains an excellent selection from President Kennedy's public statements from his election through the 1961 adjournment of Congress.

3 Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 10.

4 Speech at Los Angeles accepting the Democratic Presidential Nomination, New York Times, July 16, 1960, p. 7.

5 Address at a Reception for Latin-American Diplomats, March 13, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 168.

6 Speech at Amherst, October 26, 1963, Public Papers of the Presidents: John P. Kennedy, 1963 (Washington, 1964), p. 817Google Scholar.

7 AFL-CIO Convention, New York, November 15, 1963. See Nevins, Allan, The Burden And The Glory (New York, 1964), p. 40Google Scholar. This volume contains a fine selection of public statements and addresses from President Kennedy's second and third years in office.

8 Special Message To Congress, Washington, D.C., February 28, 1963, Public Papers… of John F. Kennedy, 1963, p. 222.

9 Television Address To The People, The White House, Washington, D.C., June 11, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, pp. 182–183.

10 The Third State of the Union Message, Washington, D.C., January 14, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 27.

11 Ibid., p. 28.

12 Assembly Hall of Paulskirche, Frankfurt, Germany, June 25, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, pp. 120 and 116.

13 Ibid., pp. 116–117.

14 See Kennedy's speeches at the Free University, West Berlin, Germany, June 26, 1963, and at a Conference on Trade Policy, Washington, D.C., May 17, 1962, ibid., pp. 127 and 106.

15 Assembly Hall of Paulskirche, Frankfurt, Germany, June 25, 1963, ibid., p. 120.

16 The Second State of the Union Message, Washington, D.G., January 14, 1963, ibid., p. 16.

17 NATO Headquarters, Naples, Italy, July 2, 1963, ibid., p. 140.

18 Special Message to the Congress on Foreign Aid, March 22, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 143.

19 Ibid., p. 146.

20 Ibid., p. 143.

21 Ibid., pp. 146–147.

22 The Third State of the Union Message, Washington, D.C., January 14, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 31.

23 The First State of the Union Message, Washington, D.C., January 29, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 27.

24 Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 8.

25 Television Address to the People Announcing the Test Ban Treaty, The White House, Washington, D.C., July 26, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 62.

26 Ibid., p. 62; and the Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 9.

27 The Third State of the Union Message, Washington, D.C., January 14, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 33.

28 University of Maine, Orono, Maine, October 19, 1963, ibid., p. 33.

29 Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 9.

30 The American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 57.

31 First State of the Union Message, Washington, D.C., January 29, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 24.

82 The Third State of the Union Message, Washington, D.C., January 14, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 34.

33 The American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963, ibid., p. 57.

34 The Second State of the Union Message, Washington, D.C., January 11, 1962, ibid., pp. 10–11.

35 Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 10.

36 Joint Session of the Dail and Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 132.

37 The United Nations, New York, September 20, 1963, ibid., p. 75.

35 Address to the United Nations, New York, September 25, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 208.

39 The United Nations, New York, September 20, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, p. 72.

40 Idem.

41 The American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963, ibid., p. 58.

42 Address to the United Nations, New York, September 25, 1961, To Turn The Tide, p. 210.

43 Ibid., p. 215.

44 The United Nations, New York, September 20, 1963, The Burden And The Glory, pp. 72 and 73.

45 Election Eve Speech, Boston Garden, New York Times, November 8, 1960, p. 18.