Today is the 56th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s death. Kennedy, who served as America’s 35th president was killed during a motorcade at Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.
Kennedy, who was elected president in 1960, ran on the platform of “Leadership for the 60s,” after serving in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Despite Kennedy belonging to the Democrat Party, he held staunch conservative beliefs, including support for the Second Amendment, lower taxes, opposed communism, abortion, and other socially liberal policies.
According to a laundry list compiled by the left-wing website Buzzfeed, talks about multiple times JFK acted more like a conservative than a liberal.
The Economy
Kennedy told a liberal Harvard economics professor to “shut up” when criticizing tax cuts. He also called Al Gore’s father, Sen. Al Gore Sr. (D-TN) a “son of a bitch” for opposing his tax cuts. Kennedy also supported free trade between America and foreign nations.
Communism
Kennedy vehemently opposed communism, authorizing the Bay of Pigs invasion to attempt to overthrow communist leader Fidel Castro. Kennedy said, “communism has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war or corruption, or both.”
Life
Kennedy was a lifelong Catholic and supporter of the right to life. When asked by a reporter “Do you see any hope at all of slowing up the rate of population increase?,” Kennedy said, “Now, on the question of limiting population: As you know the Japanese have been doing it very vigorously, through abortion, which I think would be repugnant to all Americans.”
President John F. Kennedy appointed Supreme Court Justice Byron White, who was one of the dissenting votes on 1973’s horrific Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized the killing of unborn babies in the womb.
Military
A Military man himself, Kennedy was an unashamed supporter of the U.S. Armed Forces, increasing the defense budget by 20%, and “doubled the number of nuclear weapons available in the strategic alert forces.” He also “increased the tactical nuclear forces deployed in Europe by over 60%.”
Unions
Kennedy didn’t support unions, which he dubbed “the cancer of labor racketeering.” He criticized union leaders who he said “practice extortion, shakedowns, and bribery.”
Oil & Gas
JFK supported the oil & gas industry, defending the job-creating industry during his election, and he sent a letter to Congress speaking of the huge value of oil & gas pipelines, asking them to act on de-regulating the industry.
Everyone (Even the Media) Called Kennedy a Conservative
Look magazine wrote in 1946 during Kennedy’s run for Congress that he was a “fighting-Irish conservative.” The Chicago Tribune also called Kennedy a “fighting conservative” during his 1952 run for Senate. JFK’s political staffer William Sutton described Kennedy’s political stance in the 1946 campaign as “almost ultraconservative.” Kennedy’s assistant Treasury Secretary called the President “extremely conservative.”
For more information about Kennedy’s conservatism, check out JFK, Conservative by Ira Stole.
Kennedy’s legacy will be remembered as an American icon, who broke the mold of the typical Democrat in his party, opposing left-wing policies and keeping to his convictions. He defended life, the Military, and fought against communism, which has now infiltrated the current Democrat Party, unrecognizable from the party he used to belong to.
JFK flunk his ballistics test but there is controversial debate he pass his ballistics test with an A+