I was in 6th Grade. Even at that age I thought the Camelot connection was greatly overdone. It was nice, however, to have a young man with a young family in the White House. Then to see Jacqueline in her pink suit and pillbox hat with blood on it. I saw Oswald shot on live TV, and that was a shock to all of us. And to see all the foreign leaders walking in the funeral. I still remember the riderless horse and the the beat of the drums (I’m doing it now on my desk). Fifty years ago!
I remember the Kennedy years. I was in 4th and 5th grade back then. I remember the drills in school hiding under my desk because of the two nuclear wars he almost got this nation in..On the other hand I also remember seeing men walk on the moon, a legacy of Kennedy when the US did great things. Today, we get “leaders” who want to expand welfare and public handouts for all while leading the country into lethargy and incompetence. Those same leaders hide in armored vehicles, never interact with the public except with hand picked and vetted crowds, and live in a building that has been turned into a bunker..It is sad we have fallen so far from that time.
I was on my way to work when the news came on from Dallas. Even though my family was very “right wing”, the assassination of a President wasn’t acceptable “behavior” to them.
As to Viet Nam and LBJ, without the support and encouragement of men on the right, such as Dirksen and Goldwater, I most likely would not have ended up going there. At the time I blamed LBJ for all “wrongs” involved, it was only after Nixon got in, and continued the war longer than LBJ had run it, that reality hit, and the “right” has continued to ignore the lesson.
The real powers in politics are behind the scenes, and international – the money interests and their remoras. The people actually in high national office these days are figureheads. The Kennedys still hold influence, as do the Daleys, but with increasing subtlety. I hope Jeb Bush is the last of his family to run. Other smaller dynasties still infest the nation like lice, especially on state and county levels. Illinois is notorious for this. The media shine their penlights on them, while the real Powers loom shrouded overhead three or four stages ahead of us..There is no privacy in high public office, anymore. So once a political family has harvested enough financial contacts and board-of-director jobs, why should they mingle with the public during campaigns? They lose their taste for it. They metaphorically license their family name and collect the influence version of royalties. Look at the King family, for instance, squabbling over copyrights and potentially valuable historical documents..I’m reminded of family saga novels that track the progression of generations through societal change: A few visionary patriarchs begin a financial or political dynasty, direct it through force of will through their own lives, but after several generations it loses focus, the wealth dissipated or directed into different areas. BUDDENBROOKS and CENTENNIAL are popular examples..I’m no expert of the realities on which these types sagas were based, but the genre always fascinated me.
This week is going to be hard for me. I was just a teeny-bopper when that happened and even though I knew it had happened before in US history that did not make any difference. Except for Gerald Ford I haven’t been too happy with the people we’ve had as presidents since. And with all the trash of this Fall I’m not too happy with politicians in general.
I remember that period very well. It took me a while to figure out what I thought about the War. I did a history project in high school on the French Indo-China War — that would have been in 1964 I guess. I attended the 1964 Democratic Convention as a Young Democrat for Johnson. But one day in 1965 I was walking down the street past the White House and there were demonstrations on each side of the street — the people on one side had signs that said “Peace Now” and the people on the other side had signs that said “Nuke Hanoi”, and I had to decide which side of the street to walk down. I didn’t want to be associated with anyone who wanted to nuke anything. But it was another year before I had read enough to have a real analysis of the situation. That period was quite an education — at least for those who wanted to be educated.
I think this is a relevant answer — I don’t know how you feel about Bob Dylan, but have you seen the new video of “Like a Rolling Stone”? I think it’s great. And to me it speaks to the question of where the idealism went.
Signe Wilkinson Premium Member over 10 years ago
Awww… Sweet.
kennethcwarren64 over 10 years ago
No the republicans have gone too far to the right. Even Nixon or Goldwater would be considered to liberal.
emptc12 over 10 years ago
I was in 6th Grade. Even at that age I thought the Camelot connection was greatly overdone. It was nice, however, to have a young man with a young family in the White House. Then to see Jacqueline in her pink suit and pillbox hat with blood on it. I saw Oswald shot on live TV, and that was a shock to all of us. And to see all the foreign leaders walking in the funeral. I still remember the riderless horse and the the beat of the drums (I’m doing it now on my desk). Fifty years ago!
Enoki over 10 years ago
I remember the Kennedy years. I was in 4th and 5th grade back then. I remember the drills in school hiding under my desk because of the two nuclear wars he almost got this nation in..On the other hand I also remember seeing men walk on the moon, a legacy of Kennedy when the US did great things. Today, we get “leaders” who want to expand welfare and public handouts for all while leading the country into lethargy and incompetence. Those same leaders hide in armored vehicles, never interact with the public except with hand picked and vetted crowds, and live in a building that has been turned into a bunker..It is sad we have fallen so far from that time.
Dtroutma over 10 years ago
I was on my way to work when the news came on from Dallas. Even though my family was very “right wing”, the assassination of a President wasn’t acceptable “behavior” to them.
As to Viet Nam and LBJ, without the support and encouragement of men on the right, such as Dirksen and Goldwater, I most likely would not have ended up going there. At the time I blamed LBJ for all “wrongs” involved, it was only after Nixon got in, and continued the war longer than LBJ had run it, that reality hit, and the “right” has continued to ignore the lesson.
emptc12 over 10 years ago
The real powers in politics are behind the scenes, and international – the money interests and their remoras. The people actually in high national office these days are figureheads. The Kennedys still hold influence, as do the Daleys, but with increasing subtlety. I hope Jeb Bush is the last of his family to run. Other smaller dynasties still infest the nation like lice, especially on state and county levels. Illinois is notorious for this. The media shine their penlights on them, while the real Powers loom shrouded overhead three or four stages ahead of us..There is no privacy in high public office, anymore. So once a political family has harvested enough financial contacts and board-of-director jobs, why should they mingle with the public during campaigns? They lose their taste for it. They metaphorically license their family name and collect the influence version of royalties. Look at the King family, for instance, squabbling over copyrights and potentially valuable historical documents..I’m reminded of family saga novels that track the progression of generations through societal change: A few visionary patriarchs begin a financial or political dynasty, direct it through force of will through their own lives, but after several generations it loses focus, the wealth dissipated or directed into different areas. BUDDENBROOKS and CENTENNIAL are popular examples..I’m no expert of the realities on which these types sagas were based, but the genre always fascinated me.
chayasnana over 10 years ago
wiatr over 10 years ago
This week is going to be hard for me. I was just a teeny-bopper when that happened and even though I knew it had happened before in US history that did not make any difference. Except for Gerald Ford I haven’t been too happy with the people we’ve had as presidents since. And with all the trash of this Fall I’m not too happy with politicians in general.
lonecat over 10 years ago
Much to their credit.
lonecat over 10 years ago
I remember that period very well. It took me a while to figure out what I thought about the War. I did a history project in high school on the French Indo-China War — that would have been in 1964 I guess. I attended the 1964 Democratic Convention as a Young Democrat for Johnson. But one day in 1965 I was walking down the street past the White House and there were demonstrations on each side of the street — the people on one side had signs that said “Peace Now” and the people on the other side had signs that said “Nuke Hanoi”, and I had to decide which side of the street to walk down. I didn’t want to be associated with anyone who wanted to nuke anything. But it was another year before I had read enough to have a real analysis of the situation. That period was quite an education — at least for those who wanted to be educated.
lonecat over 10 years ago
I think this is a relevant answer — I don’t know how you feel about Bob Dylan, but have you seen the new video of “Like a Rolling Stone”? I think it’s great. And to me it speaks to the question of where the idealism went.