JFK didn't vote to censure McCarthy?

[skipos]

I saw "Good Night and Good Luck" the other day, so I have been reading up a bit more about McCarthy (I was born a few decades after the red scare). I am not sure if this means JFK missed the vote or voted against it, but it is an interesting tidbit nonetheless.

"...on December 2, 1954 the Senate voted 65 to 22 to condemn him for ‘conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.’ Senator John F. Kennedy was one of only three Democrats who did not vote for the censure motion. He was in hospital recuperating from back surgery and was working on his book Profiles in Courage in which he chose eight of his historical colleagues to profile for their acts of astounding integrity in the face of overwhelming opposition. Senator Kennedy did not take a public position on the censure of McCarthy until 1956 when he was eager to become the Democrats’ Vice-Presidential candidate."

http://www.finfacts.com/printpage/senatorjoemccarthypr.htm

[silverweb]

1. Here's your answer.

"He was in hospital recuperating from back surgery..."

[rpannier]

2. But he waited about two years to say he would have censured McCarthy

I would have thought he would have made some statement before 1956.

[punpirate]

3. In those days, there was no electronic card to vote with...

... and his absence from the area of the Senate floor would have prevented him from voting.

But, keep in mind, Bobby K. was a staff lawyer to McCarthy, and eventually left McCarthy's service only because he had repeated run-ins with Roy Cohn, including a near fist-fight in the halls of the Senate offices.

Despite the rhetoric during the 1960 campaign, Catholicism and communism were arch-enemies, and the Kennedys took communism seriously--at least in the early years. By the time JFK became president and saw the reality of the situation, I think he began to figure out that the whole anti-communist routine was a right-wing ruse. We'll never know, though, will we?


edit for syntax.

[1932]

9. You can know the answer:

check out Richard Parker's biography of JK Galbraith.

Kennedy didn't trust the anti-communist crowd.

[punpirate]

11. Well, that, and articles appearing lately,...

... can also be seen as embellishing the image. What I mean, specifically, is that we'll never know from his actions. There's been lots of supposition--especially from Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.--that he was having misgivings, before he was killed, about continuing policies that had preceded him.

Remember, when Kennedy entered office, his inaugural included, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe...."

Surely, there were indications that he worried about the effects of the John Birchers--particularly in the military--since they were mounting a solid campaign against him inside and outside the military. That's why Gen. Edwin Walker was relieved of his command, and Gen. Lyman Lemnitzer was removed from his position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and reassigned to NATO.

But, as for a simpler anti-communism, he--and his closest advisor, his brother--were pursuing ways of getting rid of Castro right from the start, even to the extent of using some in the mafia as unofficial cut-outs to obtain their aims, despite the fact that Bobby Kennedy had made it his cause in life to go after the mafia.

There were glimmers that he was working toward detente, but one doesn't know what the outcome of that might have been. We don't know about that, in his own words and as a result of his own actions.

Cheers.

[1932]

13. Parker's book is unambiguos.

In Parker's book there's a part where Galbraith is accused of "taking intellecutal honesty too far" by someone who politically disagrees with him but later supports his tenure case at Harvard -- there's little reason to believe that Galbraith is lying about Kennedy. Furthermore, Galbraith kept all his letters to and from Kennedy. It's not revisionist and it's Pollyannish.

Do you remember reading about Kissinger trying to undermine the career of a man at the CFR for writing a good review of Peter Kornbluh's book about Pinochet? The point of that was that although the book was true, Kissinger knew that controlling history was controlling the future.

I sense some of that with Kennedy. The facts of Kennedy's administration are not in the ether. They're on paper and they're in the non-hearsay evidence of people like Galbraith. I just wish DU'ers wouldn't let people like Kissinger control history and would just pick up the books and read them for themselves.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Nope. And when asked about it by Eleanor Roosevelt why he never...

said ANYTHING about it he didn't have much of an answer. She reminded him that his brother worked for McCarthy, so he had something to prove.

A major reason she wouldn't endorse him for VP in '56. She hated his dad too.

The Old Girl could play rough when provoked.

[Zen Democrat]

5. I recall that the Kennedys had an old friendship with Joe McCarthy.

He was known to vacation in Hyannisport.

[Historic NY]

8. McCarthy had to get his booze somewhere.....

Old Joe was probably a supplier from way back.

[shance]

6. Who worked for McCarthy and when? Sources please.

n/t

[Captain Hilts]

15. Bobby Kennedy worked for McCarthy. It's everywhere. Photos too.

ER came around to JFK as prez.

[1932]

10. She had a good quote:

"The Senator from Mass should show a little less profile and a little more courage."

Nonetheless, no matter how suspicious she was of him as a Senator, as a President he really was America's last great hope to get America back on the track of FDR-style liberal Keynesianism and off the track of Truman-Eisenhower-LBJ-Nixon-Bush-Bush (and even Clinton)-style military Keynesianism and neoliberalism.

[longship]

7. Another piece of information.

Bobbie Kennedy was counsel to Sen Joseph McCarthy's Senate subcommittee.

[adwon]

12. Of course not

Joe Kennedy was a major contributor to McCarthy's campaigns. Further, Joe tried to get Bobby the job that eventually went to Roy Cohn. It took evil old LBJ to set up the committee to investigate and eventually recommend censure for McCarthy (lot of sarcasm :P).

As for the back surgery excuse, Kennedy could have either sent in a proxy vote or paired with a no voter, but chose to evade the situation. After all, I don't think Papa Joe would have been too thrilled to see a vote for censure against a good friend.

[LSdemocrat]

14. So clearly: JFK is a worthless DINO and Repug enabler

:sarcasm: