Today America celebrates the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy assuming the presidency, with Kennedy remaining the most popular president of the last 50 years.
Let's end the mythology that America is moving to the right. In a Gallup poll released in December Americans gave John F. Kennedy an approval rating of 85%, the highest of any of the 9 presidents who have served in the last 50 years.
In the Gallup poll Ronald Reagan was second with 74% approval while Bill Clinton was third with 64%. Last on the list were two Republican presidents, George W. Bush and Richard Nixon.
What does it tell us that voters choose a Democrat like Kennedy as the most popular president, another Democrat like Clinton as the third most popular president, and two Republicans, including the last Republican President George W. Bush, as the least popular Presidents.
Deep down, America is a great nation that wants to be inspired to great deeds. Our people most admire presidents who offer great goals, as President Kennedy did, and great challenges, as President Kennedy stood for, to accomplish great things, as President Kennedy always aspired to, and often did.
If America is moving to the right, voters would not be ranking a Democratic president at the top of the list, and two Republicans at the bottom.
50 years ago today America inaugurated the kind of President Americans most admire 50 years late. Democrats today should think about this, that Americans do not most admire a Democrat who imitates Republicans, or a Republican who is a Republican. They admire a Democrat who acted like a Democrat and moved the nation to greatness in his time, and is so well remembered in our time.
The pundits who scorn progressives should ask themselves why one of our nation's great progressives is our nation's most popular former president in 5 decades.
Today we celebrate and honor a man who in my view has earned the historic right to join those who are regarded as America's great presidents.
Today Americans celebrate and honor what our nation can be, when asked to be our best, and what the Democratic party stands for, when we are elevated to become our best.
Today Democrats should remember who we are, why we are here, and what we stand for as Democrats and Americans. We Democrats should remember that when we are true to our beliefs we give the nation a president who moved the world 5 decades ago, and remains the most popular and admired president today, five decades later.