Paris Hiltons of Elections Past

"This man seeks the highest elective office in the world not primarily as a politician, but as a celebrity. He's the only politician a woman would read about while sitting" in a beauty salon.

The latest silly attack ad from John McCain on Barack Obama as the Paris Hilton of politics? No, it's actually a journalist's comment on John F. Kennedy in 1960.

Ms. Hilton has responded to the McCain smear with a funny video. A more serious response is to point out how similar the charges were against Kennedy in 1960 -- and against Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.

How about this one: "The Democrats [are] going to nominate a man who, no matter how serious his political dedication might be, [is] indisputably and willy-nilly going to be seen as a great box-office actor."

That's Norman Mailer writing of JFK in his famous 1960 Esquire essay, "Superman Comes to the Supermarket."

And this: "He is a pleasant man who, without any important qualifications for the office, would very much like to be President." Must be McCain on Obama, right? Nope; that one is from a widely circulated pre-election assessment of FDR made by Walter Lippman.

"America's politics would now be also America's favorite movie, America's first soap opera, America's best-seller." A new McCain ad ridiculing Obama? No -- Mailer on Kennedy, again.

In 1960, JFK was compared with Elvis. Along his motorcade routes, Kennedy had "jumpers" -- young women who leaped in the air as his car passed. A few weeks before the election, Kennedy received what journalist Theodore White described as an "orgiastic welcome" from an estimated 1,250,000 people in New York City.

"One would have an inkling at last if the desire of America was for drama or stability, for adventure or monotony," Mailer wrote in 1960, prior to Kennedy's narrow victory over Richard Nixon. If the voters chose Kennedy, he said, "in some part of themselves the people might know that they had chosen one young man for his mystery."

When they ran for president, Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy were seen as fluff -- celebrities -- but they are now generally seen as the two greatest presidents of the past century.

When will we see a McCain ad linking FDR and JFK with Paris Hilton?

But, of course, McCain and Republicans in general would dispute the ranking of FDR and JFK as the greatest presidents of the twentieth century. No one could have called their "greatest president" an empty-headed celebrity who just gave good speeches and came across well on TV, now could they?

{Historian Robert S. McElvaine is Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts & Letters at Millsaps College. His latest book is Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America . He is currently at work on a book titled Oh, Freedom! - America in the 1960s, which will be published by Norton.}

Comments

[liberalloons]

What exactly did either one of these presidents do to deserve such high rankings?

[Ndw]

Annoyed you, long after death?

[alphax]

Not many people have a TV movie made of their book ... Mr John McCain!

[rainbowblue]

FDR, one of the greats..ve­ry true. JFK...not so much. He dragged his heels on civil rights (remeber it was LBJ who got the Civil Rights Act passed). He did not manage the Cuban Missile crisis confidentaly, just lucked into the fact that the Soviet Union didn't want start WW3 over it. His cabinet had no clue what to do. Not to mention, the Bay of Pigs and the assissantion attempt of Castro with an exploding cigar. No, JFK inspired but didn't do anything of note execpt establish the Peace Corps. Let's not forget he ran on the missile and bomber gap, and got us moving in Vietnam. Those of us who are young enough to only study him in history can look back and realize that he was all personality and little actual substance as his handling of the cold war was based on luck (and the fact that Krushev was looking for better relations with the US). Read some of McNamara's later writing on nuclear armament policy and you will see he admints that they were wrong. His foolish foreign policy led to a huge increase in nuclear weapons, closing of relations with Cuba, and a relationship with the Soviet Union based on treating them as a threat rather than working closer with them (Krushev was a reformer, who I remind the readers here denounced Stalin). JFK was not the greatest, remember his deeds--not his personality.

[brooklynite77]

Word.

[rcozad]

This is a great post but having served a US Senator that was the majority leader at the time of Kennedy and Johnson it is well remembered that because of the large DIXIECrat block in the senate Kennedy / Mansfield simply could not muster the votes to pass the civil rights act. Johnson , perceived as a southerner, was able to threaten them into passing it. As far as the bay of pigs and other such horrible mistakes remember he was at the mercy of a pentagon and CIA that had been itching for a ware with Russia under the gentle hand of Eisenhower who felt that Truman had been too soft on communism ( remember that phrase?) particularly in Korea. Generals at the pentagon envious of the fast promotions that had been the norm in WW II ,and to a lesser degree in Korea, were suffering under the much slower promotion path that peace provides were really gunning for war. Also remember we had totally surrounded the Soviet Union with missiles and SAC was flying along her Arctic border with Atom bombs trying to intimidate them into a hostile response. John Kennedy, a WWII officer was aware that Generals , insulated from actual combat, are prone to see every political situation as surrender and every alternative as a war effort.

[Minimax]

Thanks for the post rcozad. It was a sad day when JFK was killed, and another sad day when the USA bombed Baghdad (shock and awe).

[Rick33]

The way he guided the country through the whole Cuba thing was enough to cement his legacy. Certainly made his fair share of mistakes (though a lot of those can be placed on the shoulders of the CIA) but many lesser men would have found themselves in a nuclear war (for example, nixon.)

[ofbbg]

I just LOVE the way you lefties rewrite history! It was JFKs childish naivete and ineptness with Kruschev that caused the Soviets to put the missiles in Cuba in the first place! That incompetence in Vienna contributed greatly to Kennedys later need to show his "machismo" in the face of "expanding Communism" by getting involved in Vietnam! Get your history straight - please don't cherry pick.

[K-Dog76]

Rick33

Actually Nixon ended the war in Vietnam, opened the door to China, and consulted every president in office until his death because he was the guru of foreign policy. Even Bill Clinton had Nixon make a formal visit to the White House for advice.

So Rick, learn your history. Nixon divided the communist world (prior China and Russia were allies) and set the ground work for the end of the Cold War.

[ofbbg]

You seem to be a student of history - but FDR as "one of the greats"? Please!! His handling of the Great Depression was nothing less than incompetent. He attempted to destroy the Constitution at least twice - first, by trying to "stack" the Supreme Court with fellow fascists; then by creating a Second Bill of Rights, to replace the first, that read like the party platform written by Benito Moussolini (a much admired figure by the American Left). His attempts to create National Socialism here prolonged the effects of depression. The economy only improved when the demand for American war material grew at the end of the 1930's. FDR DID do an excellent job of leading us through WWII, at least until Yalta, by selecting great leaders (Nimitz, Marshall, Bradley) and then getting out of their way - although I have always wondered about his attachment to Harry Hopkins.

[liberalloons]

FDR ended up pro-longing the great depression and basically tried to do away with the constitution. Def. not one of the top presidents.

Your right, JFK didn't do squat.

[K-Dog76]

liberalloons,

I agree FDR fiscal policies were weak in many ways, but he made a great wartime president.

[Ndw]

"You're" right, if you consider the constitution an issue... But then, what does prolonging a mess in Iraq - or squashing our rights now - say about Bush?

[LillianB]

In you have the choice between a rock star and a mock star, you should go for the one of them having the best politics.
The one that is ready to lead. And that's the one of them talking issues, not the one talking about the other's fame....

[Melissa]

Fame is fleeting!

[RepugsOut08]

Great essay. It's alway amazing to me that some people accuse Obama of acting like he'll solve all of our ills, or that his candidacy is pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. Every time I've heard him speak, he always says that the problems we face are hard. That we will all have to pull together to solve them. That Americans must take responsibility for our own future.
I've often wondered why supposed lazy short attention spanned Americans support him when he tells them it won't be easy. The answer is because he inspires us to be more than we thought we could be. That the future is not in someone else's hands, but our own. That's leadership. Bush and McCain want to rule. Obama wants to lead. There's a big difference.

[whatsthatsound]

Great post. But I fear the "empty suit"/"celebrity" tag was merely a trial balloon, and one that was ably shot to the ground by Ms. Hilton, of all people. The McCain camp is no doubt already working on a new, nastier line of attack.

[nk007]

Republicans are the greatest hypocrites. Ask Republicans to name the greatest President of the 20th Century, and they will, in unison, say: Ronald Reagan. Reagan, the actor turned politician, was the real celebrity. Good looks, excellent ability to read speeches written for him, and the ability to inspire ordinary people, though, after all those years in Hollywood, he was no longer a common man. John McCain, the anti-celebrity, celebrity, regards Reagan as his hero. Someone must challenge McCain on this: How come Reagan, the movie actor, elected Governor with absolutely no experience, and with only had 8 years of elective office, before he was elected president, be your hero? Why was Reagan more qualified than Senator Obama,who has 12 years of elective experience, both on the sate and national level? Moreover, how can you, Senator McCain call a fellow Senator, elected from a state five times the size of your sate, Arizona, who is also also a former Constitutional Law Professor, an empty suit? I challenge Republicans to compare the educational and elective experiences of Sen. Obama with that of their "Great" hero Ronald Reagan. I also challenge them to show the American people why Obama is considered more of a celebrity than either Ronald Reagan or John McCain. Must we penalize Obama for his ability to inspire masses of people, many of the previously apathetic, to engage in the political process? Or, penalize him for for inspiring Europeans to view the United States more positively than before?

[BARRISTER]

nk0007, You are a Genius! A Proffessor!!!

[peppermint]

Ya know, does anyone really care what the French, Germans, Italians, Brits, etc. think of us? Only that we saved their asses during WWII. They will be forever indebted to us unless they come and save us from Obama08.

[Lorky]

Bush apparently cared what Poland thought of us - Coalition of the Willing! Don't forget Poland!

And in response to the general tone of your comment: http://www.theonion.com/content/news/local_idiot_to_post_comment_on

[Ndw]

Of course. Because we still revere the French for saving OUR 'asses' during the Revolution.

[K-Dog76]

nk007

Republicans are the greatest hippocrites? How about all the Democrats who won seats to Congress running against the war, who have done nothing to stop it. It was their mandate, remember?

Oh well, you'll see how hippocrital Democrats are when the bow to oil, fail to deliver on healthcare and raise your taxes. Oh, they'll probably stay in Iraq on top of that.

The fact is we need responsible leadership from both parties and we have been getting it from neither. Lets be fair, neither side has delivered in recent times.

[eden4barack08]

What a splendid post! Thanks, I feel much better now.

[athenasword]

Excellent post - those quotes are just amazing and one could easily think they were written this morning by McBush and Team-Rove. This would actually make a GREAT ad! Line up all the past "celebrity" presidents in an ad. O is next!

[speeddeeps]

Lets hope that history repeats itself

Prez O 2009

[LemonFreshScent]

bravo... this rocks

[tel8034]

HELLO!

Reagan was not acting like a Hollywood celebrity ..........­...... HE WAS A HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY.­.....

And the McCain sees Reagan as the God of all Gods among Presidents­..........­.... McCain speaks Reagan's name every chance he gets, and stops just short of bowing to and kissing a likeness of him.

AS USUAL, THE HYPOCRITES (AKA REPUBLICANS) WON'T MENTION THIS FACT.

[ShamusNYC]

Bigger hypocrisy: no Senator has ever lusted after celebrity more than Johnny Mac - who's hosted SNL? Who's been a very frequent guest on talk shows? Who was in Wedding Crashers?

If he loses, expect to see him try for Fred Thompson's old gig!

[jsinclair]

Good point. If Reagan ran for governor because he was an actor (like McCain's good buddy, Schwartzenegger), why should anyone have ever taken him seriously?

Obama's been in public service for most of his adult life. Not acting. Not "celebrity" (except that, like McCain, he's famous).

[K-Dog76]

tel8034,

AS USUAL, THE HYPOCRITES (AKA REPUBLICANS) WON'T MENTION THIS FACT.

huh? We all now he's an actor. He also never refered to his opposition as hypocrites. He got people to work together. Something Obama has vowed to do if elected. Don't dis your own man by being a divider instead of a uniter.

This isn't Monday Night football. This is about saving our country. Both men are vastly qualified and both will have a tough job delivering on their promises.

The world won't go rosy just because Obama is the next president.

[popecorvo]

The lead-in blurb says that JFK is now seen as one of the two great presidents of the 20TH Century.

Nonsense. Seen by whom?

He was in office less than three years, and except for his brilliant handling of the Cuban Missle Crisis (granted, no small thing) he was a typical Cold Warrior of the era, luke warm at best on civil rights, and, though witty and engaging, no great shakes.

[Robert S. McElvaine - Huffpost Blogger]

I fully agree--but, as you say, the brilliant handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis was no small thing. We might not be here discussing Paris Hilton had it not been for that.

Otherwise, you're right about JFK not being great. My point is that the public sees him as great. A nationwide poll conducted for ABC News in 1999 asked a cross-section of Americans who they thought was the world's greatest historical figure of the twentieth century. Kennedy was the choice. It's not my assessment, but that of the public.

[Dynamohum]

I guess we will never truly know how great or deficient JFK may have been. I grew up in that era and I personally wonder what if......

What if he hadn't been assassinated?
What if MLK hadn't been assassinated?
What if Bobby Kennedy hadn't been assassinated?

All those wonderful charismatic. intelligent, insightful minds and spirits snuffed out abrubtly.

To compare Obama and McCain, hehehehe, there is NO comparison. McCain is a wannabe, chasing Obama's fame like a narcotic fix. Obama is the real deal.

OBAMA /08

[jpsd]

well you have the stolen election in Illinois that gave him the White House, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam...­oh and the Peace Corp. Had he not been shot he would be seen mediocre at best. IF this is what a celebrity gets us , then we are screwed...

[popecorvo]

This canard about Illinois and a stolen election has now been repeated for nearly half a century.

Now the truth: Illinois DID NOT GIVE JFK THE ELECTION IN 1960.

Try this: subtract Illinois' electoral votes from Kennedy's column, and add them to Nixon's column.

Kennedy still wins the election!

[jsinclair]

Not one of the two greats, but Kennedy was pretty good, especially in only 3 years. His "New Frontier" legislation for education and the environment was progressive for the time (passed by Congress after his death).

He had vision--the Peace Corps, sending a man into space and then to the moon and back. He was supportive of racial integration and helped further those goals. He made two SC appointments--that always has impact.

And he negotiated an atmosphere/ground nuclear test ban treaty.

Not "top two", but at least "top 5".

[nk007]

Don't forget his vision about America sending a man to the moon. Also, though people like Hillary give LBJ most of the credit, it was JFK who proposed the comprehensive Civil Rights legislation which became the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[gurukalehuru]

By me. And many others to whom space exploration is an important priority.

[K-Dog76]

guru...a good point on Kennedy, I'm a NASA fan too

[urnumbersix]

Very good -- this is a keeper!
Thanks!