John F Kennedy argues for universal healthcare

[Honeycombe8]

8. My mother told me that about 40 years ago. And then I read that.

I didn't say he was disliked or had high disapproval ratings. I said he wasn't that popular.

You mention Goldwater. I wasn't speaking of his winning. He won by quite a bit, didn't he? But during his short Presidency. You say yourself that he had a 44% approval near the end. Which is about half of his Presidency.

But I haven't looked it up lately.

I recall from early reading and documentaries that he was criticized quite a bit for how he handled the Bay of Pigs. Although things up well, and he handled it well, according to some...he didn't go far enough, for others. Russia put their missiles in Cuba, aimed at the U.S. He got an agreement for htem to turn their missiles away, but not to remove them. He was criticized for that.

I'll have to read up on his Presidency. It's been a while.

Okay...just looked it up. He had historically high approval ratings that first year. It went almost steadily downward from there, ending at...I found 50+% approval, but you say 44%..whichever is correct. So that's why my mother said that. That's what she would remember, since that was the most recent feelings of him, at the time of his assassination. There is a difference between "not that popular" and being UNpopular. She and I said he wasn't "that popular," compared to the way some may think he was popular. People have a tendency to exaggerate things after someone is tragically killed.

We lived in the south, so her perception would come from our living in the deep south. She had no opinion of him herself, I think. She was the most apolitical person I've ever known.