Many people are saying Barack Obama is today’s John F. Kennedy. JFK’s family has even endorsed Obama because they say he reminds them so much of JFK and what he stood for in his campaign. Obama is getting more people involved with politics, especially younger people and he is getting a majority of the African American votes as JFK did.
After reading the book The Making of the President 1960 by Teddy White I have began to wonder even more if Obama is really so similar to JFK. Obama does seem to have the same charisma tha JFK had. He is young and although Obama is African American and JFK was just young, tan and “pretty” they both have physical characteristics that have been elected to the White House.
One of the biggest similarities is religion. JFK was a Catholic and a majority of America did not like Catholics. JFK had to make televised speeches and talk to voters to get them to realize his religion would not affect his role as President. Obama is having a similar battle concerning the church he attends and its reverend, Reverend Wright. Rev Wright has made some anti-American remarks, among other things, that has upset Americans. Obama has had to defend himself and his religion. He has had to try to get people to understand that he cannot control what someone else says and he does not agree with everything Rev Wright has said.
Another comparision is the issue of assasination. Unfortunately in November of 1963 JFK was assasinated in Texas. I hope that no president ever gets assasinated again it is a terrible thing. People have, however, said that they feel if Obama is elected it may happen. A British Nobel Prize winner told a newspaper in February, the article was later posted on The Huffington Post.
Yes the man who said it is 88 years old, but he is also a well educated person. He is not from the U.S., so he does not know the politcal system as well as an American would. He did go on to say that the best thing for the Democratic Party would be if Obama and Hillary Clinton ran together.
I do think Obama and JFK are very similar for the good reasons, though. He has gotten people who have never been interested in politics before, interested and he has brought a new hope to the Democrats, just like JFK did. Not only that, if the Jfk’s own family sees similarities between Obama and their own family member how could anyone disagree? The Kennedy’s knew JFK better than anyone and if they think Obama can do the things JFK did for this country, maybe he can.
