Why is JFK viwed so favorably? Serious question.

Pros… Yes, he enforced the numerous Supreme Court decisions regarding civil rights and desegregation… Huge Plus, but did he really have any other choice than to enforce the civil rights decisions?

Atmospheric nuclear test ban treaty…. Both US and USSR wanted to stop such testing. The negotiations were simple as both sides wanted it.

Created peace corps…. Ok, but was it really a big accomplishment?

Alliance for progress …. Sent money to Latin America…

Cons…. He once said that the more he messed up, the higher is poll numbers increased…

Bay Of Pigs invasion… enough said

Vietnam- approved assassination of the South’s President and brother. Got us deeper into the war. And NO, he was NOT going to pull the US out in early 1964.

Cuban Missile Crisis. He was working on faulty intelligence. We didn’t find out until 1980s that there were nuclear tipped artillery shells ready to fire on US Navy Ships if we were going to invade. The Soviets backed down because they thought we knew this and were still pushing. And he unofficially agreed through back channels to pull the Jupiter missiles but only after the current crisis cooled down so he wouldn’t lose face. This is NOT a victory for the US. At best it is a tie when considering the removal of missiles in Turkey, and a Victory for Soviets and Castro if you then consider the US pledge to never invade Cuba.

Civil Rights… he didn’t go far enough. When during MLK’s March on Washington, JFK unfortunately had to be out of town. FBI should have taken over investigation of assassination of Medger Evers.

Feared J Edgar Hoover and never attempted to control him.

In my opinion, and please correct me, but I just see the first young telegenic politician with beautiful wife and little kids who were GREAT FOR TV, and who had a great writing staff that would write the best speeches in postwar history. - Ich bin ein Berliner - Ireland - we must go to the moon - civil rights speeches on TV - update on Soviet weapons in Cuba

We won’t get into his or his wife’s negative personal traits.

He just seems to fall into the old Hollywood saying, “Death was a good career move”.

It is said that the only people that mourned more over JFK’s death than Democrats were the Republicans. He was not favored to win re-election when he went down to Dallas less than a year before the election. He only went down there to try and shore up support from the VP’s state.

What am I missing?