was very strong and composed of a Southern Democrats/Republican majority, he had a hard time. (Kilpatrick, 51) So proposals like federal aid to education, the creation of a Department of Urban Affairs, and Medicare were shot down. (Kilpatrick, 53). To drum up support for them, Kennedy had to convince the public and gain their support. That’s where Kennedy’s famous rhetoric comes in. The talk may have later led the American public to support the mentioned proposals in the Johnson years, but in JFK’s years they did nothing but make his critics say he was a lot of talk and no action. Yet John F. Kennedy did have some significant legislation passed through Congress, and even got accomplishments done around Congress’ back. One achievement is when John F. Kennedy formed the Peace Corps. (Sorensen, 256) Another was the giving of federal support to the arts, which was done through executive orders. (Kilpatrick, 54) Economically, his tax cut resonates in the policy of former President Reagan. In fact, when tallying the recommendations Kennedy sent to the 87th Congress, of the 107 he sent 73 were enacted into law, with measures dealing with water pollution, mental health care, hospital construction, mental retardation, drug safety and medical schools. (Manchester, 227) In total, his biggest achievement was not in what was accomplished, but what was proposed. The critics might believe that passed legislation is the only indicator of political legacy, but in reality what is proposed can have profound effects. His proposals on Medicare and programs like it might have lead to nothing in his term, but they did come to fruition in later Presidencies. Truthfully, one cannot say a man does not have a political legacy if he had proposed ideas, but they had not been passed, since those proposals can deeply influence later Congresses and Presidents through their ideas and insight into problems.One way President Kennedy ha...
