Kennedy Administration - Kennedy and Congress
Kennedy and Congress
When the Eighty-seventh Congress convened in January 1961 President Kennedy's party held majorities of 64 to 36 in the Senate and 262 to 175 in the House. In the 1960 elections Democratic congressional candidates averaged 54.7 percent of the vote (compared to John Kennedy's 49.7 percent), yet the Democrats lost two Senate and 22 House seats. Kennedy's place at the top of the ticket, therefore, actually hurt Democrats in Congress, and they knew it.
Kennedy did not have much influence with individual members of Congress. Although popular during his 14 years in Congress, he paid scant attention to the legislative process, purposely avoided leadership responsibilities, and remained apart from partisan disputes. Kennedy had asked very little of other members of Congress. He owed them little, and they owed him less.
Kennedy's record with Congress was mixed. He gained passage of an impressive list of...
[The entire page is 697 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
