[katana]

If he hadn’t been shot there was a very good chance he’d have been defeated for reelection in 1964. The Bay of Pigs disaster, the overthrow of Diem and Buddhist Priests on fire, discontent in the Solid South, the loss of the Mafia support that got him elected by fraud in the first place, and a cauldron of sex scandal Republicans were well aware of would have been the meat and potatoes of that campaign. From Julius Caesar, to Charles I, to Lincoln, to Che, nothing enhances a reputation like “martyrdom”.

[ilovesarah2012]

Few people want to see an American president assassinated.

[chajin]

If he hadn’t been shot there was a very good chance he’d have been defeated for reelection in 1964.

I used to believe this, until we all experienced the debacle of 2012. The GOP since 1932 has generally been very good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Neither Goldwater nor Rockefeller would have been able to overcome the massive media support for JFK. Kennedy would have lost most of the South, but he would have won in the northeast, the Midwest, and the left coast. It wouldn't have been a landslide, but it wouldn't have been a nailbiter either.

[ought-six]

“From Julius Caesar, to Charles I, to Lincoln, to Che, nothing enhances a reputation like “martyrdom”.”

So very, very true.