American Experience

Slate: The Senator

Narrator: Hyannis Port, Thanksgiving 1948. Of the nine Kennedy children, two were dead and one had vanished into permanent medical care. The survivors were learning to draw strength from one another. Soon, they would focus all their energies on Jack’s career. He was now preparing for a new political battle.

Sen. George Smathers: One day, he came over to talk to me and said, “You know, I’m going to run for the Senate against Henry Cabot Lodge.” I said, “Jack, I don’t think you can win.” He said, “Oh no, I’ll win. Don’t worry about that.” I said, “Well, he’s too tough. He’s got a pretty good record and you know you have not been an outstanding congressman” — nor was I — “but, you know, I don’t think you can do it.” And he says, “Oh no, I can do it all right, but I’m going to run.”

Singers (JFK campaign song): Who can fight and fight till he wins? / Kennedy can, Kennedy can

Narrator: Jack worked the streets and struggled to master a new medium, television.

John F. Kennedy (archival): [filming campaign ad] Hello, ladies and gentlemen. You have just seen one of the federal government’s low-income—

Director (archival): Cut it.

John F. Kennedy (archival): [filming campaign ad] And if elected to the Senate of the United States this November, I will fight for the New England industry which is so vital — fight for the people of this state and for the future of our country-Oh…

Narrator: Robert, the third of Joseph Kennedy’s sons, was brought in as campaign manager. He was just 26, fresh from law school and relentlessly single-minded. “Bobby,” his proud father boasted to a friend, “is hard as nails.”

Hon. Thomas P. O’Neill Jr., Massachusetts Legislature, 1936-52: Bobby — here he was, a young upstart. He didn’t know anything about politics. Well, he wanted to know the figures on this and he wanted to know, well, what the organization was or, “How many people do you have in this precinct?” “How many people are you going to have? You have your own Kennedy organization. Who the hell do you think you are?” Well, anyway, there was a feeling.

Narrator: The Kennedys were building their own political machine separate from the state party and very much a family enterprise. The Kennedy women hosted lavish tea parties across the state, pulling in thousands of voters.

Jack’s opponent, Henry Cabot Lodge, heir to a distinguished Republican family, was caught off-guard by the Kennedy onslaught, but Lodge had a potential savior, then at the height of his powers — Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Sen. Joseph McCarthy (archival):Even there are only one Communist in the State Department, that would still be one Communist too many.

Narrator: McCarthy was Irish and Catholic and had a big following in Boston, but he also had close ties to the Kennedys, so when the Republicans begged him to campaign for Lodge, he hesitated.

William F. Buckley Jr., author: Joe McCarthy said to me, “If I were to do that, Cabot Lodge would definitely beat Jack Kennedy,” he said, “but I would find it extremely difficult to do, because it would offend Jack, who’s a very good friend of mine, and it would offend the old man and the old man gave $5,000 to my own campaign.” And, in fact, it was a pretty close election and probably, if McCarthy had gone to Boston and campaigned for Cabot Lodge, Kennedy would have been defeated. As it was, he won by only 70,000 votes.

John F. Kennedy (archival): Well, I guess you’re glad it’s over, aren’t you, Bobby?

Robert F. Kennedy (archival): I am, Jack.

John F. Kennedy (archival): OK.

Narrator: Jack had won, in spite of a national Republican landslide and the Kennedys had settled an old score with the Brahmins.

Singers (JFK campaign song): Who can fight and fight till he wins? / Kennedy can, Kennedy can / Who can do the job he begins? / Kennedy can, Kennedy can / Who can do America proud? / Who’s the number one man?

Narrator: Now, they would be joined by a newcomer, who would not always play by their rules.

Singers (JFK campaign song): Who can crack the elephant’s back? / Jack Kennedy can.