Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America

by Chris Matthews

Book Overview

In this startling dual portrait, Matthews shows how the contest between the charismatic Kennedy and the talented yet haunted Nixon propelled America toward Vietnam and Watergate. Entertaining and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684810301
• ISBN13: 9780684810300
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 377 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Nixon and the Salieri Syndrome

Chris Matthews, former journalist and Tip O'Neill staffer, and more recently host of MSNBC's "Hardball", has written an informative book detailing the political relationship between two men who became president, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Going back to when they first met, at the start of the 80th Congress in 1947, and continuing long after Kennedy's tragic assassination in 1963, until Nixon's resignation from office in 1974, Matthews reveals the ebb and flow of the relationship, and how it affected history. His story continues after Kennedy's death due to Matthews' convincing theory about how the deceased president and his family left President Nixon in a state of obsession, prompting him to go to extreme lengths to help assure his victory in 1972, convinced that the Kennedy legacy and the deceased president's youngest brother, Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, could thwart his chances for a second term.Matthews draws his analogy from the Peter Shafer play and subsequent film "Amadeus," which revealed the tremendous jealousy of famous Austrian court composer Salieri toward young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. While an accomplished professional, Salieri was obliged to rely upon form and hard work. Mozart, on the other hand, exuded a seemingly effortless genius and that indefinable quality known as charisma. Nixon felt the same way about the handsome young Senator Kennedy. He felt in his shadow when in the presidency and was fearful that Ted Kennedy would ultimately seek the big prize in 1972. Matthews cites the Ted Kennedy factor as a major reason why Nixon, determined to leave as little to chance as possible, launched his ruthless Palace Guard operation which culminated in a "Dirty Tricks" campaign and Watergate, which resulted in Nixon becoming the only U.S. president to resign from office.Matthews reveals that Kennedy and Nixon began as friends but, as it became increasingly obvious that they would oppose each other for the presidency, became tenacious competitors. Matthews tells his readers that the first Kennedy-Nixon presidential debate in 1960, in which Nixon's stiffness cost him dearly, had been preceded by a similar debate in 1947 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, when they were both freshmen congressmen. On that occasion, as in 1960, Kennedy was the ingratiating debater, relaxed, making contact with his audience. Nixon, on the other hand, was like the tense debate competitor seeking to impress a panel of judges, concentrating on raw facts at the expense of failing to generate warmth and spontaneity.Matthews saw Nixon as the ultimate journeyman and Kennedy as the politician touched with genius. He notes that there are no memorable phrases associated with Nixon speeches whereas Kennedy is known for his electrifying Berlin speech as well as his inaugural address, when he stated, "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

MORE OBJECTIVE AND FAIRER THAN EXPECTED

Chris Matthews is part of the liberal elite news media who once wrote for President Carter. From that perspective, one can easily expect a definite spin against the man who ran and almost defeated John Kennedy in 1960.However, Mr. Matthews presented a very balanced and refreshing view of the two men. As an admirer of President Nixon, it is not common to read a book that puts him in such a positive light. Yes, he was susceptible to less than noble campaigning as has already been well-recited in other accounts about his first campaign for the House of Representative in 1946 and even more so in his first senatorial campaign in 1950. Not so well known was how Joseph Kennedy manipulated his son's campaign in 1946 and how John was not alien to less than noble campaigning in his own right.Despite their partisan differences, the two men were very good friends during the first part of their political careers. Mr. Matthews relates how vice presidential candidate Nixon got excited when senatorial candidate Kennedy's motorcade went by Nixon's hotel during a campaign swing through Massachusetts in 1952 -- so excited that Pat Nixon had to remind him that such enthusiasm for the man running against the Republican incumbent, Henry Cabot Lodge, who was so instrumental in presidential candidate Eisenhower winning the Republican nomination may not look very politic.Unfortunately for both men, their friendship strained as they both coveted the same prize at the same time in 1960. Mr. Matthews does an excellent job recounting how they both maneuvered around each other to the point that things got personal. Mr. Nixon was guilty of some tactics that he could be justifiably criticized for and was. However, Mr. Kennedy was similarly guilty of tactics that he could be justifiably criticized for and was not.Mr. Matthews recounts how badly Kennedy needed Nixon to legitimize the election despite the accusations of vote fraud in the 1960 election. Mr. Matthews seemed to think such accusations were correct but the defeated vice president went out of his way to smooth the way for Kennedy's presidency. Once "legitimized" though, Kennedy had no further need for his old friend and even used his administration to attack and humble Nixon -- something Nixon did not forget.Many people were critical of Nixon for being paranoid of the youngest of the Kennedy brothers when Nixon finally made it to the Oval Office. Chris Matthews, however, believes such suspicion of Ted Kennedy was well founded and that Kennedy did much to undermine the Nixon Administration. Once Watergate became unraveled, Ted was only too happy to maneuver behind the scenes to embarrass, humiliate, and eventually bring about the downfall of the man who was once John's friend.As I read the book, I could not help but wonder what Chris Matthews must have thought as he researched the book. He was probably raised on the belief that John Kennedy was the shining star of America's Camelot (another myth that he writ

Think You Know These Two?

You might be surprised after reading Matthews' fascinating story on the friendship and rialry between these icons of post-WWII America. Having read numerous books on Nixon, and a few on Kennedy, I began reading without much expectation that I would walk away with any new insights or knowledge. How wrong I was.What surprised me most was the number of similarities between Kennedy and Nixon's political views. From their ardent anti-communism to their disdain for the prevailing purveyors of liberalism, it's easy to see how they forged a friendship upon their election to Congress in 1947.Kennedy and Nixon also shared a strong desire to move ahead and gain the ultimate prize - the Presidency - and this evenaully lead to their rivalry and ultimate disdain for one another. I never realized how Kennedy (and his family) consumed and impacted Nixon's political and physical psyche. But given Teddy Kennedy's significant behind-the-scenes involvement in Nixon's ultimate downfall, fully chronicled here, he had good reason.If you're searching for a fresh analysis and interpretation of these two icons in American history, this is the book for you.

An informative history

Chris Matthews has written a extremely readable, informative, and fair history concerning two of the most important politicians in the post war era. Both were elected to the House of Representatives in 1946. Kennedy ran as a fighting conservative and Nixon as a common sense liberal. They became friends while serving in the House and later in the Senate. When it appeared that Kennedy might die in the mid 1950's Nixon broke down and cried. Both come across as extremely fair minded Senators politicians to do the right thing. Their friendship did not survive the 1960 election. After Kennedy was assassinated, Nixon could never live up to the myth of Camelot. It haunted him throughout the rest of his political career and played a part in his descent into Watergate.

Kennedy and Nixon: Hardball Politics at its Finest

Every now and then you find a book that reads so easily and is so interesting that you surprise yourself at the end by learning something. Christopher Matthews' new book, Kennedy and Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America, is one such book. Christopher Matthews has written a story about hardball politics that reads like a dramatic novel. Kennedy and Nixon is about how two political careers became tragically intertwined. Beginning with their friendship as freshman members of congress in 1948, carrying through the presidential election of 1960, and ending with Watergate Christopher Matthews details the drama that would eventually lead to the latter president's downfall. He also provides an illuminating contrast of the two men's personalities: the charming, well-to-do Kennedy versus the shy, hard working Nixon. Two very different men who actually share very similar ambitions and beliefs. Kennedy and Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America stands above all previous works on the two men as it examines just how closely their careers were connected. It is the story of friendship both lost to competition and transformed into a haunting and persistent obsession. Kennedy and Nixon is the perfect book for anyone who loves history, politics, and great tragic drama. To quote Christopher Matthews, this book is "for anyone who loves this stuff as much as I do!"