John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) is the incumbent Vice President of the United States of America under President Richard Nixon, having served since the inauguration in 1961. Kennedy is a member of the Democratic Party, and is noted for his support of progressive legislation. His father is Joseph P. Kennedy, and his younger brother is Robert F. Kennedy, who serves as his chief of staff.
Post-war (1945-1962)
Vice presidency (1961-62)
President Richard Nixon and Vice President John F. Kennedy were inaugurated in 1961, following the most one-sided vote in American history running against Henry M. Jackson of the National Progressive Pact in the 1960 US presidential election.
After the 1960 victory, Nixon’s approval ratings have plummeted, in no small part due to allegations of corruption, constant NPP protests, and a vice president constantly taking praise for Nixon’s actions (intentionally or not).
To further complicate things, in January 1962, the Hawaiian Missile Crisis is in full swing. Japanese missiles have been placed on Hawaii, threatening the western US seaboard. However, after tense negotiations between Vice President Kennedy and Prime Minister Ino of Japan, the conflict has been defused, and the doomsday clock rolled back. While Kennedy is being praised from the R-D core, Nixon is attacked for his lack of action on the issue.
Presidency
Kennedy becomes President of the United States after Nixon is impeached and forced to resign. The Kennedy presidency lasts for only around a month before he is assassinated by white nationalist Bobby Frank Cherry over Kennedy's support for Civil Rights; John W. McCormack, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, subsequently serves out the rest of his term. If the Civil Rights Act had previously been vetoed by Nixon, Kennedy's death causes his younger brother Robert to defect from the Democrats and join the Progressive Party, becoming the NPP's candidate in the 1964 election.
In-Game Description (Vice-President)
Young, rich, handsome, and charismatic, John Fitzgerald Kennedy doesn't embody his nation as it exists. He embodies his nation as it wants to be.
A son of the businessman and politician Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., JFK has enjoyed a life seemingly unburdened by hardship. As far as the public knows, he grew up in a supportive family and went to the best schools before enlisting in the US Navy and displaying heroism against the Japanese. Bolstered, by his eloquence and a rare ability to connect with voters, Kennedy found himself swept into politics upon his return, ascending from congressman to senator, ousting a Republican rival in the process. His unabashed liberalism and uplifting campaign style led the party bosses to think of him as a good balance to Nixon on the ticket in '60. While Kennedy has his own ambitions, he is aware of the dangers in upsetting his erratic and confusing boss. He is determined to see their partnership succeed, at least for now.
In-Game Description (President)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy's path to political prominence was one overshadowed by others' controversies. Scion of the powerful Kennedy family and son of President Joseph Kennedy, John found himself recalled from the Pacific front after his elder brother Joseph Jr.'s death, and had been groomed to follow in his father's steps ever since. In the years following the 1948 election and the implosion of the Democratic Party, the Kennedys (with the exception of John's brother Robert) loyally followed the shattered remnants of the party to the GOP, becoming members of the Republican-Democrat Party. Some predicted that John's career would be tainted by the failures of Kennedy the Elder's administration, but John's personal charisma and political savvy were enough to help him grow out of his father's shadow. In 1960, he was on the Republican-Democrats' victorious Vice Presidential ticket. Unfortunately, his running mate was Richard Nixon.
Now, John finds himself thrust into leadership of a nation in turmoil, one that desperately looks toward him for guidance. But for every American who sees him as a beacon of stability, there is one who sees him as an obstacle: ardent segregationists fear that his idealism will lead to him furthering civil rights legislation, and committed progressives scorn him for not being as impassioned as his brother Robert. Fate has ordained John F. Kennedy be the one to steer the ship of state, but will he be the one to guide it out of dangerous waters?
Trivia
- Kennedy's assassination was originally by a Guyanese nationalist, in response to an American invasion of Guyana.