title:  JFK’s Grandson Obliterates Ted Cruz’s Fantasy That JFK Would Be A Republican Today
text: Ted Cruz would like us all to believe that John F. Kennedy would be a Republican today if he were alive. JFK s grandson not only disputed Cruz s claim, he torpedoed it.In an op-ed for Politico, Jack Kennedy Schlossberg repeatedly demonstrated that the Republican presidential wannabe and JFK fanboy is full of bullshit.Cruz has referenced JFK on several occasions throughout his presidential campaign insisting that the late former president would not be a Democrat today, but would instead join the Republican Party. JFK campaigned on tax cuts, limiting government and standing up and defeating Soviet communists,  he said in New Hampshire earlier this week.  JFK would be a Republican today. He stood for religious liberty, and he would be tarred and feathered by the modern Democratic Party. Not so fast, says Schlossberg. As Kennedy s grandson, and as a student of his life, legacy and administration, I find this notion and the suggestion that Ted Cruz is somehow taking up his mantle absurd. Were my grandfather alive today, he d be excited about how far we have come as a nation since 1963, he would feel a sense of urgency about the challenges that lie ahead and he most certainly would not be a Republican. Indeed, according to Schlossberg and the historical record, John F. Kennedy was, and still is, a liberal hero who stood in stark contrast to the conservatives who have overrun the GOP in the present day.For instance, here s Schlossberg on Kennedy s record on science versus Cruz and the GOP. Kennedy gave science and technology the highest national priority with his expansion of the space program. Most of the Republican Party denies climate change and has fought all efforts to address it. And here s Schlossberg on what religious liberty meant to JFK. Kennedy believed in religious liberty and the separation of church and state. He did not believe in the right of elected officials to impose their religious views on others. And considering how JFK was attacked because of his Catholic faith, Schlossberg pointed out that  he would be horrified by the attacks made against Muslim-Americans by leading Republican candidates for president. Schlossberg didn t stop there either. He continued to obliterate Ted Cruz s fantasy of a Republican JFK even further.On voting rights: He championed legislation to ensure that all Americans could exercise their right to vote. He did not spend his time devising ways to disenfranchise certain segments of the population. On immigration: As a senator and president he supported immigration reform that would welcome more hopeful men and women to America s shores. He did not try to close our borders, demonize foreign nationals or separate families by deporting parents with American children. Even JFK s stances on foreign policy differ from Cruz s by a wide margin.When it came to projecting American strength and power around the globe, JFK  didn t substitute bluster and bombast for statesmanship and resolve,  and he certainly  did not propose a perpetual war footing or unilateral displays of force. JFK would be particularly pleased about how President Obama has used diplomacy to reach common ground with Iran and Cuba and Schlossberg called out Cruz by name for irresponsibly forcing a government shutdown in 2013 and leading the constant obstruction in the Senate as things his grandfather would despise. Kennedy believed government could help organize the best of America s energies and skills. He created new federal programs with ambitious goals, such as the Peace Corps. He did not spend his years in the House and Senate devoted to obstructing the opposition. He certainly did not lead an effort, as Cruz did, to shut down the federal government to score political points and deny health insurance to millions. And in a final knockout blow to Ted Cruz, Schlossberg described how if the Texas senator had listened carefully to JFK s nomination speech in 1960, he would know that his claim about Kennedy being all about lower taxes, talking tough to the Soviet Union, and supporting limited government is totally wrong. As it turns out, Kennedy admitted that taxes would not always be low because it would take everyone chipping in their fair share to make government work better for everyone and promised that he would not deliver harsh rhetoric against the Soviets.  Clearly, Cruz hasn t read that speech,  Schlossberg wrote.In conclusion, Schlossberg said,  Today, my grandfather would be 98 years old. He d have no idea how to use a cell phone, and he d be shocked by just how far the Republican Party has lost its way. It s safe to say that Ted Cruz should probably keep his damn mouth shut the next time he thinks about bringing up John F. Kennedy as an example of a president who would be a Republican today.Featured Image: Wikimedia