Born into a wealthy and famous family, John Kennedy was a privileged youth. He was well educated at private schools and prestigious universities. He joined the Navy in 1941 as was sent to the South Pacific during World War II. He was given command of PT 109 (patrol-torpedo boat). In 1943 his boat was hit by a Japanese destroyer. Heroically, he helped many of the marooned crew to safety. As a result, he was award the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism. (There is a movie about this, PT-109)
After the war, Kennedy had aspirations of being a journalist. The cries of political life became too strong and in 1946, he ran and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Massachusetts. He began his term in Congress in 1947 at age 29. He ran twice more before he changed course and ran for U.S. Senate in 1952. Early in his term as a Senator he was forced to have back surgery. During his recovery, he wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning biography “Profiles in Courage”.
He chose to run for President in 1960. His opponent was a well known and former Vice President Richard Nixon. Kennedy’s youthful and vibrant charisma was a major issue is deciding the election. This was particularly evident in the first-ever televise debates. He was elected by a narrow margin of 120,000 votes and became the youngest man ever elected to the presidency.
In his inaugural address he called on all Americans to join together to end poverty, continue the progress of the United States and fight to win the Cold War against communism. It is here you hear one of his most famous quotes, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.
He was energetic, decisive, and charismatic. Although he is one of the most loved presidents of all time, his leadership was at times controversial and he was not liked by groups of Americans and foreign citizens. Many of the changes he was encouraging were not well received. It is this controversy which led to many of the conspiracy theories surrounding his death.
Unfortunately, just over 1,000 days into his presidency, he was publicly assassinated.
What qualities are necessary to be a great and effective president? How do you think the age of television changed the role of the president and how elections are run? How do you think the use of television, Internet and instant access to news will continue to shape our world, our leaders, and our ideas?
Gonzo- There are many qualities necessary to make a great president. Some of these qualities are courage, leadership, and intelligence. As a president, you really need to be able to lead your country, otherwise people will regret electing you. You need courage because you have to be able to make hard decisions that a lot of people will hate. Lastly, you need intelligence because you have to think of all of the possible outcomes, and what you need to do to acheive those outcomes. Also, you need to have intelligence so you can make quick, rational decisions. I think that the age of television changed the role of the president and the elections in many ways. First off, the president's role became more public. The president started to have to make big decisions that most of the country and world will see; so you most people throughout the country and some people in other countries will see your decision and judge you for it. The age of television has also greatly changed how elections are run. Instead of the people running for president appearring in many different states, they can appear in a handful of states and give speeches. Then, people throughout the country can see the people running for presidents speeches and decide who they want to vote for and not have to go to the actual speeches. I think that the use of electronical media will shape our world, leaders, and our ideas in many ways. First off, our world will become more deppendant on electronics and therefor they won't do as much like read a newspaper or travel to listen to a speech. Since people will not have to actually do anything for new, they will probably not excercise as much and therefor become obese. Our leaders will have to have better values and be better people because all of there decisions will be seen and critizised by many different people. Our ideas will be changed a lot based on media. Most people will watch the news and listen to what the reporters have to say and might be biased towards what or who is right or wrong. Also, people will rarely do research themselves to see who they perfer do be a leader and will become lazy. Overall, electronic media can be convenient and could make us lazy.
ReplyDeleteNoah R- For one to become a president, one needs physical and mental strength. They must hold strong to their convictions. He or she must also come knowing that they WILL have enemies.
ReplyDeleteT.V and the news has changed elections greatly, mostly for the better. The candidate can make their views known more quickly, and everyone can know who they are. However, this advancement of technology can make us lazy, like gonzo said. It can turn us into people like the Eloi from the Time Machine.
Ben R.
ReplyDeleteTo be a great and effective president you must have authority, kindness, wisdom, and compassion.Today's technology has made the president's role easier because he or she can reach more people,and he can tell people about his ideas quicker. it also changed elections by allowing the candidates to spread their ideas to more people and it gets to people faster. it also informs people more on who to elect by informing them and showing them who has how many votes. I think that today's instant access will cause everyone and our world to be too caught up in all the problems and struggle around the world and too worried about them to focus on more important things in life. I think that it will also make our leaders into smarter, more learned people and our ideas will be better because we will know more about the world.
-Emily T-
ReplyDeleteTo be a good president, you must have the ability to make wise decisions under huge amounts of pressue, and must also have the courage to stand by that decision.Technology has made elections easier, for instance, it gives the opportunity of advertising the president's ideas, and when it's time to elect a new president you can see their ideas and what they want to do if elected president on TV. The president can also reach a wider audience if he is making a speech and it is broadcasted. I think that technology will make us smarter and more advanced but i think we have to be careful that we don't become lazy and dependant on technology.
-Emily T-
Kristen: To be a good President you have to be honest, trustworthy, nice to everybody, and really brave. TV has changed the role of the president and the way the elections are run because now people can see the speeches of the candidates on TV and they can watch speeches the presidents give during their time as president. It will continue to shape are world because we will become more technologically advanced and we will be able to get lots more stuff done quicker. We have to make sure we don't get lazy
ReplyDeleteKristen
Taylor:Some quaities ithink it takes to be a president are you need to be trustworthy and put your country before yourself. Other things are you need to be able to lead a big group of people and be able to take in different ideas rather than jusr your own.TV has changed the way the world views the elections because instead of having to read stuff in a news paper all you have to do is turn on the television and there the election is. It gets the canidates ideas out there faster. These advancements in technology can make us lazy. If we keep heading into these new advancements and not have to take the time to figure out the real facts about the canidates then we won't know who will be a good president or not.
ReplyDeleteAnna K: Qualities in a President that will make them great is that they must listen to other people. They cannot think that everything they do is right and they must also learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of past presidents and other people. Technology has changed our world alot, especially the way we see the President. Now if we want to see and hear the President for example giving a speech we can just turn on the TV and see him. Tv is also a very big part in campaigning for the Presidential canidates. Canidates spend tons of money on advertising (mostly on tv.) Technology will change our world but maybe not for the better. We may become lazy because technology does basically all the work for us. That is why we must be very careful not to let technology to consume us.
ReplyDeleteMadeline- Naturally, several characteristics would apply to a succesful, great president. I think some of these would be self-discipline, courage, and honesty. One would have to have some self-control, espcially when just finding out wether or not they won the elections. Courage in the face of danger. As president, one could have attempts made on one's life. Not to mention the way the president is the one with all the meetings with other world leaders, sometimes on the brink of war. If a canidate were to promise, during their campaign, to do something, and then, later on, pretend it had never been said, well, there would probably be an alarming number of people with thoughts of impeachment. Now, during the elections, you can't turn on the TV without seeing one of the adds, either about what so-and-so will if they get elected or how that canidate did that, so you shouldnt vote for them, and that so-and-so approves this message. TV is now a key component in a campaign. Our world is increasingly dependant on the Internet for our connections to the rest of the world. The world's leaders remain in touch via the Internet. Honestly, people are probably too dependant on technology. Without the Internet or TV, would you really know what was happening? Would your ideas, your values, be any different? Probably. Just something to think about...
ReplyDeleteTim: There is an endless amount of qualities needed to be an effective president. Some of those qualities are leadership and intelligence. A president needs leadership because with out it you cant make good decisions and cant lead their country to be the best it can be. Lastly, an effective president needs intelligence to make important decisions like going into war and passing laws. The age of television has changed the role of the president by making him more public and the people can realize his decisions quickly. Also the way elections are run have changed too by giving people a better view on who they are voting for. The use of television, internet and instant access will shape our world to be more informed and make our leaders decisions viewed by more people. Our ideas will be greater because we know what is going on and can make more informed opinions.
ReplyDeletePatrick O'Neill Some qualities of being a president are not common. Some of the most imporant qualities are leadership and putting others ahead of you. If we had a selfish preseident then he or she could warp the laws to their own needs. Then again if they were selfish then we wouldnt vote for them. With the invention of the Television by Milo T. Pharnsworth, campainging has been easier for the preseident. If major changes happened in congress then we would know for they would post it all over the news. It has changed the role of the president by allowing more people to learn about him and to better know him and see if they think that the canidate is a good one. The internet and internet access will also shape our world. If we coudlnt get the news, then we might not know things that are happening outside. Internet has also changed our world by making it easier for people to learn and find things. The easir it is people wont regret having to look things up.
ReplyDeleteGrant- In order to be an effective president you need to be a good public speaker, have good morals, good judgement and be a hard worker. If you have these qualities you will be able to convey your ideas to the public, do what is right for the people, be able to decide what and what not to do and have the drive to work through hard situations. Television has made everything more public and easily accessible this makes it easier for people to find out information about the canidates. The use of technology helps more people get lots more opinions about the canidates from all kinds of people. This will help voters be informed and make better decisions.
ReplyDeletePtrick Oster- To be a great president you need to have the brains, money, power, speaking skill, and many other things that you would need to be an effective leader. The age of T.V has changed due tgo more advance technology. Now you could watch the votes being polled in live, you could see the results of the votes, and there are many more commercialls on T.V asking you to vote for this person. Yes. The advancment of T.V and all the others you listed can be used to shape our world into a lush and utopian world. Or the internet could be used to turn our world into a corrupt, polluting, war-like planet.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing i forgot to mention on the first question is that you must be a great leader to lead any country to greatness.
ReplyDeleteBailey A.K.A Stud- To be a president you must be a great leader and speaker. Most presidents get there way in because they talk good. You also need lots of money for the campaigning. If you have a T.V. you can just listen and know about the president. Earlier in history if people didn't want to go. They wouldn't vote. Iternet can be good and bad. If you have a speech, everyone will find out about it. Some false person might write a bad report and it may not be true.
ReplyDeleteJohn-
ReplyDeleteI think some of the major factors in becoming a good President is to be hard working, devoted to the U.S., and to actually take action rather than being a total hypocrite which is a serious problem in politics. When they started televised speeches, it made a massive impact on elections. The actual person running was saying these words (or reading a typed script) rather than possibly being summarized and filled with propagana by a journalist. Modern technology will either make it easier to get information on politics, or it could be a massive and chaotic problem, though the problems could vary or not even happen, but I think it's more likely to assist in access (unless filled with propaganda) to political events.
Jilly- Some of the qualities of an effective president would be honesty, bravery, and respect. A good president needs to be honest so if something is going wrong they will be honest and tell America the truth. Presidents need to be brave and trustful because the may have to make hard decisions and they have to trust that the people helping him decide know what they are talking about they must also be brave because sometimes they must do things that most would not have the courage to do. If a president does not respect those he is working with nothing get accomplished. TV has definitely changed elections because now you will constantly see things on TV during the time of elections telling you why you should vote for this person and why you shouldn't vote for this other person. But TV has also made it extremely easy to see speeches and debates that are going on without actually leaving your house to go see it. Another thing that happens is you can mail in your vote in instead of going to the voting booth for an election. Having the internet so available it is easy to find out about the ideas of the president or anyone else in politics. On the TV you can also easily find about ideas people have. With the news we always know what is going on it the world. In shows us things that might be going on in our neighborhood to something going on on the other side of world. People are constantly inventing new thing so this will continue into the future so this will continue to shape and change our world.
ReplyDeletethis is chocolate thunda again (Conner) - i think that some of the qualities that come with being a successful and effective president are things like being able to listen to others, being bold enough to admit and learn from your mistakes, have courage, intelligence, detirmination, and tolerance. i think that our technological advancments has turned our world for the better. now for the candidate's speeches, he only has to make a couple of appearances in front of large sized crowds and be heard all aruond the country because of television or the radio. this is easier for everybody because the candidate doesn't have to make as many speeches to the people and the voters that didn't get visited by the president don't have to get told false accusations by voters of the opposite party. instead, the voter can watch the candidate on the television or hear him/her on the radio. i think that with the growth of our knowledge about technology can work both ways. one of the good things that we will be able to take out of it is that the things that the candidate does or says will be much easier followed by the spectators/voters. one bad thing that could come out of it is that the news casters that reflect and discuss the candidates points that he makes can get so contorted and stretches that they change the pending voters mind on false judgements. this will be easier and easier to do because those certain people will be heard in much more ways and by mych more people. this is chocolate thunda and i'm over and out for this week.
ReplyDelete-Megan-
ReplyDeleteI think the qualtities that make a good effective president are being a good leader, have a hard working attitude, and being brave. I also think being intellegent and being a good public speaker are good qualities to have as a president. I think leadrship is pretty self explained. As for being hard working i think this is a good one because if you don't work hard at what you do, you won't do a very good job. I think bravery is also a good one because you need to be brave enough to stand up in front of your country and make decisions for it, you won't be a very good leader. I think the television age has changed the role of the president and the way the elections are run. It has changed the role of the president by changing how things a publicized. more things can be shown since most people of America have televisons. This makes all the decisions of the president so much bigger. This is because everyone can see what he decides. The elections have changed because more people can see the speeches so i think people are more involved. Since we have so much technology i think our country, leaders, and ideas will change. I think this because people have more access to more imformation. They will change since we have more imformation i think we will look further to expand our country
I think President or any leader needs to be brave, loyal, intelligent,and courgous.It has changed will polls and campains.The election show who has what lead in this state and who will win there.I think myself included we will rely on all these gadgets and stuff to give us instite access to news and we might become like the Eloi. I agree with Gonzo on how our opinions will be changed by the media with all rumors and junk. Peace out Bloggers!!
ReplyDeleteRich- I think the qualities to be a great and effective president are the ability to lead our country through tough times and able to correct the problems with our country. I think television changed the role of the president and how the elections are run by giving the voters a chance to see the deligates in person and able to get an opinion on the deligates ideas. I think it will change our world, leaders, and ideas by giving us more information about what is going on in the world which changes our ideas on things.
ReplyDeleteil0vesn0(noah)-said-To be a good president you need to be, good with people(like people). You need to be honest, Because if your a president your people need to be able to trust you! Maybe the most important thing is you need to care. To care about the U.S. and its people. You need to have passion and dignity. T.V. has changed everything because now you can watch a canadates apeech from your house, you dont need to travel thousands of miles. The internet will shape our ideas because we are influenced everyday by the things we see here.
ReplyDeletejared-to be a good prez you need to have leadership and honor. tv has changed everything because you can watch eloections and stuff like that at your house. the tv and internet will shape citizens by when they go on the conputer they will know whos running and or who got elected
ReplyDeletePeyton A.K.A. Big Black- To be a president you have to be a natural and great leader. I think that T.V. changed the election and running for the president by he now had to appeal to everyone. it will advance our leaders help them form the right ideas about what we need as a country and help them become a better leader.
ReplyDelete~Jenna~ to be president it is important that you have leadership skills. you also need to be able to make wise decisions. you need to be able to handle pressure well also. T.V. changed the elections because it helped the people running get more advertising out about themselves. i think T.V. will also continue to help during the elections as our technology advances.
ReplyDelete~Jenna~
sam mallane aka italian stalian
ReplyDeleteA good quality a pres should have is they should acually do wat they promise.Televisonchange the roll and election of the pres. because they can campain on tv and make them sound really good.It changed electoins because it can preswade voters. for that last question just read the bottom of /gonzos/
Abby- to be a president you have to be a good leader and trustworthy and do everything possible for the countr he or she would have to be a good public speaker and brave enought to say no. i think that tv has made it easier for the canidants to get there message to the public. it will probablymake it way easier for evrything to get around to everyone.
ReplyDeleteKarina- A good president takes responsibility, being trustworthy, and over all just being a good leader. Technology has definately made it easier for people to decide on who they want to be their leader. TV makes it easily accessible for the president to make his/her speeches to the public about what they will do if they are president. The internet also helps if we want to research more about the canidates to make the voters final decision on who they want to be our leader.
ReplyDeleteBella- First of all, I must say that all your guys nicknames are pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteThere are many roles an effective president must have for example they must be a good listener, trustworthy, a kind person, a problem solver, responsible, true to their word, and many other things. I think that television has changed the presidental elections in many ways for instance I think many more people are involved in the elections. Also that people are better informed about what goes on in the elections. I think that we will be better informed about what is happening around the world. But, I think the age of technology may also be a bad thing in some ways.
Abhi- There are seven qualities needed to be a effective president, they are being an exemplary character, enthusiastic, confident, manners,tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, well at keeping the main goal, and committed to excellence. From TV the president's role has became more public. The TV and Internet will help people when they go on the computer they will know what is happening.
ReplyDelete*Alice*
ReplyDeleteWell first off it takes a lot just to become President. And to be a good one is harder, for once you need a lot of responsibility. Taking care of a country is a lot of work. Also they just need to be a great leader. Anyways how the technology today, have effected on elections is well people will know faster on who running. Yet also helping the people that are running, by advertising where a lot of people are going to see it. Yet what cause this is to make everyone, well lazy. Which hopefully won't happen to me. And well thats how I think of it, soo yeah.
Emily B- To be a good president you have to be a good leader and put your country before yourself. You have to be true to what you say and be responsible. Today it is easier to understand what a president is trying to convey, you cach on alot beter if you see an election than if you just read about it. Their is a down side to all the new technology too, news spreads alot fster, not all of it being good.
ReplyDeletedavid
ReplyDeleteAnna M.- there are many qualities needed to be a good president. two that is needed most in my opinion is courage and leadership. if you don't have courage what in the world is the president going to do in a crisis like people bombing the US. and you need leadership because the president is a leader. the age of tv has changed the role of the president and how elections are run mainly because you have more opportunities to see the president and what his plans are going to be as president. i think this will continue to shape our world because the world will have more information on topics, ideas, politics ect. it will continue to shape our leaders because the leaders of different countries can take from bad and good experiences that other leaders have had and apply it to their country. ideas are shared simply people watching the news and finding out what is going on in the world.
ReplyDeleteKobe- There are many qualities a person needs to be president. First of all you need to be honest. I mean your running a whole nation you don't want to be lying to millions of people. You also must be confident. You are an example to many people and you have to be prepared for some big catastrophe to come down on you like a bomb shell. A president must also have a cheerful personality. Because you don't want people to view you as a grumpy old fart. One of the biggest things a president must be good at is public speaking. The president always has to address our country, and if he cant do that correctly people may not view him with the respect a president should. And now on to tv and how it has affected the role of the president and how the elections are run.Tv has widely affected the roll of the president because it allows people to see him because most people in our country do have tv's in their homes and i think it is important for people to see our president. I think the internet, and all of these other social net working sites will allow the leaders of our world to stay in touch with each other to create and maintain a peaceful planet earth.
ReplyDeleteDavid- to be a good president you must be able to trustworthy and honest so that the people stay informed. Also the president should do what he promises because that is after all why the people elected him/her. The president should also be strong and not easily corupt. I think the elections have been diferently by the fact that television can be broadcasted across all of the U.S. without the president even going there. So in other words LAZY. I think all of those will continue to shape our ideas because with just the click of a button they can watch a news channel or something rather than going out and buying a newspaer and doing a little reading. Also our ideas may change because the person may be inluenced rather than thiniking up their own thoughts.
ReplyDeleteLAST BLOGGER!
ReplyDeleteSQUIRREL- Qualities a President should have are courage, bravery, strong beleif, love for their country, smarts,and leadership. I think tv changes the role a pres. by letting the whole nation here him speak live. thats a big thing because alot of people here things better when they acually see someone say it then just read it from a note or telagram. GOODnight ST. JOES GOOD NIGHT!!!
The Freelance Pianist - To be a good president, one must have the courage to first apply, trustworthy and honest so your own people don't revolt against you. A president must also possess a keen sense of shrewdness and guile as well as a very small degree of deceit (Yes, I know I said honesty was a quality for a good president but so is balance, and sometimes the only way to achieve the greater good is to bend the truth. Let's be honest here, the truth can sometimes be worse than a lie and the little innocent child [us] every now and then must be told the almost-truth until he or she is ready for the full truth told by a trusted adult[the president in this case].) Just like when we were kids and wanted to know where babies came from. We were fed the almost-truth until we were ready for the full truth. Above all a good president must posses OUTSTANDING integrity, because we all know that power can easily corrupt the weak of heart and mind, especially when a little lie is added here and there. Presidents "back in the day" had methods that some presidents today may not even attempt because of the easy way out that we all know as television. It is much easier to broadcast a message on the television instead of going through all the work of creating physical adds and such and going around posting by hand. And of course, the average person will see more television adds than real ones, so it also increases the president's range and "voice". Indeed, technology has changed the way the world communicates, learns, progresses, and functions. It will be little surprise to see it change the way our political system is run. It would also be little surprise to see it turn us all into brainless vegetables who are soft and lazy because of the sheer ease to find answers and knowledge that is often overlooked by many. It is because of this ease that sometimes the all-important values of hard work and effort become null and void. In short, simplicity is a blessing, but moderation is one more so. Get what I mean?
ReplyDeletejake>to be a good president it takes confidence and leadership. TV has made huge impact on our world and has made many people lazzzzy and lethargic. We need to make a stand and try to use less TV.
ReplyDeleteJAKE>PS DIDNT WORK THE FIRST TIME
ReplyDeleteEmma- I think being a good president means being strong, independent, and able to take responsiblity. I think tv has change so much the way presidents elect and run.
ReplyDeleteScott- I think that if you are a president you must be as incorruptible as possible, strongly grounded, and able to take responsibility for your own actions. I think that TV has changed the elections so much because it made it so much more national to where you could see the president and how he carries himself. I think that the more internet grows the less public gatherings we will have.
ReplyDeleteJethro- to be a good president you have to be a good leader and make good choices and do what you say you would do, and you have to actually be helpful to people that need the help and not take forever to help them. you also have to have a strong mind to finish what you started and be better and to not mentally or physically break down. I think that T.V has changed the whole world around because youu can see what the president says and what they promise and what they say and to not even leave your house. Also more people watch T.V.
ReplyDeleteJethro- Also people check the inernet alot and watch T.V
ReplyDeleteGarren- I think that in order to be an effective president you need to have leadership, you have to be able to take resposibility for your actions, and you need to be good at coming up with efficent solutions to problems and you need to beable to do it quickly. Everything is televised that has to do with the president so they not only have to have those traits but tey need to be good public speakers and they need to be able to explain the topic that is being discussed.I also think that TV has helped voters be informed on who they are voting for and they learn about their past life. I think that telivison will keep shaping us in positive and negitive ways. I think the positive effects are we are more informed on topics and we learn about things quicker. On the flipside we tend to sped to much time surfing the internet and wathching tv that we do not do alot of other things.
ReplyDeleteNora- (hoping this works this time) To be a good president, you must have a good sense of justice, be truthful, and be able to know what citizens want and what is needed, and the difference between the two. I think that when Kennedy was in office, people still had a sense of privacy, and knew that even the famous need privacy, and everyone has the right to keep secrets. (as long as it's not something like, another country has prepared to launch nuclear weapons in three days and if we don't evacuate, we die.) After all, we don't read all about the strain in the households of our neighbors, and crawl all over the lawn and lick the steps of the lady across the street, all the while forcing a piece of paper under her nose and asking her to sign it. I think that now that we have developed such nosiness, I mean, curiosity about the people who run our nation, the president has to act presidential all the time, and he doesn't really get a break. Then again, it gives us the opportunity to become more informed on what our government is doing to prevent or solve problems. There is also the danger of becoming used to thinking you know everything about everything to consider. Then, as in the classic novel The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, we might lose our curiosity and thirst for knowledge. These would have "committed suicide."
ReplyDeleteLAUREN- To be a good president you must be a good leader, honest and courageous. Tv has changed the way elections are made in a lot of different ways. Tv can notify the public on how the election is and it can show the public the speeches the presidents make. Tv has made a big impact on elections. It will continue to do more for us the better our technology becomes.
ReplyDeleteBen S- To be a good president you need to have knowledge of what is going on, you need to be a leader, and you need to be a good listener too. Yes i think TV has changed the way elections are made because it provides immediate information on what is going on in the election rather than waiting for the info to be in a newspaper. I think elections will change a lot in the future as more and more technology starts to come around.
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