Boy, have things changed...........?

MSNBC got ahold of (never sure what that means or how that happens) a recording of John F. Kennedy from January 1960. The recording took place at Kennedy's Georgetown townhouse. In the audio, JFK is talking with Ben Bradlee - who was then Newsweek's Washington bureau chief. Jim Cannon, another writer with Newsweek, was there as well. Jackie Kennedy and Toni Cannon (Jim Cannon's wife) can also be heard in the recording. The audio was made by Bradlee and Cannon for a book they were considering writing about American politics.

The audio is fascinating. It is so crisp and clear, that you can actually hear ice tinkling in glasses, as well as the occasional sound of Kennedy's cigar cutter. The tape oozes of late 1950s/early 1960s Americana (wealthy Americana). Early on, you can hear a moment of a child's voice, Caroline Kennedy, being whisked away, most likely, by a nanny. You can imagine a well-furnished living room, with cigar smoke hanging in the air. You know the era; when cocktails were a sport rather than a vice. Sigmund Freud had already made his impact in the world, with people having more comfort discussing their feelings and motives regarding their actions.

MSNBC's Brian Williams explains how a side of Kennedy, which usually wasn't visible, could be seen (or heard, I guess). Kennedy describes his feelings of uncertainty regarding his winning a presidential election. JFK also makes light of his health issues - Addision's disease.

For me, other parts of the audio stood out. Firstly, John Kennedy discusses the "egoism" of children, and how he had not spent much time with Caroline Kennedy prior to their recent two-week family vacation in Jamaica. Ben Bradlee actually says, "yes, I was worried about you." He seems to be referring to what he saw as a possible lack of a connection between JFK and his young daughter. Kennedy states, "yes - this trip has made all of the difference."

Secondly, Kennedy talks about his desire to be president, comparing it to "playing Yale" every day. Instead of describing a sense of wanting to change things or make things better, he seems to express a yearning for the excitement and "power" that being a president can bring. Not that wanting to change things is not there, but the excitement piece seems to definitely be in the forefront.

Lastly what struck me, were Kennedy's interactions with Jackie Kennedy and Toni Cannon. John Kennedy seems somewhat uncomfortable in talking about these issues in front of the spouses, and made comments several times that maybe the women should "go in the other room." When Kennedy states that the women really "don't want to hear this," Jackie Kennedy (with a tone that makes it hard to believe that she and JFK had already been married for seven years), says coyly - "we like to be with our men."



Maybe that is why the AMC show "Madmen," which is about a New York City advertising agency is the early 1960s (see above photo), is so popular now. The show is a snapshot of this exact era. Mad Men depicts the society and culture of the early 1960s, highlighting cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism, homophobia, as well as religious and racial bias. Boy, have things changed. Or have they? The media's depiction of Hillary Clinton during this primary season did not seem to suggest so. Hopefully, change will be evident in the election of Barack Obama as president. Perhaps change is not something that is linear. Maybe we have to be reminded of how things "were," to see how far (or how little) we have come.