Sunday, October 5, 1952
Interests
In a speech to the Massachusetts state CIO, JFK criticized his Senate campaign opponent Henry Lodge for neglecting the interests of Massachusetts while he focused on his own and President Eisenhower’s national political success. Lodge was spending most of his time and energy in the fall of 1952 on global affairs and the re-election of Ike.
It is a good and fine thing for members of the Senate to engage as statesmen in the high realm of foreign affairs. It is even, perhaps, a good thing for a Senator to devote himself to the fine art of president-making…even if that activity is based on a rather desperate effort to help himself. But I say to you it is a gross betrayal of a Senator’s own constituents, when he has his head so high in the clouds that he has neither the will nor the time to look after problems that cry for solution in his own backyard.
It is ironic that once elected to the Senate, Kennedy devoted most of his interests and effort to foreign affairs and preparing and running for president. Throughout his career he had little interest in Massachusetts politics and constituent services.
[154, p.65-6]