However, JFK was a courageous and strong leader for one central reason: he stood up to the most politically powerful institutions in the country for the sake of good policy. In both the domestic realm and foreign affairs, this signature quality of JFK defined his tragically short presidency. This aspect of his leadership significantly improved during the course of his tenure. At first, Kennedy was seemingly overly conciliatory with conservative southern Democrats, hawkish military advisers, and the ruling political and economic class. Over time, JFK became more resistant to their advice and counsel, instead charting his own course that shaped his legacy as a great president.
In the domestic political arena, Kennedy's boldness and learning in leadership was reflected in his relationship with the steel industry and in his handling of civil rights. Initially, JFK's administration sought and secured key negotiated compromises with U.S. Steel and five other large steel corporations to ensure that prices were kept low. Kennedy first sought conciliation and consensus to steer the steel companies in the right direction. The steel companies reneged on their pledge and dramatically raised prices. This prompted JFK to firmly take on, without fear or second-guessing, the steel companies and to be frank, honest, and forthcoming about their attitude. JFK passionately asserted that he did not "accept a situation in which a tiny handful of steel executives whose pursuit of...profit exceeds their sense of public responsibility." JFK learned that being bold, progressive, and firm pays off: his exertion of such rhetoric and pressure on the steel industry, which included investigating potential criminal violations of U.S. Steel, caused them to cancel their decision to raise prices. The gutsiness of standing up strongly to economically powerful interests such as steel companies was a sign of courage.
With regards to civil rights, it is true that JFK was rather slow in making it to the point of supporting the cause. In the late 1950s and in the 1960 presidential election, civil rights advocates, including MLK himself, were incensed with Kennedy's seeming indecisiveness, wavering, and lack of commitment to civil rights. Ultimately, thanks in no small part to pressure applied by such liberals, JFK came around to the right conclusion. On June 11, 1963, in his most famous nationally televised address, Kennedy endorsed what later became the Civil Rights Act. Though initially resistant of broader civil rights legislation, JFK ultimately ditched his longtime effort to reconcile with the southern conservative Democrats. Instead, President Kennedy stood up to them, despite their political power at that time, and he outlined his vision for desegregation and equal rights for African-Americans.
Most notably, Kennedy was willing to stand up to powerful interests in the "military-industrial complex," as his predecessor deemed it. Nowhere is this more evident than during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. As evidenced earlier this year by documents stored in a National Archives exhibit, JFK was receiving close advice that suggested, from the standpoint of military officers, that invading Cuba and militarily acting in response to Soviet acts would be a feasible and even desirable option. Kennedy refused that route despite the power and influence of his chain of command. Instead, he sought and helped secure a diplomatic resolution to the crisis -- something not all presidents would do in response to foreign aggression. JFK further defied the hawks amongst his administration -- despite their status as politically influential and intelligent policymakers -- by delivering a stirring, largely conciliatory, and diplomatic speech, urging greater detente with the Soviet Union, at the American University commencement in the late spring of 1963.
Ultimately, JFK was proud to be a liberal. It is true that conservatives like to emphasize his beliefs in the concept of "peace through strength"and his popular tax cuts. However, at his core, Kennedy was a liberal. These aforementioned actions prove that his liberalism and progressive views regarding political philosophy motivated JFK's gradual rise towards firm strength in taking on powerful lobbies. JFK came to believe, through rhetoric and through actions such as those included here, that taking on those powerful lobbies and calling a spade a spade (essentially) has hugely positive consequences and is the right thing to do. As a country now, much of us agree we are all better off for these Kennedy decisions despite their controversiality at the time.
If you want any more evidence that JFK was fairly progressive, take a look at this famous quote of his regarding his defense of liberalism: "If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal' , then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal.'" Rest in peace, Mr. President.
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