Profiles in Cowardice

Baby Boomers and the Greatest Generation know the story well, but younger people may need to be reminded of what put John F. Kennedy “on the map” politically. No, it wasn’t being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1946 or the U.S. Senate in 1952. Actually, what made Kennedy a household name was his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Profiles in Courage, which was published in 1956.

Profiles in Courage was a collection of short biographies, describing the integrity and acts of political courage of eight different senators: John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benson, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Lamar, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft. The book – allegedly ghostwritten, at least in part, by Ted Sorensen, JFK’s speechwriter – became a national bestseller and catapulted Kennedy to political prominence… and onto the short list of Democrat presidential hopefuls for 1960.

Sadly, the Democrat party of JFK is now R.I.P. And the courage displayed by those eight senators – who spanned several different political parties and ideologies – has gone AWOL in Washington D.C.

Exhibit A is the gentleman currently occupying the Oval Office. After successfully “campaigning” for president from his basement bunker in 2020, Joe Biden has decided to follow the same cowardly course in 2024. At least in 2020, he emerged like Punxsutawney Phil to debate a stage full of Democrat presidential wannabees, including a one-on-one lovefest with Bernie Sanders once the nomination was assured. Those brief appearances were followed by two debates with Donald Trump that more closely resembled WWE cage matches or reality show episodes than actual political discourse.

Somewhere, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas are rolling over in their respective graves.

Since when does the supposed leader of the Free World shy away from a fight? If Joe Biden can’t stand up to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Marianne Williamson, how is he going to go toe-to-toe with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping?

Of course, nothing seems beneath an octogenarian who hides in the East Wing while a press conference is going on in the West Wing, allowing Karine Jean-Pierre to run interference for him. It can be argued that, at 5’3” in heels, Karine stands taller than Joe… and lies just as well.

This sad scene is eerily reminiscent of my two congressional campaigns. In 2008, Rep. Rob Andrews hid behind his wife’s skirt – and her shadow candidacy – for four months before re-entering the race… and bumping Camille off the ballot in the process. Who says that chivalry is dead? That incestuous coup left less than six weeks for me to challenge Andrews “mano a mano” in a singular debate.

Two years later, wary of facing me again one-on-one, Rob insisted that the debate stage be open to several fringe candidates, who altogether garnered less than 2% of the vote. Yet another sterling exhibition of political courage… NOT!

But a corrupt and cowardly congressman dodging a debate is one thing. The 46th President of the United States playing hide-and-seek with his challengers is another.

JFK would be ashamed of you, Mr. President.