"Kennedy was a lot of fun, always. He had something going on. But not Nixon"
About this Quote
Smathers lands the punch with the breezy rhythm of a nightclub aside: “a lot of fun, always,” “something going on.” It’s political evaluation disguised as social gossip, the kind that sounds harmless until you notice it’s doing real work. By judging presidents on vibe rather than policy, he’s translating power into charisma - and implying that charisma is not a cosmetic extra but a governing asset. Kennedy isn’t praised for legislation here; he’s praised for being magnetic, kinetic, a man with a plotline. “Always” is the tell: Smathers isn’t describing a moment, he’s branding a temperament.
Then comes the hard cut: “But not Nixon.” Four words, no adjectives, no argument. The economy of it is the insult. Nixon doesn’t merely lack charm; he lacks motion, intrigue, the sense of a lived narrative. Smathers frames him as socially inert, which in American politics is a deeper accusation than incompetence. It suggests a candidate who can’t host the country’s imagination, can’t make people feel invited into the story.
Context matters: Smathers was a Florida Democratic insider, close to the Kennedys, speaking from within the mid-century culture where TV was remaking leadership into performance. The quote carries that era’s assumption that likability isn’t trivial - it’s coalition-building, press management, and emotional reassurance. Underneath the cocktail-tone comparison sits a sharper warning: in a media-saturated democracy, the un-fun man starts every day down in the polls, even before he opens his mouth.
Then comes the hard cut: “But not Nixon.” Four words, no adjectives, no argument. The economy of it is the insult. Nixon doesn’t merely lack charm; he lacks motion, intrigue, the sense of a lived narrative. Smathers frames him as socially inert, which in American politics is a deeper accusation than incompetence. It suggests a candidate who can’t host the country’s imagination, can’t make people feel invited into the story.
Context matters: Smathers was a Florida Democratic insider, close to the Kennedys, speaking from within the mid-century culture where TV was remaking leadership into performance. The quote carries that era’s assumption that likability isn’t trivial - it’s coalition-building, press management, and emotional reassurance. Underneath the cocktail-tone comparison sits a sharper warning: in a media-saturated democracy, the un-fun man starts every day down in the polls, even before he opens his mouth.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sarcastic |
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