JFK, CONSERVATIVE A startling reconsideration of John F. Kennedy's record and achievements John F. Kennedy is lionized by liberals. He inspired LBJ to push for  landmark civil rights laws. His New Frontier promised new spending on  education and medical care for the elderly. His champions insist he  would have done great liberal things had he not been killed by Lee  Harvey Oswald. But what if we judge him by the lengthy record of his actual political  career, in historical perspective? What if this hero of liberals was, in  fact, the opposite of a liberal? As Ira Stoll convincingly argues, by the standards of both his time and  our own, John F. Kennedy was a conservative. His two great causes were  anticommunism and economic growth. His tax cuts, which spurred one of  the greatest economic booms in our history, were fiercely opposed by his  more liberal advisers. He fought against unions. He pushed for free  trade and a strong dollar. And above all, he pushed for a military  buildup and an aggressive anticommunism around the world. Indeed, JFK  had more in common with Ronald Reagan than with LBJ.Not every Republican is a true heir to Kennedy, but hardly any Democrats deserve that mantle. JFK, Conservative is sure to appeal to conservative readers ” and will force liberals to reconsider one of their icons.