Reply #8: I thought Kennedy's entry into the Primary was the beginning of the disaster.

[Jackpine Radical]

I was always further left than Jimmy, but I really thought Teddy's entry was destructive. Forcing a sitting President through a primary battle just didn't seem like smart or responsible behavior right then. Of course Jimmy had a whole lot of other things go wrong for him--the energy crisis & incredible 20% inflation, the hostage crisis combined with a failed rescue attempt (hardly his fault, but pinned on him), and probably the "October Surprise" illegal actions of the Reagan/Bush I people that set the stage for the Reagan coup and later led to the Iran/Contra mess.