Mystery Chart No. 17 Revealed
Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:57 pm
?How many votes do you need to win? I?m not paying for a landslide.? Thus spoke our mystery native, Joseph P. Kennedy, financier, movie mogul, social climber, and first head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to his son Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. JFK, for those too young to recall, won election to the Presidency by a whisker defeating then Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Joseph P. got his money?s worth. Unfortunately for him, in December of 1961 he would be paralyzed and unable to speak after suffering a stroke. He would outlive two of his three remaining sons, his oldest son having died in WWII.
Kennedy?s reputation since WWII hasn?t been exactly what we would wish for ourselves. He?s been called a bootlegger so often and for so long it is accepted as gospel and yet there isn?t any evidence that he ever earned a dime from illegal liquor. He did have several legal liquor distributorships during and after the prohibition era, but that doesn?t equal bootlegging. He was, perhaps, a ruthless businessman, but he is hardly unique in that respect. Bill Gates is a ruthless businessman. So is Steve Jobs.
What drove him more than anything was social climbing. He was never accepted by Boston society. His father was a saloon keeper. His grandfather immigrated to the US from Ireland dirt poor. He did not descend from passengers on the Mayflower, and worst of all, he was Catholic. None of this sat well with old money Boston types, and it galled him. He matriculated into Harvard, a Protestant bastion. He became a bank president at the age of 25. He wanted to be a millionaire by the time he was thirty. He made it, and was still not accepted. He made money in the stock market in ways that were then legal and today are not. Many of them are illegal because he made them so when he was head of the SEC.
We can?t change history, but we can affect the future. What better way to join and even surpass Boston Society than gain the White House? Some say he wanted that job himself. I doubt that, although the idea may have crossed his mind. He never ran for or held a public office until FDR was elected in 1932. He did want to be Secretary of the Treasury, but Roosevelt put the fox in charge of the hen house by making him the head of the newly created Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to that, when he was allegedly making money with illegal liquor he was making a fortune in the movies. After the SEC his public life peaked when he was made the Ambassador to the Court of St. James, the first Catholic to be so appointed.
He was grooming his oldest son Joseph for a run at the Presidency as war clouds gathered over Europe. He may have felt friendly towards Hitler, and if so, he was not the only American to find good in the German dictator. Charles Lindbergh was a Hitler supporter as was the NY Times. But Kennedy took it farther when he was quoted as saying democracy was dead in Europe and probably in the US as well. He also put in writing some nasty anti Semitic remarks. He was friendly with and business partners with Jewish businessmen at different times, but his distaste for the race was obvious as was his defeatist attitude. He was recalled by Roosevelt after the Battle of Britain.
Richard Whalen, a biographer suggested Kennedy?s ?pacifism? grew out of his fear that the US would become involved in a war and in order to be elected President, the candidate would have to have served in the military and that in turn meant the risk of death. This is precisely what happened to Joe junior.
His considerable fortune and his efforts then went to Jack, who also served in WWII and served heroically. Rumors persist that JFK?s Pulitzer Prize was bought and paid for by his father, as were his races for the House, Senate, and Presidency. His goal achieved, but his acceptance by Boston probably never came. His wife Rose was once quoted as saying, I believe after JFK?s election, ?When will you accept us?? He couldn?t get his ancestors on the Mayflower retroactively, and he never gave up his Catholicism. Joseph P. Kennedy died in 1969 after three of his four sons predeceased him.
Kennedy was never a politician seeking the spotlight. I think his 12th house can be understood in this light. He was famous and powerful, but it was mostly a ?behind the scenes? career. The rulers of the first and 10th houses are in the 12th. None of the so-called ?Royal? stars are prominent. This does not appear to be the chart of a ?king,? whether elected or inherited. Mars in the 2nd often indicates the native squanders his wealth. Jupiter protects him, and there was an awful lot of wealth to squander. In 1957 his personal fortune was estimated at $200 ? 400 million.
The question I have is does this or any chart reflect the reality or the reputation? Kennedy?s reputation as a crooked businessman (Americans are taught there is no other kind) is probably exaggerated. It is true as noted above that some of his practices are no longer legal, and we would consider them unethical, it is also true that Kennedy was swimming with sharks. He wasn?t the city slicker taking advantage of the rubes. They were trying to do the same things to him. Biographies are less than flattering. Whalen?s The Founding Father portrays him as an obsessed social climber. The titles of other books give away the authors? biases Joseph P. Kennedy: The Mogul, The Mob, The Statesman and the Making of an American Myth; and The Sins of the Father. None of the books are too flattering, but with the possible exception of some of Whalen?s biography none are too concerned with legitimate scholarship either. When I see a book written by an ?investigative journalist? the first words that pop into my mind are, ?hit piece.? I?m usually right.
I doubt he was a nice guy, but wildly successful people rarely are. ?Nice guys finish last? has more truth in it than most clich?s. He was tough ? very tough. He played in a tough league. He may have driven his daughter Rosemary to a serious depression. He drove his children as he realized being driven is how people get to the highest levels. But was he Satan incarnate? Probably not, and I don?t think the chart reflects that either. But he did behave badly at times. His part of spirit is at 1 Libra ruled by Venus in 12 in her fall. Spirit is not the highlight of his life.
His legacy is, at best mixed. He did create one of America?s most powerful political families, but they?ve accomplished little with that power. Jack?s Presidency was cut short, but what there was of it, was mediocre. Bobby talked a good game of civil rights, but his record as Attorney General in this area is virtually non-existent. Ted was his own undoing. Joseph P?s grandsons haven?t been too impressive either with JFK jr perhaps the best of the lot, but he never showed an interest in politics, and he, too lost his life too young. His granddaughter is widely perceived, as of this writing, as the favorite to be appointed to the US Senate to replace the seat left by Hillary Clinton. Her qualifications are her maiden name. And no one will even consider her grandfather one way or the other, yet he is the one, for better or for worse who is most responsible for her being taken seriously.
He endured a great deal of personal suffering during his life. He authorized a disastrous lobotomy for his daughter Rosemary. His eldest son was killed during WWII. Two of his three remaining sons would be murdered. He lived for almost 8 years partly paralyzed and unable to speak. It is not the way we would want our lives to turn out. He answered grievously for his ambitions.
Kennedy?s reputation since WWII hasn?t been exactly what we would wish for ourselves. He?s been called a bootlegger so often and for so long it is accepted as gospel and yet there isn?t any evidence that he ever earned a dime from illegal liquor. He did have several legal liquor distributorships during and after the prohibition era, but that doesn?t equal bootlegging. He was, perhaps, a ruthless businessman, but he is hardly unique in that respect. Bill Gates is a ruthless businessman. So is Steve Jobs.
What drove him more than anything was social climbing. He was never accepted by Boston society. His father was a saloon keeper. His grandfather immigrated to the US from Ireland dirt poor. He did not descend from passengers on the Mayflower, and worst of all, he was Catholic. None of this sat well with old money Boston types, and it galled him. He matriculated into Harvard, a Protestant bastion. He became a bank president at the age of 25. He wanted to be a millionaire by the time he was thirty. He made it, and was still not accepted. He made money in the stock market in ways that were then legal and today are not. Many of them are illegal because he made them so when he was head of the SEC.
We can?t change history, but we can affect the future. What better way to join and even surpass Boston Society than gain the White House? Some say he wanted that job himself. I doubt that, although the idea may have crossed his mind. He never ran for or held a public office until FDR was elected in 1932. He did want to be Secretary of the Treasury, but Roosevelt put the fox in charge of the hen house by making him the head of the newly created Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to that, when he was allegedly making money with illegal liquor he was making a fortune in the movies. After the SEC his public life peaked when he was made the Ambassador to the Court of St. James, the first Catholic to be so appointed.
He was grooming his oldest son Joseph for a run at the Presidency as war clouds gathered over Europe. He may have felt friendly towards Hitler, and if so, he was not the only American to find good in the German dictator. Charles Lindbergh was a Hitler supporter as was the NY Times. But Kennedy took it farther when he was quoted as saying democracy was dead in Europe and probably in the US as well. He also put in writing some nasty anti Semitic remarks. He was friendly with and business partners with Jewish businessmen at different times, but his distaste for the race was obvious as was his defeatist attitude. He was recalled by Roosevelt after the Battle of Britain.
Richard Whalen, a biographer suggested Kennedy?s ?pacifism? grew out of his fear that the US would become involved in a war and in order to be elected President, the candidate would have to have served in the military and that in turn meant the risk of death. This is precisely what happened to Joe junior.
His considerable fortune and his efforts then went to Jack, who also served in WWII and served heroically. Rumors persist that JFK?s Pulitzer Prize was bought and paid for by his father, as were his races for the House, Senate, and Presidency. His goal achieved, but his acceptance by Boston probably never came. His wife Rose was once quoted as saying, I believe after JFK?s election, ?When will you accept us?? He couldn?t get his ancestors on the Mayflower retroactively, and he never gave up his Catholicism. Joseph P. Kennedy died in 1969 after three of his four sons predeceased him.
Kennedy was never a politician seeking the spotlight. I think his 12th house can be understood in this light. He was famous and powerful, but it was mostly a ?behind the scenes? career. The rulers of the first and 10th houses are in the 12th. None of the so-called ?Royal? stars are prominent. This does not appear to be the chart of a ?king,? whether elected or inherited. Mars in the 2nd often indicates the native squanders his wealth. Jupiter protects him, and there was an awful lot of wealth to squander. In 1957 his personal fortune was estimated at $200 ? 400 million.
The question I have is does this or any chart reflect the reality or the reputation? Kennedy?s reputation as a crooked businessman (Americans are taught there is no other kind) is probably exaggerated. It is true as noted above that some of his practices are no longer legal, and we would consider them unethical, it is also true that Kennedy was swimming with sharks. He wasn?t the city slicker taking advantage of the rubes. They were trying to do the same things to him. Biographies are less than flattering. Whalen?s The Founding Father portrays him as an obsessed social climber. The titles of other books give away the authors? biases Joseph P. Kennedy: The Mogul, The Mob, The Statesman and the Making of an American Myth; and The Sins of the Father. None of the books are too flattering, but with the possible exception of some of Whalen?s biography none are too concerned with legitimate scholarship either. When I see a book written by an ?investigative journalist? the first words that pop into my mind are, ?hit piece.? I?m usually right.
I doubt he was a nice guy, but wildly successful people rarely are. ?Nice guys finish last? has more truth in it than most clich?s. He was tough ? very tough. He played in a tough league. He may have driven his daughter Rosemary to a serious depression. He drove his children as he realized being driven is how people get to the highest levels. But was he Satan incarnate? Probably not, and I don?t think the chart reflects that either. But he did behave badly at times. His part of spirit is at 1 Libra ruled by Venus in 12 in her fall. Spirit is not the highlight of his life.
His legacy is, at best mixed. He did create one of America?s most powerful political families, but they?ve accomplished little with that power. Jack?s Presidency was cut short, but what there was of it, was mediocre. Bobby talked a good game of civil rights, but his record as Attorney General in this area is virtually non-existent. Ted was his own undoing. Joseph P?s grandsons haven?t been too impressive either with JFK jr perhaps the best of the lot, but he never showed an interest in politics, and he, too lost his life too young. His granddaughter is widely perceived, as of this writing, as the favorite to be appointed to the US Senate to replace the seat left by Hillary Clinton. Her qualifications are her maiden name. And no one will even consider her grandfather one way or the other, yet he is the one, for better or for worse who is most responsible for her being taken seriously.
He endured a great deal of personal suffering during his life. He authorized a disastrous lobotomy for his daughter Rosemary. His eldest son was killed during WWII. Two of his three remaining sons would be murdered. He lived for almost 8 years partly paralyzed and unable to speak. It is not the way we would want our lives to turn out. He answered grievously for his ambitions.
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