David 'JFK' Cameron

As this blog reported yesterday, Ken Clarke's 'Old European friends' are encouraging David Cameron to be their man's junior running mate.  Michael Gove MP, an honourable member of The Telegraph Ten and a Cameron supporter who provided an endorsement of the Shadow Education Secretary for this blog, rejected the idea on BBC News 24 earlier today.

Mr Gove said that the party should have a dynamic CEO surrounded by sage advisors.  Mr Gove invited us to look across the Atlantic and remember how the youthful John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton surrounded themselves with elder statesmen of their day.   Mr Gove specifically mentioned Bill Clinton's appointment of the veteran Lloyd Bentsen as his Treasury Secretary.

Senator Bentsen is most famous for his 1988 put-down of the then Senator Dan Quayle in a vice-presidential debate.   After Quayle had compared his own age (and inexperience) to that of JFK, Bentsen famously replied:

"Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

Comments

[James Hellyer]

Okay, so Gove is likening Cameron to a priapic and unprincipled plastic-Irish scoundrel and Bill Clinton...

This is meant to help his campaign how?

[James Hellyer]

Gove's point is fatuous anyway. As the youngest candidate, and one of the party's youngest MPs, Cameron can no more surround himself with younger advisers than Ken Clarke could older cardinals.

Essentially these arguments admit a deficiency in the candidate and then claim it doesn't matter.

If Cameron et al. keep using their US comparisons, they are just asking for another candidate to say that "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."

[Insight]

Michael Gove says, 'David Cameron shouldn't team up with Ken Clarke'; Michael Gove thinks, 'since I think he's going to win in the end, I've commited myself to backing Davis after Cameron goes out'. Admire the cynicism: feel the careerism.

[AnotherNick]

Except James, both Clinton (more so after we saw what followed)& JFK are popular figures with the general public. I admit it may be a bit early and a bit tough to make the David JFK Cameron claim. There is no point picking a leader for the Conservative Party - we need to pick a future Prime Minister.

[James Hellyer]

As some illustrious person once said, "popularity is the hallmark of mediocrity."

JFK was glamourous, especially when compared to Richard Nixon, but ultimately has a reputation saved by his premature death. That saved him from the Vietnam related stigma that blighted LBJ's first term.

Clinton was charismatic and a great communicator, but ultimately was unable to implement many of his programmes due to gridlock and scandal.

I don't see that either are models to aspire aspire towards.

[AnotherNick]

Well for a start they were winners!

[James Hellyer]

Of which one was assassinated and the other impeached.

[James Hellyer]

I suppose the real question is who is Cameron's LBJ? ;-)

[AnotherNick]

I don't think either trait is a requirement of the job. Although the candidates might want to read the small print just to make sure.

[Jonathan Sheppard]

Good comment - LBJ was an interesting one - The book Master of the Senate provides a great insight into him - and as you say - I do wonder who would be Cameron's wing man.

[Selsdon Man]

Clinton, faced with a Republican congress, was one of the most prudent Presidents in recent history - a fiscal conservative. Bush has increased non-defence federal spending by more than a third since he took office. No wonder Bush's ratings are lower than ever.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

Surely it would be better to compare Cameron to King Canute than JFK? The longer he tries to resist the incoming Ken Clarke tide, the more he is in danger of being engulfed by it.

Incidentally, nice to see Osbourne trotting out the Cameron campaign mantra of youth, youth, youth again in the papers - Cameron's face might be fresh but his campaign is looking very tired already.

The only three realistic contenders for leadership are Davis, Ken and Fox. Cameron should nail his colours to one of their masts before much longer if he wants a senior position in the next Shadow Cabinet.

[Jack Stone]

Personally I disagree with some of what each contender for the leadership says but agree with most of what they all say.
I don`t think anyone can expect to agree with everything the leader of there party says and frankly I think it would be unhealthy if we did.
More than anything I want to see a Conservative government. I believe that even the worse Conservative government is bound to be better than the best Labour one.
If the party is to go from its present thirty per cent in the polls to the forty plus it needs to form a government it as to appeal to the young and middle England who have deserted it in recent years.
I believe that to do this we must look and sound like a government in waiting and have policies that appeal to the small c conservatism of the British people.
Since Ken Clarke entered the race I have listen to him and David Cameron closely and I have come to the conclussion that these two are the key to the party`s future success.
Ken Clarke talks as if he should be prime Minister now wheras David Cameron looks and talks like he is destined to be.
With Ken Clarke as leader and David Cameron as his deputy I believe you would have a combination of carisma, youth and experiance that would be very attractive to voters across the board and would make the mountain the party as to climb to get back to power seem more like a steep hill!

[malcolm]

Jack, are you serious?I always thought with your often vitriolic comments about so many people in the Conservative party that you were a troll just coming onto this site to cause as much as trouble as possible.Am I wrong?