Source: Larry Tye. Bobby Kennedy - the Making of a Liberal Icon (2016)
JFK was 8.5 years older than RFK, which meant that RFK was 11 years old when JFK went to Harvard, and the two brothers rarely socialized during their early years in Washington, D.C. A turning point in their relationship occurred in the Fall of 1951 when Congressman John Kennedy was heading to the Orient and the Middle East, and Joe insisted that RFK go along. JFK thought his younger brother would be an irritating pain on the long trip, but traveling in close-quarters for 25,000+ miles to such locations as Vietnam allowed JFK to see RFK as a grown man with his own opinions.
Having RFK along on the trip even saved JFK's life; JFK's adrenal disorder flared up, and he reached a temperature of 107 degrees, and for the second time in his life to that point, a priest gave JFK the Last Rites. RFK arranged for JFK to be taken to a US military hospital in Okinawa, which saved JFK's life. By the time JFK and RFK came back to the US, they had forged a bond that was very similar to that of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Having RFK along on the trip even saved JFK's life; JFK's adrenal disorder flared up, and he reached a temperature of 107 degrees, and for the second time in his life to that point, a priest gave JFK the Last Rites. RFK arranged for JFK to be taken to a US military hospital in Okinawa, which saved JFK's life. By the time JFK and RFK came back to the US, they had forged a bond that was very similar to that of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
If the Catholic Church had been their calling, JFK would have been Pope, while RFK would have been a loyal parish priest; unlike JFK, RFK was interested in almost everyone he met. Another difference was that RFK sought out responsibility, while JFK (at that time) tried to avoid taking responsibility. The division of labor between the two brothers was perfect, with JFK the statesman above the fray, and his brother as the hatchetman in the trenches. JFK made friends, while RFK made enemies . . . such was the nature of being the sidekick.
As the campaign season for 1960 was getting started, JFK and RFK knew that Lyndon Johnson was their biggest obstacle to the Democratic nomination. In 1959, JFK sent RFK to LBJ's ranch in Texas to politically "scout him out". On the ranch, RFK's direct manner didn't play well with LBJ (or with any Southerner). First, RFK had to endure a deer hunt, and LBJ made sure that RFK had a shotgun instead of a rifle. So, when RFK fired the shotgun, he was blown backwards on his butt, severely wounding his ego. RFK concluded, wrongly, that LBJ would not run for the Democratic nomination, or block JFK's path to the same.
JFK and RFK mapped out a strategy in which JFK would enter 10 Democratic state primaries, but they both knew which two primaries were the most important: Wisconsin and West Virginia. The Wisconsin primary was on 5 April 1960, and there seemed to be no natural fit for JFK in the state, given that JFK was moderate and Wisconsin was famously progressive. And, add Senator Hubert Humphrey from neighboring Minnesota to the mix, and most pundits expected JFK to simply skip Wisconsin and focus in Illinois. But as far as RFK was concerned, he had JFK positioned perfectly as the underdog; RFK told reporters that he had advised JFK to avoid Wisconsin, and many reporters believed him.
JFK and RFK mapped out a strategy in which JFK would enter 10 Democratic state primaries, but they both knew which two primaries were the most important: Wisconsin and West Virginia. The Wisconsin primary was on 5 April 1960, and there seemed to be no natural fit for JFK in the state, given that JFK was moderate and Wisconsin was famously progressive. And, add Senator Hubert Humphrey from neighboring Minnesota to the mix, and most pundits expected JFK to simply skip Wisconsin and focus in Illinois. But as far as RFK was concerned, he had JFK positioned perfectly as the underdog; RFK told reporters that he had advised JFK to avoid Wisconsin, and many reporters believed him.
Wisconsin was one-third Catholic, and even though RFK portrayed JFK as the underdog, polls in the state had JFK with 60% of the support from Democrats. RFK managed the campaign in Wisconsin just like he did with his investigations in the Justice Department, learning as much as possible before he entered the battle, while at the same time lowering expectations to the point where a modest victory would look gigantic. RFK opened eight offices in Wisconsin, compared to Humphrey's two, and RFK made sure that he had one of the nation's best pollsters on the campaign, who was able to measure opinions in almost real time.
RFK activated the Kennedy campaign machinery that had merely been dormant, while Humphrey stitched together his campaign pretty much at the 11th Hour. Humphrey soon came to hate the reality that a campaign led by RFK didn't play fair; RFK let loose a rumor that Jimmy Hoffa was helping to finance Humphrey's campaign. Far more aggressively (using the "Low Road"), RFK authorized anti-Catholic information to be sent out in Wisconsin and simply blamed Humphrey for the mailings. The dirty work was conducted by Paul Corbin, who was in essence RFK's hatchetman, and RFK did absolutely nothing to stop him. JFK defeated Humphrey by 12 points, which wasn't quite the knockout blow that JFK and RFK had hoped for, and Humphrey was in high dudgeon after the primary (for some pretty good reasons).
RFK activated the Kennedy campaign machinery that had merely been dormant, while Humphrey stitched together his campaign pretty much at the 11th Hour. Humphrey soon came to hate the reality that a campaign led by RFK didn't play fair; RFK let loose a rumor that Jimmy Hoffa was helping to finance Humphrey's campaign. Far more aggressively (using the "Low Road"), RFK authorized anti-Catholic information to be sent out in Wisconsin and simply blamed Humphrey for the mailings. The dirty work was conducted by Paul Corbin, who was in essence RFK's hatchetman, and RFK did absolutely nothing to stop him. JFK defeated Humphrey by 12 points, which wasn't quite the knockout blow that JFK and RFK had hoped for, and Humphrey was in high dudgeon after the primary (for some pretty good reasons).
West Virginia was as impoverished as Wisconsin was affluent, and WVA's politics were, to be kind, ethnically-challenged, and only 10% of the state's population was Catholic. As the 10 May primary in WVA approached, JFK was down 20% in the polls, and it seemed that WVA held it against JFK that he was Catholic. In 1960, 25% of Americans were Catholic, which made the religion the largest plurality in the nation . . . but could JFK and RFK get a Bible Belt state to trust a Catholic candidate. The overall strategy of the two brothers was to make the WVA primary a referendum on how tolerant Americans really were at least in terms of religion. While it was a political master stroke, in reality it was the only option to pursue to get those that were on-the-fence in WVA to vote for JFK.
JFK pushed every button that mattered to West Virginians, saying that his allegiance was to America, not the Pope, and reminding those in the state that FDR, Jr. was in his corner. West Virginia's crooked politics were a natural fit for JFK and RFK, since they had been trained in the brutal political arenas of Boston and Massachusetts. Humphrey attacked JFK's record in Congress, as well as his integrity, and, as JFK and RFK interpreted it, their religion. It reached the point where JFK and RFK decided to play really dirty, accusing Humphrey (with FDR Jr.'s help) of dodging the draft during World War II, which Humphrey simply didn't do (Humphrey had tried to enlist a few times, but for various reasons, he was denied).
Humphrey became apoplectic over the money the Kennedys had poured into West Virginia. While no one could prove it, prominent West Virginians and voting blocs were given the dreaded "Walking Around Money", which was campaign cash that wasn't "accounted for". In the end, the money wasn't the deciding factor, in that JFK defeated Humphrey 61% to 39%; that result ended the belief that a Catholic could not have national political appeal.
JFK pushed every button that mattered to West Virginians, saying that his allegiance was to America, not the Pope, and reminding those in the state that FDR, Jr. was in his corner. West Virginia's crooked politics were a natural fit for JFK and RFK, since they had been trained in the brutal political arenas of Boston and Massachusetts. Humphrey attacked JFK's record in Congress, as well as his integrity, and, as JFK and RFK interpreted it, their religion. It reached the point where JFK and RFK decided to play really dirty, accusing Humphrey (with FDR Jr.'s help) of dodging the draft during World War II, which Humphrey simply didn't do (Humphrey had tried to enlist a few times, but for various reasons, he was denied).
Humphrey became apoplectic over the money the Kennedys had poured into West Virginia. While no one could prove it, prominent West Virginians and voting blocs were given the dreaded "Walking Around Money", which was campaign cash that wasn't "accounted for". In the end, the money wasn't the deciding factor, in that JFK defeated Humphrey 61% to 39%; that result ended the belief that a Catholic could not have national political appeal.
After WVA, Humphrey bowed out, which left JFK facing only minor opposition in the rest of the primaries. The "Stop Kennedy" movement within the Democratic Party saw hope, however, in that there were more unpledged delegates than pledged heading towards the convention, and LBJ was waiting in the wings to pounce. LBJ waited until a week before the convention to formally announce his candidacy, sure that he could garner the nomination in a brokered convention by keeping JFK from winning on the first ballot.
RFK was everywhere, putting out political brush fires set by LBJ, such as accusing JFK of being in very bad health, but LBJ was forced to eat crow since the Kennedy clan was able to keep JFK's Addison's Disease a secret. Although much was planned in advance, RFK had to think on his feet most of the time, applying the lessons he learned from the convention in 1956. RFK wanted an accurate assessment of where every convention delegate stood, and he did whatever he could (sometimes using tactics that J. Edgar Hoover would recognize) to convince as many delegates as possible to vote for his brother. JFK won on the first ballot, and LBJ was not able to steal the nomination; RFK knew that if JFK hadn't won the nomination on the first ballot, they were both sunk.
RFK was everywhere, putting out political brush fires set by LBJ, such as accusing JFK of being in very bad health, but LBJ was forced to eat crow since the Kennedy clan was able to keep JFK's Addison's Disease a secret. Although much was planned in advance, RFK had to think on his feet most of the time, applying the lessons he learned from the convention in 1956. RFK wanted an accurate assessment of where every convention delegate stood, and he did whatever he could (sometimes using tactics that J. Edgar Hoover would recognize) to convince as many delegates as possible to vote for his brother. JFK won on the first ballot, and LBJ was not able to steal the nomination; RFK knew that if JFK hadn't won the nomination on the first ballot, they were both sunk.
The celebration was short-lived, since JFK now needed a Vice-Presidential running mate. RFK wanted Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson (WA), while JFK wanted Humphrey, but Humphrey refused to accept a spot on the ticket (no doubt still holding what happened in Wisconsin and West Virginia against both brothers). But the man that was least-mentioned made the most sense as Vice-President: Lyndon Johnson. LBJ was the clear second choice in terms of delegate support, and LBJ perfectly complimented JFK politically, being from Texas. And, LBJ seemed to be the only choice for Vice-President that would keep the Conservative Democrats in the fold.
Theodore Sorensen (JFK's main speechwriter) and Joe both wanted LBJ, but RFK absolutely hated Johnson. For years, LBJ told the story how FDR had sacked Joe as the US Ambassador to Great Britain, and for those years RFK had been seething. The two men first met in 1953 in the Senate cafeteria when RFK was one of Senator Joseph McCarthy's lawyers. McCarthy and his retinue were eating when Johnson, the Senate Majority Leader, stopped by to say hello to McCarthy. Not only did RFK refuse to stand to shake the Senate Majority Leader's hand, he refused to make eye contact (LBJ wound up shaking RFK's hand sitting down). And then there was the deer hunting fiasco in Texas, which convinced RFK that LBJ was not only a bully, but also a brute. LBJ referred to RFK, to his face, as "Sonny Boy", and LBJ never tired of going after Joe; it seemed that the two were placed on Earth to bedevil the other.
Theodore Sorensen (JFK's main speechwriter) and Joe both wanted LBJ, but RFK absolutely hated Johnson. For years, LBJ told the story how FDR had sacked Joe as the US Ambassador to Great Britain, and for those years RFK had been seething. The two men first met in 1953 in the Senate cafeteria when RFK was one of Senator Joseph McCarthy's lawyers. McCarthy and his retinue were eating when Johnson, the Senate Majority Leader, stopped by to say hello to McCarthy. Not only did RFK refuse to stand to shake the Senate Majority Leader's hand, he refused to make eye contact (LBJ wound up shaking RFK's hand sitting down). And then there was the deer hunting fiasco in Texas, which convinced RFK that LBJ was not only a bully, but also a brute. LBJ referred to RFK, to his face, as "Sonny Boy", and LBJ never tired of going after Joe; it seemed that the two were placed on Earth to bedevil the other.