Taylor Dayton

I listened to the most of The President Calling but what stuck out to me was Kennedy's conversations with the mayor considering the denial of a black man into the University of Mississippi.  To be honest, I don't know a lot about the presidents so I don't plan on writing a comment rich in history and point of view. Instead, I plan on writing about what I was able to comprehend, and hopefully after taking APUSH i will be more qualified to give an opinion based in fact and history.  

I was very surprised when the mayor was interrupting the president. If I got a chance to talk to Obama I would be all ears. Kennedy tried to solve the situation over the phone, and tried to avoid sending in troops and causing a scandal. This reminded me of the recent scandal of Professor Gates in which Obama invited him and the officer to the white house to settle things. Both situations dealt with race.  I admire how both Kennedy and Obama would like to calm things rather than stir them up.  However, Kennedy was unable to calm things, and rioting broke out.  Although he sounded persuasive over the phone, obviously he couldn't convince Mayor Barnett to fix things.  Hopefully by inviting Professor Gates and the officer to the White House, Obama will do a better job of avoiding a riot than Kennedy. These two issues are almost fifty years apart and I hope that in fifty years the issue of race will be long gone, and presidents will be able to focus on other things.