Massachusetts’ Favorite Son JFK Called This Guy ‘Rufus Cornpone’

The politically squeamish lost their minds when former President Donald J. Trump began referring to his political opponents as "Pocahontas" (Sen. Elizabeth Warren), "Cryin' Chuck" (Sen. Chuck Schumer), "Pencil Neck" (Rep. Adam Schiff), "Crazy Bernie" (Sen. Bernie Sanders), "Crooked Hillary" (Sen. Hillary Clinton), and "Sleepy Joe" (President Joe Biden.)

Some found the name-calling childish, while others felt it was an effective and humorous way to draw attention to his opponent's weaknesses.

Trump didn't spare his Republican primary challengers from the abuse, either. Just ask "Lyin' Ted" (Sen. Ted Cruz), "Little Marco" (Sen. Marco Rubio), and "Ron DeSanctimonious" (Gov. Ron DeSantis), to name a few.

Political name-calling is certainly nothing new. It goes with the territory.

The Kennedys of Massachusetts – saints in the eyes of some – were not very nice when referring to their political opponents.

When Massachusetts Democrat U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy sought the presidency in 1960, Texas Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson was chosen as Kennedy's vice presidential running mate to help balance the ticket.

JFK and his chief advisor, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, reportedly viewed the considerably less affluent Johnson clan with disdain.

Get our free mobile app

Confronting the Presidents, a book by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, says the Kennedys "see themselves as far above the country bumpkins."

According to O'Reilly and Dugard, JFK would sometimes refer to Johnson as "Rufus Cornpone." They say that Mrs. Johnson, Lady Bird, was referred to as "Mrs. Porkchop" by the Kennedy brothers.

Politico says, "We see this dynamic frequently in the John F. Kennedy presidency, where nicknames revealed who was on which team in intra-administration divides."

"The core Kennedy players, especially Attorney General and presidential brother Robert F. Kennedy, loathed Vice President Lyndon Johnson and used nicknames to demonstrate their disdain," according to Politico.