Kennedy was consigned to the political shadows after his remarks during World War II ("Democracy is finished"), and he remained an intensely controversial figure among U.S. citizens because of his suspect business credentials, his Roman Catholicism, his opposition to Roosevelt's foreign policy, and his support for Joseph McCarthy.
Joe Kennedy diserahkan ke bayang-bayang politik setelah sambutannya pada Perang Dunia II ("Demokrasi selesai"), dan ia tetap merupakan tokoh sangat kontroversial di kalangan warga AS karena surat kepercayaan tersangka bisnis, Katolik Romawi, oposisinya terhadap kebijakan luar negeri Roosevelt , dan dukungannya untuk Joseph McCarthy.