[rrpjr]

There was a very strong strain of hate against JFK. It wasn't as loud as it was virulent, but certainly a good portion of America thought he was reckless and "uppity" young pretender, a tool of the Catholic Church, a misguided progressive. Many segregationists in the South hated him after some of the showdowns between his administration and local authorities when he forced colleges and schools to admit blacks. He won an election almost as close as Bush vs. Gore in 2000, and some thought he'd stolen it and despised him for that as well.

Your friend's larger point is well taken. Every president has at least 40% of the people and perhaps more opposed to him at one point or another, and some fiercely. And rarely are a president's accomplishments, or setbacks for that matter, fully understood or appreciated during his term. It takes time to make such judgments. And yes, there are always those who claim the sky is falling, and this or that president will be the ruin of the country.