I'm a Republican but here's a hero of mine: RFK

[jimmoyer]

He also had the ability to inspire. His charisma came not from any personal grandeur—indeed, his hands shook and his voice was sometimes thin and reedy when he spoke. Yet he was able to convey a genuineness and sense of empathy unusual in a politician. These qualities were on ample display on the night of April 4, 1968, when Kennedy heard the news that Martin Luther King Jr. had been killed. On a cold, windswept stage (a flatbed truck in the Indianapolis ghetto) he told his audience about King's murder. Speaking without a prepared text, Kennedy reached into his own heart. He asked the crowd for "an effort to understand, compassion and love." Then he said:

My favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote, "Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

The weeping, silent listeners had probably never heard of Aeschylus, but they understood what he meant. Kennedy finished:

Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.

In the week that followed, there was rioting in more than 100 U.S. cities. But the inner city of Indianapolis was quiet.

(To hear Kennedy's Indianapolis speech, go here.)

Thomas is the author of "Robert Kennedy: His Life," published by Simon & Schuster.

 

[normbc9]

There is no way to measure the probable good that would have come from an RFK presidency. He was a man of vision, compassion and a willingness to give his all if he thought the endeavor was the right way to go. Somehow in the twisted visions of others we were all robbed of the possibilities this man could offer.

 

[gopher]

Two outstanding posts on a mattter that has long been overlooked in the USA.

Thanx for adding to the Board's quality.

 

[talloola]

What times those were, first JFK, then MLK, then RFK, what pain I felt from each of those
events, and they are as fresh in my memory now, as though they had just happened.
It's so difficult to realize how long ago that was, my 3 oldest children were just toddlers/babies, and now I am a grandma 7 times over.

The closest I have felt about any politician since then, is for Barack Obama, I see those
qualities in him, that I remember with them, and yes, Bobby had a special 'heart'.

 

[scratch]

What times those were, first JFK, then MLK, then RFK, what pain I felt from each of those
events, and they are as fresh in my memory now, as though they had just happened.
It's so difficult to realize how long ago that was, my 3 oldest children were just toddlers/babies, and now I am a grandma 7 times over.

The closest I have felt about any politician since then, is for Barack Obama, I see those
qualities in him, that I remember with them, and yes, Bobby had a special 'heart'.

He definitely had charisma. And I can relate to your comments about the others.
Regards,
scratch

 

[jimmoyer]

The closest I have felt about any politician since then, is for Barack Obama, I see those
qualities in him, that I remember with them, and yes, Bobby had a special 'heart'.
---------------------------talloola------------------------------------------------------------------------

I like Obama's personality. It just about trumps everything else.

When I don't particularly like the personality of the politician I console myself with the illusion that logical arguments about their policy stands means something.

The real issue is how a person interacts and allows to "update" themselves with new information.

 

[Colpy]

Thanks.

Interesting, and wonderful.

There were certainly worthwhile Democratic Presidents............I always had a soft spot for the tragic hero of the 60s....Lyndon Johnson. A very good man destroyed by his own fatal flaw: an inability to back away from a fight in Vietnam

 

[jimmoyer]

LBJ was a giant. Very big Greek tragedy. He was blind on this one, stupidly blinded by our American Myth-Making Machine. We could have had one of our best allies in Ho Chi Minh and made the place another thriving Hong Kong.

 

[coldstream]

I wonder how much of the romance of the Kennedys was a reflection of the times. The 50's and especially the 60's was a period of unbridled optimism.. of the promise of technology, of the hope of unlimited, equitably shared creation of wealth.. of global peace and emancipation.. after the 2 cataclysmic wars of the first half of the century.

Things soured noticeably in the 70s and beyond. We live in very pessimistic times now. The world is every bit as tense as it was during the Cold War. We are in an economic paradigm that is experiencing recurrent massive shocks, vast polarization of wealth, de-industrialization in the West brought on by Free Trade, as well a pernicious exploitation of labour in poor countries by a rampaging global investment organism.. and technology, unfortunately, in part because of 'green' propaganda, is now seen as an affliction rather than blessing to humanity. And the 'culture wars' rack every country in the West.

John Kennedy's personal reputation and historical legacy has been much tarnished after its early lustre. It's difficult to assess the abbreviated contribution of RFK but i'm not sure anyone he could have charted a different course for America, and the world. The illusions of his time, and no one articulated them better, defined what was to come. America and the West was far too filled with the confidence of its mission, at home and abroad, to change what was to come.

I think LBJ had every bit as much potential as RFK. His legacy in Civil Rights certainly outshines that of JFK. His monumental 'Great Nation' economic policy was a wonderful vision of a popularly shared economic prosperity and growth, and LBJ knew more about the economy than any President of the U.S. has since. But as said, he became a tragic figure, his Presidency destroyed by Viet Nam. I'm not sure RFK would have faired any better. Nixon's cynical realism and practicality was far more in tune with the times to come than RFK's eloquent idealism.

 

[L Gilbert]

Yeah, VietNam was messy.
I don't pay much attention to presidents, but I did pay attention to Reagan. He should have stuck to acting. Before him was Carter. I liked Carter. Usually I am against gov'ts that grow but Carter developed two cabinets: the Department of Education and the Dept. of Energy. He also boosted SALT talks with vigor. Not quite sure why people would get rid of a decent man like Carter and opt for a jackass like the acting prez, Reagan.

 

[jimmoyer]

There's no measure to the long term effect of a person's ability to inspire.

After RFK's speech in Indianapolis about Martin Luther King's death, that city remained one of the only major cities not to go on a rioting rampage.

The power of one.

This is a complex irony for a democracy that respects no one person, nor their right to be King.

 

[Colpy]

LBJ was a giant. Very big Greek tragedy. He was blind on this one, stupidly blinded by our American Myth-Making Machine. We could have had one of our best allies in Ho Chi Minh and made the place another thriving Hong Kong.

Exactly............

 

[Avro]

Wow, I don't know how anyone could be a republican after the last 7 and half years. Ruining a country in that time limit doen't deserve devotion at all.:-?

 

[jimmoyer]

Just like the Elephant Man crying, "I'm a human beeee-ing !", so too are Republicans !!!

You're right though Avro, we Republicans got to see our own party run up the debt, start a war. We've seen the plank of our platform rot: fiscal sanity.

 

[#juan]

Both Martin Luther King and Robert F, Kennedy were murdered by petty criminals who are slowly roting away in prison. In my mind, neither Sirhan Sirhan, nor James Earle Ray were properly dealt with by the American justice system. Assassination of a political figure should be worth a death sentence. Sirhan's death sentence was commuted to a life sentence and he has been turned down for parole at least 14 times. James Earle Ray was sentenced to 99 years, without trial, and there is some controversy as to his guilt that a trial might have eliminated.

 

[Avro]

Just like the Elephant Man crying, "I'm a human beeee-ing !", so too are Republicans !!!

You're right though Avro, we Republicans got to see our own party run up the debt, start a war. We've seen the plank of our platform rot: fiscal sanity.

Conservatives always talk a big game about no debt or deficits and always seem to be the worst culprits at producing them.

Bill Clinton was the best republican president you ever had in recent history the next great before would have been Dwight for resisting the industrial military complex which the dumbocrats let happen.

 

[scratch]

Conservatives always talk a big game about no debt or deficits and always seem to be the worst culprits at producing them.

Bill Clinton was the best republican president you ever had in recent history the next great before would have been Dwight for resisting the industrial military complex which the dumbocrats let happen.

.....Bill Clinton is a Democrat....Eisenhower was a Republican....

 

[jimmoyer]

Actually a number of friends espouse the idea that our government works best with a Democratic President and a Republican Congress.

Clinton's Republican Congress was very conservative fiscally on the budget, on work-fare welfare reduction. It's why you call Clinton Republican. His own party rebelled. Also Clinton many years before the Presidency was pushing for Democrats to find a "third way", some way out of the divisive 2-party confrontation.

Also Republicans are very good at proving how inept government is especially when they are in office.

 

[scratch]

Actually a number of friends espouse the idea that our government works best with a Democratic President and a Republican Congress.

Clinton's Republican Congress was very conservative fiscally on the budget, on work-fare welfare reduction. It's why you call Clinton Republican. His own party rebelled. Also Clinton many years before the Presidency was pushing for Democrats to find a "third way", some way out of the divisive 2-party confrontation.

Also Republicans are very good at proving how inept government is especially when they are in office.

.......okay.....

 

[jimmoyer]

Hey !! What kind of response is "okay" ???

Anyway I always thought it the most treasured of ironies the Republicans have.
They say government is bad. It's better when it governs least. Government is always bad at what it does and then the Republicans go on to prove it by getting elected.

It's delicious !!