A Newer World

[H2O Man]

"Slowly, Robert F. Kennedy began to emerge from his despair, a deep brooding melancholy that even his wife was unable to pierce. In January of 1964 President Johnson asked him to talk to Indonesian President Sukarno. Bobby met Sukarno in Japan. He also visited Waseda University in Tokyo. The last time he had visited the school, in 1962, he had been met by screaming, hostile crowds. This time he was met by screaming, friendly students. He told them: ‘If President Kennedy’s ;ife and death are to mean anything, we young people must work harder for a better life for all the world’s people.’

"Afterwards, Japanese Professor Gunji Hosono tried to analyze the change in Bobby Kennedy: ‘Two years ago he looked boyish and full of go. Today he looks older, far more mature and full of signs of deepening wisdom.’

"By late spring his depression was lifting. He increased his participation in public affairs. He went all over the country, speaking of civil rights, of war, of peace. And everywhere he went, we was mobbed by the people. He visited West Germany and told a huge, friendly crowd, ‘The hope President Kennedy kindled is not dead but alive ….. The torch still burns.’

"And then a flame began to burn inside of Robert Kennedy. He began to think about himself in these terms: as the surviving symbol of an unfulfilled promise. Wrote Penn Kimball in his book ‘Bobby Kennedy and the New Politics’: ‘He has become, in his own right, the symbol of the restoration, not only of the Kennedy name in the highest places of power but of a Kennedy approach to the responsibilities of power.’

"Bobby Kennedy was free once again, liberated from despair. And he looked to the future."
--Bobby; 1968 Campaign Magazine; Macfadden-Bartelli Co.; page 69.



Every so often, I like to take some time and look through some of the things I have from Robert F. Kennedy's 1964 campaign for the senate, and the 1968 campaign for the presidency. There are times when something on DU reminds me that the hope that he and his brother kindled is not dead, but alive. That torch still burns, though we might not always recognize it. It burns when DUers write LTTE, call the offices of the congressional representatives, and participate in meetings and marches in the towns and cities across the country.

Today, I had the pleasure of witnessing that spark when DUer Shadowknows69 called C-SPAN's Washington Journal, and spoke his mind. I was mighty proud of him, and mighty happy that I have the opportunity to be on the same team as him. It reminded me of Elizabeth de la Vega saying that we are all ordinary citizens who become extraordinary citizens when we exercise the democratic muscles defined in that Bill of Rights.

"Come, my friend, 'tis not too late to seek a newer world." -- Alfred Lord Tennyson

[shadowknows69]

1. Thanks H2O

and I am equally honored to have you on our team. All I have right now is my voice and my words and my vote to give, and I intend to as much as annoyingly possible.

[H2O Man]

4. I think that

you used your voice in a rational, focused way today.

[Kurovski]

2. K&R. (nt)

[pscot]

3. Part of me died with him

That was a terrible time.

[bobbolink]

5. All those assassinations were a BIG reason why the politicos of my era faded...

It crushed our spirits.

But, that's not nearly as fun for the younger folks as bashing boomers.

:(

[H2O Man]

7. There are a lot

of people from the generation that came of age in that era, who can find themselves unexpectedly getting choked up when they view a film of Robert delivering his message. I enjoy a lot of the DU threads about JFK and RFK. When I read them, or something like the '68 campaign magazine, it reminds me that their most important message is that despite the terrible times, we need to keep our eyes on the prize and keep working towards that goal.

If I could ask a favor of you -- one that I hope would be of interest to younger DUers -- could you (and others) take a couple of minutes and tell us about your memories of RFK's 1968 campaign?

Thanks!

[Annces]

6. That is a nice picture

His shoes are shiny.

[H2O Man]

8. Nice shoes in one,

barefoot in the other.

"Still, said Deloria in a fine sentence, he was a man 'who could move from world to world and never be a stranger anywhere'." -- Robert Kennedy, by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr; page 854.

[Joe Fields]

9. 'Tis true. Bobby Kennedy was truly a man of the people--all people.

He had no fear of addressing African-Americans in Indianapolis, to announce the assassination of MLK, in one of his most eloquent and moving speeches. He showed nothing but understanding and compassion, when he visited Appalachia, to get a first hand look at poverty in America. His interest in people was genuine, not feigned, as many wealthy politicians have proven over the years. It is hard not to think about how different this country would be now, had he lived to become president.

[blues90]

10. For me , it seems like a different lifetime

And it was . I'll never forget the feelings I had when JFK was murdered or how great it was that Bobby decided to take over and move forward .

I never in my wildest thought's would have imagined we would be where we are now .

I am not the youth anymore , I look for the truth and it's there for those who want to see it .

[ms liberty]

11. K&R - Serendipity or Syncronicity?...

I was reminded in the post I just finished reading of a speech on media reform by RFK Jr that I watched on FSTV a month or two ago, and I linked to it in the post. I'm betting you've seen it, but on the off chance that you haven't I'll add it here:
http://www.freespeech.org/videodb/index.php?action=detail&video_id=10830&browse=0

I have wondered if he is much like his father to people who knew RFK better than my sparse childhood memories and a few film clips; he (meaning RFK Jr) is always very sincere and passionate in his advocacy, and he has a realness. He connects, even on television.

[H2O Man]

13. RFK Jr

I remember watching him on stage one evening, and there were a few times when I found myself thinking that his father was there.

[Tuesday_Morning]

12. I heard that Bobby liked to take long walks alone.

And it made LBJ nervous: Oh, shit - he's a thinker!

[malaise]

14. Another great post

We'll either build a new world or be destroyed by the goons now commanding airplay