Remembering Robert Kennedy after 50 years

03 June 2018

It is difficult to believe it has been 50 years since Robert Kennedy was assassinated. I believe if he were to return to the land of the living today, he would be extremely sad and woefully disturbed.

When declaring his candidacy in 1968, Robert Kennedy stressed, “What I think is quite clear is, is that we can work together in the last analysis and what’s been going on with the United States over the period of the last three years, the divisions, the violence, the disenchantment with our society, the divisions whether it’s between blacks and whites, between the poor and the more affluent, or between age groups … we can start to work together, we are a great country, a selfless country, a compassionate country.” 

RFK also stated, “Time and time again the American people, facing danger and seemingly insurmountable odds, have mobilized the ingenuity, resourcefulness, [and] strength, …” 

I was shocked in 2009 (and in 2014 insisting he would not recant that comment), when the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder said, “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.” A nation of cowards! Former Attorney General Robert Kennedy probably rolled over in his grave. 

The differences between the two Attorneys General and their administrations are like night and day. While one stressed the “can do” attitude, the other stressed the “oh woe is us” attitude. While RFK realized the sacrifices Americans have made, Holder and that administration only saw the bad things Americans have done. 

Think about the good that has come from this great experiment that is the United States of America. And that is what Robert Kennedy stressed throughout his presidential campaign and his career.

As an individual who currently does not associate with any political party and a person who believes that even though there are plenty of things wrong with the country I cannot think of another country that affords as much freedoms as this one and I cannot think of another country where women and indeed everyone are able to reach for the stars. That is the country of John and Robert Kennedy. That was their message. 

What happened? Why have the people given up on what this country stands for? Why don’t people want to work to make this country better instead of take whatever they can get from it and trash it at every turn? Why do people today insist on separating themselves? In the 1960s the goal was for all people to matter. People wanted to simply be Americans. Today people divide themselves into African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, etc. Back in the day of RFK, it was the goal and the mantra, “I am a man.” NOT “I am a black man.” What has changed? How did we get divisive instead of inclusive? 

In 1961 John Kennedy said, “Don’t ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” In 2018 people are asking what their country can do for them. It seems in many respects, the advancement toward prosperity and personal growth has been replaced by the expectations of what can be gotten from the government. 

RFK said government handouts have “destroyed self-respect and encouraged family disintegration.” He also stated, “America could not survive…while millions of our people are slaves to dependency and poverty, waiting on the favor of their fellow citizens to write them checks.”

“Welfare has proved ineffective and demeaning,” proclaimed RFK. “The only answer is to create jobs. I’d do it through tax incentives to the private sector, using the Government as employer of last resort. I think business can handle most of it if we make it economically attractive.” Doesn’t that sound like the current administration?

And here’s a quote from Bill Clinton about Robert Kennedy. “He believed in civil rights for all and special privileges for none, in giving poor people a hand up rather than a handout: work was better than welfare.”

So, in this year, the 50th year since the assassination of Robert Kennedy, it behooves us all to think about what has changed during these five decades. RFK was revered and beloved. But since his death his legacy has been, in many ways, hijacked. In fact, he and the Democratic party of his time were quite different than what we have today and what people think about Senator Kennedy. Perhaps it is because his younger brother Ted has a different legacy, one of more government influence. But that was not what RFK stood for. He wanted advancement among people and self-respect, unity for all Americans, not division and not the reliance on others. 

The country and the world would be quite different if Robert Kennedy had not been killed and had become the president. While no one can know for sure what might have been, we can surely surmise. Reading the words, speeches, and comments by Robert Kennedy is cathartic. We were a country looking for cohesiveness, not divisions. We were looking to blend our people, not divide them among race, color, sex, or ethnicity. We were, at that time, aware and hopeful about the future. For that, I can only say “thank you” to Robert Kennedy for his influence on my attitude in the past. But I also look back at the past 50 years with regret and frustration. How did we change paths? When did we go from a nation of courage and compassion to one of division and distrust of each other?

June 6, 1968 for me was a day that marked the end of faith and hope. He was not a perfect man by any means. But for those of us who have studied him, he was a beacon of light. In 50 short years that hope has been extinguished. What can be done to get the spirit and love of country back and unite the country as Americans instead of individual groups? When we stand together we are unbeatable. That was what RFK stood for. He was electric. He was a political rock star. He undoubtedly would have been a great president. Having his background and experience, he was the most prepared for the Oval Office as anyone has ever been. But, as they say, “the good die young.” 

Robert F. Kennedy, 1925-1968.