RFKJ Is Breath Of Hope
By Bob Small
Most of the time, I read about history, but a week ago, Oct. 9, I was at the National Constitution Center as history unfolded.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. generated excitement among the highly diverse crowd in attendance, many, like me, returning to Philadelphia for the first time in many years. It felt like a combination of rock music, politics, and sports. It was a time to let hope overcome fear and regain belief. It was a new time feeling like some old times.
We may think we know about this Kennedy but on his website, you will discover how many times he has fought big corporations including Ford, Mitsubishi, Mobil, along with various departments of our own US government, while representing the under-served American Indians, family farmers, Mexican fisherman, and migrant workers.
A film that highlight one of these batttles is Mann V. Ford (TV Movie 2010) – IMDb
One part of his philosophy is to disengage from empire building.
“We have to stop seeing the world in terms of enemies and adversaries,” his website says. “As John Quincy Adams wrote, ‘Americans go not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.'”
RFK Jr. will revive a lost thread of American foreign policy thinking, the one championed by his uncle, John F. Kennedy who, over his 1000 days in office, had become a firm anti-imperialist. “
The speech was a good hour long and we spent almost two hours standing, cheering, singing, talking, listening, and hoping. When was the last time a candidate spoke and gave you hope?
Mostly, people vote for better than, the “lesser of two evils”, “he won’t start a nuclear war”.
There was a saying among us Greens “vote your hopes, not you fears”, knowing that Ralph Nader, etc. could never win but we wanted to hope.
Now here was a candidate that giveas us hope and whom we think, just maybe, could win.
This is not to say that he doesn’t have some negatives, but we’ll leave that for the Democrats, and Republicans to point out.
Just for now, for one bright shining hour, hope is allowed.
RFKJ Is Breath Of Hope
I, along with my dear friend Stan Casacio, got to attend the reception at the Crystal Tea Room after RFK, Jr., made his announcement. It was an amazing event for a number of reasons but what stood out for me was the tone in the room. Stan and I were there to observe and take part in a historic moment on so many levels. RFK made time to meet and greet everyone in attendance and take a photo with them. He was gracious and warm. The people in attendance covered a wide range of views, with representation from all of the political spheres. We spoke to many of them and all were friendly and open to alternative views. As a Conservative, I guess I was expecting something less than that, so I was pleasantly surprised. For that few hours I was in a room full of Americans all of whom agreed that the country is severely tilted in the wrong direction and something drastic needs to be done to correct it. RFK really is an “independent” given the political extremes of the two parties and reminded me of the Democratic Party of my youth. They didn’t hate the country and neither does he. Now we need to stop hating each other because of politics and help those who don’t to learn to love this country before there’s nothing left.
First Junior said the NRA was a “terrorist” group then attempts to pivot to the middle. He’s a gun grabber at heart and as such must be rejected by all Americans of good will who seek only peace and the right to be left alone. Period.
I am not convinced that Bobby is a true Independent. He may harken back to the values of his father and uncles, but he has made some troubling comments. First he was OK with open borders, now he wants them closed. There is talk of his wanting reparations for Black people. That would be an arduous process. First, you have to determine if a person is truly descended from slaves. That in itself is not easy.
I want reparations for the families of the Italians who were lynched in the South. And for the Japanese, Italians, and Germans who were put in the concentration camps on our own soil. What’s good for one group, should be equal for all groups.
He was going along with the climate change crazies, now he says climate change is all about instilling fear in the populace.
I am glad he is anti-covid vaccine, but I do not buy into his claiming that vaccines cause autism.
Bobby has a lot of explaining to do. He should have continued to run as a Democrat. He could have beaten Biden in the primary and gotten rid of him once and for all. By becoming an Independent, he leaves the door open for Biden, or a Biden replacement (which is still a Biden) to keep the presidency. Not only that, it leaves the door open for Shapiro in 2028. And you know how bad Shapiro wants that. Even though it is still five years away, Shapiro is already gearing up for the 2028 election. Bobby has thrown a huge monkey wrench into the works.