To Seek a Newer World- Bobby Kennedy and His Legacy 50 Years Later
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Bobby Kennedy’s short-lived presidential campaign, as well as his assassination on June 6, 1968. His campaign advocated for the equality of persons, the safety and comfort of the dispossessed, and a re-imagining of America’s public servants. What set Bobby apart from most career politicians was his willingness to admit his faults and his ability to approach every problem in a questioning, probing manner. Throughout his life, his policies and platforms evolved as he was exposed to the suffering, the inequality, and the poverty which continues to exist in this country and around the world. In honor of 50 years without Robert Kennedy, I thought it was imperative to share his legacy and impact with today’s youth. His vision and his mistakes are still significant to a deeper understanding of history, as well as fostering greater empathy in the American public.
On March 16, Robert Kennedy announced his bid for the presidency. Initially, Kennedy was empathetically against running (publicly) due to LBJ’s assured nomination. Challenging an incumbent president of the same party is risky and losing in ‘68 would destroy his chance of ever winning the nomination. However, Eugene McCarthy’s (an anti-war Senator who entered the race before Bobby) strong showing in New Hampshire conveyed the general populace’s displeasure at LBJ’s administration and spurred Kennedy into running. RFK’s early campaign was focused on Bobby’s apprehension toward increasing military intervention in Vietnam and his desire to seek a peaceful solution instead of continuing bombing raids. However, once LBJ withdrew from the race, Bobby was able to focus his attention on the problems of the underprivileged in a way no politician had before.
Bobby was previously exposed to racial inequality and suffering during his years in the Justice Department as Attorney General. However, it wasn’t until he saw this suffering firsthand and he himself had experienced personal tragedy with the death of his brother that he became a champion of closing the divide between the white ‘backlash’ voters and impoverished black voters of the Democratic Party. Because of his history as the nation’s chief lawman, rural white voters supported him because they believed he was ‘tough on crime’ and because they saw him as a genuine person. On the campaign trail, he was known for his quick wit and his honesty- two things that endeared him to small farmtowns and communities. Yet, at the same time, he was one of the only white politicians that black America trusted- he was referred to as the “blue-eyed soul brother” by several civil rights leaders and after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, he refused to cancel a speech in Indianapolis, telling the police chief that “I could take my wife and my family and we could sleep in the middle of the street...and there would be no problem. If you can’t do that, it’s your problem” after concerns were raised for his safety.
Kennedy was also sympathetic to the growing Native American rights movement, as well as Cesar Chavez's National Farm Workers Association and its fight for migrant workers’ rights. Wherever he saw efforts to fight inequality, he not only supported these efforts, but cared deeply for the people affected by inequality. One of his most stubborn qualities was refusing to cut campaign stops to reservations, which was politically unwise because the Native American population was so inconsequential in determining whether he won a primary. Yet, he still went out of his way to visit and talk to Native Americans at the expense of time and resources that could have been utilized to strengthen his appeal to white voters and college students. But this appeal to America’s minorities was still largely successful in a way that make his nomination seem possible. But, unlike his brother, RFK was unable to reach the presidency: he was assassinated after he won the California primary in the Ambassador Hotel. His last words were “Is everybody else all right?”
Kennedy’s legacy is perhaps more understandable in the shift his death caused in American politics. Even before Watergate and the Pentagon Papers, there was a sense of lost hope in both the future of the country and in the future of politics after he died. Even today, we have not truly regained that hope, nor have we regained the thoughtfulness of Kennedy's discourse, the ability to admit our wrongdoings in an effort to improve, or our ability to use public service as an instrument of bridging the gap between the rich and poor, the wealthy and the sick, and the content and the suffering. But by studying RFK’s journey to the White House, perhaps we can re-imagine his purpose and improve it. By doing so, we are already becoming more empathetic and more demanding of positive change. By doing so we are seeking a newer world.
Works Cited
Clarke, T. (2008). The Last Campaign. Henry Holt and Company.