edited by P.C. Bosco
I have heard Robert Kennedy Jr. state during interviews that he wasn’t doing particularly well with baby boomers. He commented that, theoretically, they should be the demographic to consider his candidacy more than any other due in part to their nostalgic connection to a moment called Camelot.
In 1956, the year I was born, the last surviving civil war veteran Albert Henry Woodsen died. Segregation still existed in the South, and we hated the Soviets. Seven years later, I was sitting in my second-grade class where Mrs. Gold stood at the head staring at us. She was crying. She may have been trying to say something but I’m not sure. The sound speaker located above the blackboard was broadcasting something. Then we all went home. That day President John F Kennedy was assassinated. It was the only time in my life I saw my father cry. All the adults seemed to be crying. That American moment is extremely well documented. While many of our fellow Americans still confronted the cruelty of racism and poverty, the images and sentiment I remember did suggest a time when all Americans were able to align on something and mourn the loss of our President. Perhaps the shared experience of WWII where our fathers served may have contributed to that moment of unity similar to our post 9/11 experience. After the assassination of JFK and burial, his widow Jackelyn Kennedy was interviewed by a prominent Life Magazine journalist, Theodore White. During the interview, “Mrs. Kennedy decided to craft a dreamy legacy of her late husband’s 1,000 days in office. She described President Kennedy’s presidency in one word: Camelot, a fictional place led by King Arthur where good always wins. A pioneering, progressive, maybe legendary place some of us get nostalgic about. But for many the experience was real and seemed to be reflected for those fortunate enough to attend the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair. I was one. The fair provided a glimpse into the possibilities of a future where people seemed genuinely kind and cooperation between nations seemed like a done deal. Then they bulldozed the fair at the end of its run. All that beautiful architecture destroyed and now the world is a mess.
There are many reasons we choose a political path. I consider myself first a foremost a civil libertarian but am comfortable presenting myself as a Burkean conservative with no affiliation to the Republican club- a dysfunctional bunch who, like their liberal brethren, have no interest in conserving anything. But to be conservative leaning in coastal southern California is tricky, as the predominate political ideology seems to work tirelessly to liberate the masses from people who think like me. So why did I pay $75 to attend an event last July in San Diego promoting a Democrat with the last name Kennedy? Simple: I remember Camelot and it seemed like a pretty cool place. But there was something unique playing out that night. The security line to enter the rock venue Humphreys by the Bay was long and slow but people were actually talking to each other. I spoke with many. We seemed diverse in our politics but united in the understanding that we are just sick and tired of the hate and disgusting tribalism and needed a way out.
Back then Robert referred to himself as a Kennedy Democrat. There really was such a thing. I know because my father was one. Robert, like his father and uncle, believes that America with all our flaws and mistakes still has so many things that are worth conserving. Our founding principles, our constitution, our religious traditions, our innovation, and on and on. Many claim to be conservative because they like free trade, lower taxes and am radio but can never explain what they’re conserving. So, I suggest to my fellow conservatives that if we really care about the size of the government without limiting ourselves to debating nonsense like adjustments to marginal tax rates consider this. The federal government has built into its system the ability to control 340 million people. The level of surveillance and the ease with which they can control our lives is truly frightening. Perhaps we should consider that when whining about the size of government. In an article written about Robert last May the magazine the American Conservative stated that “Kennedy correctly identifies the merger of state and corporate power- “corporatism”- as a prerequisite of fascism, a form of imperialism.” While his opponent, former president Trump, may have referred to some of that as ‘the swamp’, Trump never could figure out how to drain it. Robert Kennedy knows, and that is why the article continues stating that Robert Kennedy “an articulate, high-profile tribune, he can steer the nation’s discourse toward recognizing the threats to our basic freedoms. And in that courage, there is much for conservatives to celebrate.”
I agree and that is why all conservatives should vote for Robert Kennedy Jr.
