Remembrances of Things to Come
In this month of June, so cruelly significant in the story of Robert Kennedy, remembrances would be expected. The New York Times ran simple and poignant tributes from three of his children, humble, gentle lessons from a life lived greatly. But as the media stuns, slaughters, rends, slices and finally serves up its cleanly packaged news, one might be struck by the sudden eruption of pseudo-reverent tributes linking Barack Obama to the memory of the fallen demigod. Kennedy's virtually mythic life---and death---has been regularly recalled when speaking of the current Democratic presidential nominee; indeed, almost anyone in the public eye armed with the requisite charisma and crowd appeal, in possession of relatively progressive ideas and who can incur the wrath of a clearly defined opposition is immediately compared with RFK or his equally lionized brother; it is, sad to say, as easily as an actress in a sitcom who executes a pratfall being automatically dubbed "the new Lucille Ball". Just a little too convenient and unfair to both parties. Kennedy's political journey and his emotional complexity seemed to defy categorization in life, yet he was perhaps too easily glorified in death, all terribly attractive to those who view history as an opportunity to make money. And without missing a beat, the media is seizing upon RFK's tragic legacy and applying crassly commercial redolence to the Obama phenomenon, rendering his historical movement as a novel way to fill the bottomless cup that is the 24 hour news cycle.
And when former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton utilized Kennedy's assassination as a motivational talking point on three separate occasions to justify her overlong presence in the primaries, Robert Kennedy's life and death became what so much of meaningful history has become: carelessly treated, easily disposable media fodder.
Because hanging over all the Obama-as-Bobby justifiable flattery is the whispered spectre of RFK's end, as if untimely death is an integral part of the plot, as it may seem to be with many pop icons who can all be counted on to flame out. Obama, though his ascension to icon status is assured, can do without the requisite tragic element. His authenticity and vision, however, does need to be protected, not only from the implied nightmare scenarios but from being utterly and pathetically mediocritized by shameless marketing. Obama is the direct result not just of Bobby or Jack or Martin or Malcolm or any other imperfect life perfected by martyrdom, he is the product of over two hundred years of American struggle and triumph, of all the turbulent times and dynamic personalities who dreamed of a better world for future generations of Americans and who called on their fellows to sacrifice for same.
There will only ever be one Robert Kennedy, who, like we all must, took the mortal journey but who of the few was able to do it with humility, intelligence and inspiration, who by turns experienced victory and defeat, hubris and humility, the deepest loss and the greatest glory of self-discovery. In Barack Obama there is all that and, with Robert Kennedy's legacy to act as an incomplete guide to what could be, even more.
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The driving force behind putting people like JFK, RFK and MLK on pedestals after their untimely deaths seems to be at least, perhaps by guilt over not appreciating them enough when they were alive, or at least fear of approbation for speaking ill of the dead. JFK was enormously popular in life but had more than his share of critics (brutally unkind critics, savaging him for everything he said and did while alive) as well. The critics had to shut up when he was assasinated. Ditto for MLK, who was denounced as a Communist by his enemies, criticized for his demanding insistence that the nation live up to it's much touted claim of freedom, justice and equality of all citizens. I remember him being denounced for his opposition to the Viet Nam war, and his novel idea that poverty was a form of racism. Again, the criticism stopped when he was murdered. RFK was, for a long time, the least popular of the Kennedy brothers, attacked as ruthless and opportunistic. It wasn't until his death that it occurred to some folks that he actually was a good man.
I prefer these men as the really were, complicated, not always entirely certain they were right, flawed, but imbued with a passion to do right.
the real men and women behind the myths are far more interesting than the cartoon characters they become in popular culture...
Yes indeed.
Time to get upbeat.
Time to get in the game.
Time for us to begin to change too.
Good won't be good enough anymore ... it's time to be great !
Nice start with your article.
Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://bin
Like Martin Luther King, the sanitzed myth of Robert Kennedy departs from the reality. Back when he was running for president, the news media were calling Kennedy "ruthless Bobby" and the supporters of Gene McCarthy, the original anti-war candidate, were resentful of Kennedy's intrusion, just as many of Hillary Clinton's supporters are angry at Obama. And, as noted by a CNN story a few days ago, Barack Obama was indeed ruthless on occasion in his ascendancy in Illinois politics. At the same time, CNN also is going with the contradictory -- and bogus -- narrative on Barack Obama as a "weak" candidate who is weak on national security.
But I hope CNN is right on their "ruthless Barack" story line. Obama is up against the criminal regime in Washington whose members and their corporate cronies are desperate to keep a Democrat from winning the presidency because they know they could be facing prosecution and conviction for their crimes with a Democratic president, Congress, and Justice Department. Obama will need to be ruthless if he's going to prevail over this desperate crowd of crooks with their backs to the wall.
Comparing RFK's last minute masquerade as an anti-war candidate with Obama's run is absurd.
Conflating Hillary's narcissists with McCarthy's ant-war supporters is also absurd.
Poignant writing for troubled times. Another reminder of RFK is what can happen when so much hope for change is placed on the shoulders of one heroic individual. If this is to be truly the end of BushCo and all it stands for, Senator Obama can't do it alone.
Steven,
In reading your posts it's obvious that you like to see things in these broad historical and poetic terms. Politics at its core is a dirty chess game that uses broad, historical, references and poetry to sell its message. That doesn't mean good things aren't accomplished through poltics but it is astonishing that so many people on this blog absolutely refuse to deal with what is and only want to revel in the realm of what could or should be. By putting Obama on a pedestal and putting his ridiculous message of change (it's only ridiculous because he is as much of a back room scrapper as anyone) on a pedestal you are ecouraging those who do prefer reason and clarity to stake out their territory away from people like you and your candidate.
Cynicism leads nowhere but down. Its kind of fun to be poetic and hopeful for a change.
Hello eliza. I respectfully recommend that you "stake out your claim" at the American Enterprise Institute, The Drudge Report, on Hannity and Colmes and the O'Reilly Factor, and with the Committee to Free Tom Delay.
Trust me. You'll be much happier in those places.
Lion24
Well I can see you value a healthy dialogue. Yeah, right. I don't need people to agree with me to be happy. You obviously do. And for what it's worth, the more liberal someone claims to be the less tolerant they seem to be on these blogs. Now why do you think that is?
Lighten up already and take your meds.
OBAMA '08
Thank you...
RFK was before my time, but I know the story and I saw and read about the trauma that followed his, MLK and Malcolm's tragic ends. I was dumbfounded when Hillary mentioned RFK's assassination in such a trivial manner, and you're right, " when former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton utilized Kennedy's assassination as a motivational talking point on three separate occasions to justify her overlong presence in the primaries, Robert Kennedy's life and death became what so much of meaningful history has become: carelessly treated, easily disposable media fodder"..
Precisely.
Well RFK was in my time and I can remember the day and hour that JFK, RFK & MLK were killed and my heart was (shall we say in the toilet on all 3 occasions.
The Obama campaign has inspired me once again, let's MAKE THIS HAPPEN, people!!
He is the real deal and if we let this moment in history pass by and elect another war mongering, entitled white old man you get what you deserve. I say you because I'm outa here! I can only live around totally stupid humans for so long.
Bye!!
As an admirer of his unique qualities, Barack Obama is no Robert Kennedy.
a fine piece.
Poetic Justice!
Our Idealism
violently ripped from our hearts and souls
has resurfaced in the form of a
Bi-Racial Son of a Single Teen Girl from Kansas
Who are you talking about, kellygirl? If you are referring to Barak's mother you are skewing the facts a tad. You make it sound like a young girl had a fling with a back man and had an illegitimate son. That is not the case at all. I realize that a stigma on children born to single parents hardly exists anymore so what is it you are saying? And she appears to be a woman of the world and hardly the down home Kansas gal you are inferring to. Am I misreading your line?
Thanks for the facts, MNinWI. To engage in after the fact conjecture, BHO's mother appears to have been a gallant, decisive, woman in the mode of Bill Clinton's mother. If either woman got a bad break from fate, each one of them learned, went on with life & loved again.
Beautiful piece, Stephen. We trivialize history because, alas, we do not understand it. We are very much the poorer for it.
oddly, we relive it in cycles, you'd think we would start to learn from it at some point
Fear and Hope, the 2 driving forces of history.
We don't seem to have learned much of anything in hundreds and hundreds of years, have we, kellygrrrl? The serfs still surround the kings and queens in their castles -- begging for just a little bit more, and mostly being denied a little bit more.
Very good piece, Mr. Weber. I'm sure Sen. Obama knows he has a long way to go to reach the lofty heights attained by RFK. But he may just get there.
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