What If RFK Had Become President?

What if? is a question that has stuck with me for the past 30 years. I can think of few other events of the 20th century that were such a tipping point or that had such a profound affect on the future of our nation as RFK's assasination. Just think, a quicker exit from Vietnam, no cynicism about corruption in politics that was created by Nixon and Watergate, and later the Iran Contra affair. He would have advocated public policies that would have raised people up, bridged gaps, and put the collective social good ahead of individual gain. Bob Kennedy was a paradox. He was an idealist and a visionary but he was also a realist and a pragmatist. Unlike presidential candidates before or since, Bob Kennedy did not relish being a politician, but he was devoted to public service. He continues to inspire many like me to public service. His compassion and moral rectitude instilled civic pride and gave many us a glimpse of a more altruistic America. For all the reasons that Mr. Thomas stated, it is hard to say whether Bob Kennedy would have been a great president, but I think many of the negative events and forces that have brought us to where we are today would have been avoided and I think, as a nation, we would have been better for it.

In retrospect I love RFK. My problem with him was his sense of revenge regarding personal and political enemies. If he had won the White House, I don't doubt that the entire course of U.S. history would have been altered. But this country seems to have a way of switching from conservative to liberal from time to time. I think that would have happened in the 1960's, just in reverse order.

I'm so tired of this idiotic preoccupation with the Kennedys. If you read the book RFK, it would make you sick to see the amount of crap these people got away with. It seemed like the press at that time turned their head at everything and only reported the wonderful Camelot crap. Jackie and Jack only slept together to have kids, he had affairs with everything that had two legs and was screwing everything that walked. His dad was a slob womanizer that taught his boys exactly what women were worth, a quick jump. Jack had the big affair with Marilyn and then dumped her. Robert picked up the leavings and had one with her also. Then after Jack died, Robert and Jackie had a good thing going.

To tell you the truth, this is similar to Sharon Stone's comment about China and Karma. Their Karma was so bad, it is no wonder they packed it in the way they did. They were taught by the dad that they had all the privilege in the world and that they could do whatever they wanted. I don't see that any of them, short of Ted, has done anything worth all this hero worship.

idealism is what makes this country great,so many people are afraid to embrace the everchanging landscape and simply brush aside vision like a fallen leaf.We simply must continue to improve ourselves our country and our way of thinking to keep up with the times.Romanticizing with the vision in the rear view mirror will only serve to honor our past great accomplishments which is cool but to attempt to grab it and use it as a cookie cutter solve all simply will not work as times progress, shapes of the past cannot be force fit into the shapes of the present and future, there are way too many variables as life continues to evolve.People throw around the label before his or her time"progressive" loosely but I believe that RFK was this type of man just like his brother, what would have happened had he lived and for that matter martin luther king.I dont know if obama is this type of man but the evidence of my heart sure points in that direction and that is enough to give him a chance....you never know he might just make us all proud one day even if we are unwilling to admit it.

I like Evan Thomas very much but I believe Robert Kennedy was the most dangerous man in America!