Echoes of 1968

The New Media Journal ^ | May 30, 2008 | Michael M. Bates

[NewMediaJournal]

It’s been 40 years since his passing, but Robert Kennedy is again in the news. One reason is Hillary Clinton’s imprudent mention of his assassination. Barack Obama and media accomplices managed to turn that molehill into a mountain in near-record time.

Another reason is that Obama has invoked Bobby’s memory throughout his campaign. People who weren’t around 40 years ago have been instilled with the fable of Kennedy’s pristine greatness and Barack hopes to benefit by the association.

I wonder how many of Obama’s young, college-educated liberals know much about the real Bobby Kennedy. Would their admiration be diluted if they knew of a 1956 conversation he had with an assistant attorney general in the Eisenhower administration?

“The trouble with you Republicans is that you have done away with the very best man your party has,” Bobby told the appointee. When asked who that was, his reply was Joe McCarthy. Yes, that Joe McCarthy. The official asked if Kennedy were joking. The response: “I am not kidding. I think so well of the man I made him a godfather of one of my children.”

Which is true. Joe McCarthy was the godfather of Kennedy’s oldest child. And when the infamous Red hunter from Wisconsin was buried in 1957, Bobby Kennedy flew to Appleton for the services.

[BloodOrFreedom]

Well...If they're so interested in his assassination...I am sure something can be arranged

[Always Right]

I am gonna call the FBI. Any mention of 1968 is obviously an attempt to either call for riots in Denver or the assassination of Obama.

[ClearCase_guy]

Back in the 1960's, the Leftist punks used to make fun of Liberals. People like Hubert Humphrey were seen as objects of derision. The Democrats had a real split -- on the one side were the "Liberals" who loved America, hated communism, and thought that government needed to intervene and help people. On the other side, there were Democrats who hated America, loved communism, and thought that government needed to intervene and control people.

The fissure opened pretty widely in 1968 but one of those opposing camps really disappeared after 1972. All we have left now are the "Blame America First" riffraff who gained ascendancy after McGovern was defeated.

[Ouderkirk]

My problem with Obama besides him being a marxist agitiator, and general liberal...is that he’s a weakling. You know he’s a henpecked husband, and all around weenie. He just does not present himself as a man’s man. He’s a girlie man. Effete, effeminate, and weak. Just a lilly-livered wimp.

[piytar]

Would their admiration be diluted if they saw Kennedy on tape running a prostitution ring of orphans out of a convent, with the orphans selling heroine on the side if they didn't turn enough "tricks" knew of a 1956 conversation he had with an assistant attorney general in the Eisenhower administration?

Still the same answer -- NO! The culthood of the left is impervious to any actual facts or anything else for that matter, and the name "Kennedy" is at the top of their pantheon.

Sounds ridiculous? Remember, they largely embrace an ideology that empowered socialist/communist governments to kill literally over 100,000,000 of their own people in the 20th century. That is MUCH worse than my hypothetical. Thought, facts, and understanding are clearly beyond them.

PS Mentioned that 100,000,000 figure to a 20 something acquaintence who was talking about how socialism/communism made so much sense and how religion had been the basis for more death and murder than anything esle in the world. Mind you, he was not a leftist, but he was starting to think that the left's philosophy made some sense. He didn't believe me. I had him Google it. Amazingly, when he saw the facts, he actually had an "ah ha" moment. Was VERY gratifying to see someone's eyes open up right before me.

[Last Dakotan]

You know he’s a henpecked husband, and all around weenie. He just does not present himself as a man’s man. He’s a girlie man. Effete, effeminate, and weak. Just a lilly-livered wimp.

Feminists would find these positive qualities.

[ClearCase_guy]

Good for you. It's important to catch them when they're young and help them see the evil of the Left. It's hard to argue with 100 million dead.

On the other hand, it can also be useful to mention Hitler's murder of 6 million jews. Most people know about that. Horrible thing. Everybody recognizes the evil of it. After brief discussion, you can casually mention that the US has murdered about 50 million babies in the past few decades and that this achievement is a point of great pride for our local Leftists.

[Will88]

Vietnam is another area where the Kennedy worshipers really begin to dance and jive and rewrite history. When JFK took office we had around 400 military advisors in SVN. When he was assassinated, there were 16,000 American troops there, and JFK had given the nod for the assassination of the SVN premier (president?).

And, of course, JFK began the Green Berets as a special force to fight guerrilla wars, specifically in Vietnam. There is a quote in “The Best and The Brightest” by David Halberstam from Bobby Kennedy where he says: “If the Vietcong can stay under water and breath through a reed for an hour, then so can we.”

The Kennedy Administration entangled us in Vietnam in many ways, and when LBJ took office he inherited that greatly expanded commitment. But of course, by 1968 RFK was running for president and had become one of the war’s best known critiques and underminers, leaving the war drum beating and gung ho talk of the JFK years behind, but with American troops still in harms way.

RFK always came across as more a pious and self-righteous phony to me than anything else. Never thought much of him, and particularly his 180 degree reversal on Vietnam. He was one of many who undermined that cause and assured its eventual failure.

But, of course, there is no shortage of revisionist historians who try to sell the nonsense that JFK had changed his mind on Vietnam, and planned to withdraw, trying to separate their hero from a major US policy failure.

[Verbosus]

Good description, ClearCase_guy.
I like that.