I think that seeing my mother so upset and overwhelmed about RFK, is what pushed me to become interested in politics at an early age. I know that my uncle’s game didn’t hurt, but I think that seeing how politics really does affect people’s lives, is what moved me to find out more about it.

As an aside, My mother is, now, intensely anti political. She watches FOX news, but maintains her idenification as a Democrat. She refuses to discuss who she votes for, and has since I can remember going to the polls with her. She did tell me once, years ago, that she didn’t think that she COULD ever vote for a Republican because of what they did to the Kennedys. But other than that, I haven’t a clue what her political beliefs are.

I too was 15 in 1968 and was totally invigorated by him. I had read his book. He had come to my LA suburb a couple of weeks before the primary and had done a motorcade. I remember running after it – reaching out and trying to touch his hand. I wasn’t fast enough. But I was so excited by him and what he stood for, what he was talking about. I also went door to door for his campaign, handing out pamphlets.

I was watching the primary results in our living room and saw it unfold on TV. I remember screaming and running towards my parent’s bedroom – my mom was also watching TV and she screamed too. We sat there on the bed and we were crying and just kind of numb. I was awake for hours. I was so upset I couldn’t sleep. Either my memory is fuzzy or I’m getting old (or both) – but I thought that it happened just before midnight, on the 4th. In any event, from when he was shot until he died on the 6th was just a blur for me. I was in junior high, and everyone was so upset. I had this tiny little transistor radio that was about 2″ square and I walked around with it at my ear all day at school – giving updates to everyone as I heard them. People came up to me all day long, asking if there was any news. This was before schools had TV’s everywhere and obviously before the Internet. Just this tiny little transistor radio. I don’t even think they make them anymore.

Everyone was impacted – everyone – the teachers, the students, everyone. My school was over 50% Hispanic and heavily Catholic; Bobby was well-liked, and not just by the white kids. He just seemed to infect everyone with hope. My mom was a Republican and she was inspired by him! I have not felt hopeful about a politician from then until recently – Obama gives me an inkling of hope, but it’s not the same as with Bobby, and I’m scared to let myself feel it. Scared to let myself think that maybe somebody can inspire people to change and to do good, to be a good country again. But also scared that people with be threatened by Obama the same way that they were threatened by Martin and Bobby.

Thanks for sharing your recollections; it is cathartic to remember who he was and what he wanted to do before the rug was pulled out from under him. And to remember a time when people actually wanted to work for the public good – a time when I was not so cynical.

cricket

You know who else can do that? Ted Kennedy can, on any civil rights issue. If you have C-SPAN and can watch the Senate debates right now, you’ll probably see some of the Kennedy fire and charm.

Here is text, audio and video of the speech, April 4, 1968, in Indianapolis: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/rfkonmlkdeath.html

The sting of JFK’s assassination was dulling a bit and Bobby’s candidacy gave me new hope. When MLK was killed, I began worring about Bobby… I wish I hadn’t been so prescient! After two tragic assassinations, Bobby was all we had left. When he was taken from us, I went to my old bedroom at my Mother’s house and shut the door and stayed there for the rest of the year! I just couldn’t deal with anything. To this day, this remains the lowest point of my life. To live without hope is worse than death and I thank the universe that I was able to finally pull out of my depression sometime in early 1969.

I love my country and have worked in politics to make it better for most of my life, expect for that time when hope died…

I have to believe that there are people in the country with the vision and the moral core that RFK had. What I don’t know anymore is whether those people have the resources of the Kennedy family, or whether we’ll need to reform the political system from top to bottom before we can see another Bobby in politics.

I was almost 17 at the time….the fear of Vietnam almost knocking at my door….it was a sad year indeed….. Humanity…the world…lost two great hero’s that year.

Martin and Bobby….you are sadly missed by so many.

The goodness in humankind can never be silenced with a bullet.

Sirhan was CAUGHT, right in the act of his horrible deed, right? Although, his, Sirhan’s older brother, etcetera, DID give Sirhan the murder weapon, so we see that there ARE conspiracies in just about everything that Humans do together in Life.

Now I do NOT herein, wish to veer the very thoughtful postings so far, off into ANY investigationS of any or all THREE of these Great and truly AMERICAN, Patriots and heroes.

But, as a Historian(well, as my A-vocation) of a kind, I full well have learned from history, that without a TRUE and a FULL Investiagtion of: JFK’s Murder, MLK’s Murder(these two true Conspiracies, i would argue, am less convinced of a far greater “plot,” to kill this Great and GOOD man, in R.F.Kennedy’s murder) and RFK’s, AND such as the “S$omehow,” allowed for Hours$$, 9/11/2001 AD Attacks$$, my beloved Fellow Americans(and decent folks, everywhere!), that the WAR PROFITEERS$$, the “Warren ‘Commission’ Criminals$,” the “Official” 9/11 OMMISSION Criminals$$, etcetera, ie the Ruling RIGHTISTS$ in this Former Country, of “THE FORMER USA”(Much like the now, FORMER “USSR,” whatever “Ideals” they may have had[and killing off NAZIS$$ in WWII, was a Damned GOOD ONE! 90% of German Military Casualties came on The EASTERN FRONT, the RUSSIANS{or Soviets-} WESTERN Front[it was, for THEM, from Their WORLD VIEW, something that a JFK, an RFK, and a MLK, always tried to take stock of, other nations' VIEWPOINTS] against their Soviet enemy, like it or don’t. The Historical FACTS remain, that the always “Evil” USSR, helped save Human CIVILIZATION, in World War Two, America’s Last, “Good” War!), that these “American” CORPORATIONS$ and War-DisaS$ter-MiS$ery, etcetera, PROFITEERS$$, will CONTINUE to ‘earn” their “Profits$,” through the Feigned “Ignorance” of the larger “herd,” of the American “Citizenry,” ie, the “American” SHEEPLE!! That is all, I can NOT begin to match the courage of the three great men I’ve most noted in this Posting–but this very INTERNET, etcetera, hath shown, that we, the real PEOPLE,right from the GRASS ROOTS of citizenship, can WIN BACK this land, HOWEVER the means work themselves out for us to do so, is a question, yes, to follow, for HISTORY, but we DID take back Congress in the 2006 Mid-Terms{just barely in the US SENATE, i fully understand; and we did WIN the 40 or so HOUSE Seats to the democrats even with the Repubs$-Corporatis$ts Vote-S$UPPRESSING Machine{see Karl ROVE’;s and all the other’s actions in this US Attorneys Scandal, this utter CRIMINALITY, for “Jehovah’s-and Allah’s-and -Buddha’s Sake”!] taking away as much as 4-5% of the Dems VOTES, in nov. 2006, according to GREG PALAST, and others) that Grass roots CITIZENS(as you Posters who said you were Campaign Volunteers for BOBBY, in ’68, also prove this fact, of History!) are going to be THE REAL Engine, of real CHANGE, … we’ll need leaders, yes, Like a KUCINICH, a John EDWARDS, a Mike GRAVEL, even(he remembers those times, and this-here Senator Gravel-Lad, he AIN’T “TOO OLD,” at all!), but they can keep none of the PEOPLE’s MOMENTUM truly flowing, without OUR Grass Roots WORK, providing the real fuel of that new DEMOCRATIC ENGINE, which we have already BEGUN Such, in 2006′s Mid-terms, don’t get ‘too down,” about any of the Evil MURDERS of these Three Men, or of 9/11′s$, yes 9/11′s$ unanswered QuestionS$, as well, as those three great leaders, and all of the “Still with us,” THOUSANDS of GOOD SOULS from those Twin Towers at ground Zero(and the CLEAN-Up WorkerS, now all DYING from their Clean up, good works at ground Zero, The DEADLY TOXICITY there at Ground Zero, that they were LIED to, by this “Elected” “Pres$idency,” by “Epa’s” WHITMAN, and BY then New York’s “Mayor,” … GUILIANI!!

I was too young to vote – I was 15 – but I was planning to work for the Kennedy campaign that Summer and Fall – I was willing to do anything – address envelopes, go door to door, sweep cigarette butts off the floor, anything – and the California victory had me walking on air – then just as suddenly the roof caved in. I too became completely cynical about politics – though I voted in 1972 (they’d changed the voting age to 18 by then, and I was 19) – and have voted in all but one election since. That cynicism has never really left me – about politics, about the country and the citizens inhabiting it, about the system.

I often wonder what kind of country we would be now if Robert Kennedy had become President. I wonder how the political lanscape would have looked if he’d had two terms. Our history over the last 40 years would have looked a lot different.

There are no RFK’s or MLK’s now because there is nobody who speaks their mind bravely, unvarnished, and without fear. Bobby was a Statesman – not a politician. The problem with this time – and really, ever since his assassination – is that there have been way too many politicians, way too many demagogues, and no Statesmen.