On Sunday, my cousin and I saw the new movie, Bobby. At the end, both of us exited the theatre talking about how it was one of the best movies we’ve seen in a long time – if not ever. And even though the movie covered mostly a single day, and was much more about the storylines of the people at the Ambassador Hotel than it was about the man, it made me feel like I was there. It made me want to work for RFK's campaign; it made me want him to win the California primary. At the time, I couldn’t even think of the right words, but my cousin and I managed to have a conversation something like this:
Him: I get the feeling he didn’t just want to be President.
Me: Yeah, like he felt he needed to be…
Him: And that would be the best President to have
I wasn’t alive in 1968 – my parents were barely even dating then, but the movie made me wish I had been around to witness such a man running for President. Over the past 5 years, I’ve been involved in politics at the local, state and federal level (for the Democratic Party, if that matters). But I’m still waiting to see that candidate that makes me think… (s)he’s the one. The one to help our country go in the right direction – the one who cares more about what our country needs than about the power he or she will have as President. And maybe that’s how the Kennedy’s were, and after 4 decades, it’s been lost from our collective memory. Or maybe it’s that we haven’t had such a leader in a long time. Or maybe we’ve been choosing the wrong people as candidates and electing the wrong people to office.
To be fair, I don’t think politicians are inherently a bad breed of people. You give a group of people power and attention, and someone’s going to do something stupid – maybe even a lot of someones. But we shouldn’t reward that – we shouldn’t reelect people just because incumbency is stable and breeds more power. We also shouldn’t let attack ads detract from the good of someone, or party lines keep us from choosing the best man or woman to lead our values. Voting for our country’s leaders should not be an easy choice – unless one person edges out the rest as someone who will lead us wherever it is we should go.
Don’t get me wrong – I know that not everyone wanted Robert Kennedy to win the Democratic nomination, let alone the Presidency. But everything I’ve read and watched about him and his run have led me to believe that it was something special… he was something special. I hope we find that again…
(To end this on a brighter note – I definitely recommend the movie. After you see it, let me know what you thought – I’d love to hear other peoples’ opinions. And if you’re more of a reader, I highly suggest the book 1968: The Year that Rocked the World, by Mark Kurlansky.)
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