February 1, 2018: Rising Star, Democratic Response, What Could Be

From Fall River, Massachusetts, young Congressman Joseph Kennedy, gave the Democratic response. Pundits were quick to say that it was a forceful speech, well delivered, and aimed primarily at the Democratic base. It was more than that.

Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont and Chairman of the Democratic Party, said last year that the time has come for the Boomers to “get out of office and out of politics”, a sentiment that has echoed for more than a decade through the columns of these postings. Like his great-uncle, John F. Kennedy, the young congressman represents not only the “Kennedy” wing of the Democratic Party, but perhaps the next generation of 'millennial's' who have found the passage into adulthood much more difficult than their forebears. While cataloging the shortcomings of this administration, which are many, Kennedy laid down the gauntlet saying that if this generation builds that wall, his generation will tear it down.

Kennedy is, of course, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, and while it is never wise to embrace dynastic politics we must, nevertheless, keep an open mind.

That he is a “fresh face” is welcome. That he is not a “Boomer” is an additional recommendation. That he chose to make a pointed challenge, thus putting great distance between what he sees as the future of the party and his country and those of the “Generation of Swine”--Republican, Democratic, and Independent, is a godsend.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of those terrible events of 1968 (see previous posts). MSNBC host Chris Matthews has published a best-selling book on Robert F. Kennedy because, in his words, Kennedy represented the polar opposite of this administration, and our time. I purchased a copy of the book and gave it to my daughter as a gift inscribing therein: “a reminder of what once was, and what could be”.

“Impeach and Imprison”