I was born 18 years later, yet today and yesterday as I watch the news coverage of his last campaign I find myself feeling profoundly sad and fighting back tears. It is so easy, when examining 1968 and Kennedy's death to dwell upon the "What If?"s. What if he hadn't been shot? What if he had won the nomination? What if he had been elected President and not Nixon. So many hopeful scenarios that never played out.
As easy as it is to ask these questions and think about what could have been, Bobby would be shaking his head at us. He would encourage us not to think about what could have been, but what could be. He wouldn't want us to sit around and be sad, he'd be out there rolling up his sleeves, meeting with those in the most dire of circumstances and using every ounce of energy in his body to help those people.
People often ask me what it is about RFK I admire so much, especially since he lived so long before me. The answer is simple: He stood up for and fought for the underdog, the embodiment of the Democratic Party that I love. As a Kennedy he came from privilege yet he felt and went through so much pain few of us could even imagine. His compassion for those in need transcended income, class, race, religion, gender, etc.
There's little I can say about Robert Kennedy that hasn't already been said, these were simply the musings of a 21 year old who yearns for the same inspirational leadership for my generation...and we may be finally seeing it once again this year.