Meh essay. The author says of the new RFK; “…his politics don’t appear to be anywhere near as grounded or level-headed.”

Although he provides a link, which I always appreciate, he needs to itemize at least a couple points illustrating RFK’s groundless policies. I’m not a huge fan of the new RFK – he doesn’t like fossil fuels or nuclear energy, and thinks it’s possible to power the US economy with solar panels out in the desert – but the author needs a little meat on the bone of his critique.

Something else is bugging me too – and it’s not limited to this author. I get frustrated by the use of terms like far right and Trumpism. What does this mean? Am I considered far right? I have no idea.

I’m pretty sure what progressive is, but opponents of this agenda have a wide range of political views. Calling someone far right could mean almost anything. I would consider myself a libertarian who supports some govt intervention in our lives, but in a limited way. I would have likely been a Democrat 15 years ago.

I wish people would be a little more specific when saying far right – it’s become a cudgel to attack anyone who opposes the progressive movement or the Democrat party.

The Democrats and their supporters have fallen in to the trap of believing that whatever they do is good – because they believe they are the good guys. The reality is that a lot of things Democrats do these days range from truly awful – (medically transitioning children – creating censorship regimes) – to highly debatable (free drug supplies – forcing energy transition in the name of climate change – wide open borders). I think RFK Jr is going to help the Democrats by blowing open the Overton window inside the party and creating space for moderate party members to seriously discuss these policies.

Thank you for the reference to RFK Sr.’s speech. I had never heard it and it’s remarkable. A white presidential candidate announces the murder of the most prominent black leader at the time at the hands of a white man to a majority black, urban audience, and uses ancient Greek poetry and the Christian architecture of our common humanity to unify them for peace instead of vengeance.
Could it be done today though? Do we have enough of, as the author says, “values that command the respect of Americans of all races and cultural creeds”? I’d like to think so, but I suspect we don’t. Let’s face it, in 1968, in the midst of the sexual revolution, no one could have ever imagined that 55 years later, we would have major political debates over what a woman is.
Are there things we agree on? Absolutely! But we disagree about so many more fundamental things that this sort of American-unity is a illusion today.

“opportunity to break out of the trenches American politics has been trapped in since the Sixties”
Great insight. Sadly, I don’t believe American politics has quite reached that point yet. It looks like 2024 will be another faceoff between the two dinosaurs, Biden and Trump. My guess is Biden will win by a slim margin and limp along for another four years.
The current leadership is the last hoorah of an increasingly irrelevant generation of politicians incapable of delivering solutions to the problems that beset the modern world. It’s a painful prospect, but I suspect we’ll have to wait for 2028 before the current gerontocracy have died, or are incapacitated, and we might see a new generation of leaders arise who bring vision and pragmatism to the job. At least a decade of tumultuous times ahead, imo.

“Instead, they ought, like RFK, to abandon radical activist positions and aim at diffusing culture war by appealing to values that command the respect of Americans of all races and cultural creeds. Rather than a heedless revolutionary attitude towards institutions, of the kind shared by woke and MAGA fanatics alike, they might consider adopting a more patient and thoughtful reformist disposition, as Kennedy did in his efforts to fight poverty.”
Oh I see, you’re referring to a time before all of America’s institutions failed it repeatedly and resisted even modest reforms. Wow it is almost like RFK’s time and now have some serious differences. Who knew?

I hope Americans come to their senses and have RFK Jr. runing against De Santis. I’m not wholly impressed by either but their ideas and politics have some positives and the alternative of Trump vs. Biden is frightening. If there are other better candidates then that would be good but no one with pondus and sufficient backing seems to have put themselves forward. The most negative aspect of RFK Jr. is his voice. I know it sounds trivial but it’s an effort to understand what he’s saying sometimes.

Word. A symbiosis can develop between RFK Jr’s campaign and the Braver Angels initiative that seeks to bridge the divide between Red and Blue.

RFK is a loose cannon. If you are not familiar with that coin of phrase, ask a military veteran to explain the danger.