Today is the 79th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy and the 55th anniversary of the death of Robert F. Kennedy by assassination as he campaigned for the 1968 presidential election.
The first was the successful culmination of the allies fight to save the world from tyranny. The second was the moment when the United States began its long descent into the hell realms.
It is common to date our current troubles with the beginning of the Reagan administration in 1981. But this is not true. The forces of predatory capitalism may have retreated during the FDR years, but they were merely dormant.
By the late 1960s they were back with a vengeance and gave us Nixon and the party man, Ford. Jimmy Carter’s election was in part a reaction to Nixon’s disgrace. One would have thought that would give him two terms.
But the ruling class had other ideas. If you were around then, you will remember what they did to Carter. Their attempt to destroy him would have worked too, if President Carter had not been such an exemplary man.
Between 1968 and 1992, with the exception of Jimmy Carter’s one term, the American people labored under four Republican presidencies. By the time Bill Clinton took office, much of the post-war prosperity had been siphoned off and the argle bargle of trickle down had become “common wisdom”.
What would the world be like today if 1968 had brought us the first term of RFK instead of Nixon? Considering this question is too much for my heart to bear.
We need a new organized global antI-fascist movement as fierce as the 80 years ago. And we need a new economic system for the 21st century. If not now, when?
I think you've summed it up perfectly...
I love your statement that considering what might have been has RFK been elected President is "too much for your heart to bear" . I feel the same and remain devastated by his assassination and what might have been.