RFK, Jr: flawed candidate with vital message of peace

 RFK, Jr: flawed candidate with vital message of peace

It’s been 51 years since a presidential election has had an earnest debate of peace over war. In 1972, George McGovern based his campaign on ending the disastrous and arguably criminal Vietnam War. McGovern was no pacifist, having piloted 25 bombing missions in WWII.

His opponent, President Richard Nixon, was elected in 1968 on a pledge to achieve ‘peace with honor’. But to get that peace with honor, Nixon had to expand the war into Cambodia and Laos, adding immensely to the death toll in a war that should never have been fought. Going into the 1972 election it was still raging.

McGovern secured the 1972 Democratic nomination with a pledge to truly end the war, not expand it. But Nixon’s clever war propaganda, exploiting the mood of the country opposed to ending a war without victory, sealed McGovern’s overwhelming defeat, 49 states to 1, besides DC.

Republicans as well as Democrats learned well the lesson of 1972: never campaign for peace in a country that values robust militarism over peaceful diplomacy. In the 12 elections since, peaceful foreign policy; indeed, any substantive mention of foreign policy, is the election issue that dare not speak its name.

That is why every peace loving American should welcome the candidacy of Bobby Kennedy, Jr. to the 2024 Democratic Primary field. His announcement last week brought unbridled US militarism to the fore with his call to re-imagine US foreign policy. In announcing his candidacy, Kennedy questioned President Biden’s motives in Ukraine. He noted the administration is prolonging the war to achieve victory over Russia, using Ukraine as a pawn suffering massive destruction. Kennedy called for a scaling down of the US military presence around the globe. “I’m gonna bring the troops home, I’m gonna close the bases, and I’m gonna start investing in the US middle class.”

Unfortunately, Bobby’s pitch for peace is being drowned out by calls from progressive Democrats about his controversial views on vaccines, covid relief measures and his flirtation with extreme right wing ideologues still pitching their 2020 stolen election fantasy. That likely dooms Kennedy’s candidacy. Progressives not only call such views crackpot, they see Bobby as a Democratic spoiler who will only weaken Biden’s re-election chances against his likely GOP challenger Trump. The media has cooperated by virtually ignoring Bobby’s candidacy as well as that of Marianne Williamson, the other non-establishment Democratic candidate.

The Biden administration is totally obsessed with preventing US unipolar dominance from slipping away. America provoked and prolonged the Russo Ukraine war, likely ensuring Ukraine’s destruction that could have been prevented early on. We’ve driven Russian and China into alliance against US unbridled militarism. Much of the non NATO world is joining with them to counter US belligerence. Most view the US as the world’s biggest threat to peace. But virtually the entire Democratic base, including its progressive wing, have coalesced around Biden’s self-destructive militarism.

Ignoring, demonizing, shutting down Kennedy’s rare vision of peace does not serve democracy or possible end to perpetual war. That vision needs to be thoroughly debated, not suppressed.