by Blue Shield

Created on: June 27, 2008

Barack Obama the New RFK, Will Complete Late Senator's prophecy

According to John F. Kennedy, he has "an organizational gift I have rarely if ever seen surpassed." The great leader whom the late president was referring was his own brother, the late Robert F. Kennedy.

Who else has this organizational gift today? An ability which nobody has even come close to mirroring since RFK? That would be none other than Senator Barack Obama. Obama has won so many Americans over throughout his career and more importantly in his current quest for the Presidency mainly because of his organizational prowess. His days as a community organizer in Chicago have really transformed his uniting ability into a national organizer. People have never been so inspired by a political figure since Robert F. Kennedy came on to the scene decades ago. The similarities between BHO and RFK are uncanny.

Both political figures were and are truly optimistic and hopeful people, respectively. Both Barack and Bobby encompassed a vision of true progressiveness, a why can't we?' approach to all things that seem impossible to overcome. Bobby Kennedy was a staunch civil rights advocate and a major advocate of desegregation. Likewise, Barack was once a civil rights attorney who worked strenuously to provide equality for all minorities in Chicago. Both went to Harvard and were attorneys, of course with Bobby, he served under his brother's administration as the attorney general later on. Both RFK and Obama spoke/speak extremely eloquently, with great optimism, and with great resonance. Their message was one of hope and change, not of fear and pessimism. Furthermore, the rallies that Bobby Kennedy had at his campaign stops were unheard of before then, and likewise we are seeing humungous rallies for Obama across the nation which has been unheard of for most Americans today. Bobby Kennedy was well liked by all Americans, across races, across classes, and even across party lines. Likewise, we see that in Barack Obama today. Bobby Kennedy was about lifting people up, same as what Barack seems to be achieving currently. Bobby Kennedy was in fact a uniting agent, just as Obama projects to be. To simplify it, the greatest association or similarity between these two American figures is that both are hopeful and inspirational about giving power back to the people. In fact, RFK was so optimistic about the progress Americans will make and so reinforced with his idea of American decency, he predicted in 1968 that there will be an African-American president within 40 years. Well, here we are 40 years later, and if everything keeps going as planned, his prophecy will definitely come true.

"Some see things the way they are and say why,' I see those things which aren't and say why not?"
-Robert F. Kennedy

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