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A Kennedy Is Running Again

The re-emergence of charisma into American politics

Shefali O'Hara
3 min readApr 19, 2023
From Kennedy’s presidential site: https://www.kennedy24.com/

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced he is running for President. And, just like that — the race got exciting. Genuine charisma has entered U.S. politics. Not the glad-handing of Biden or the bombast of Trump, but the genuine article from the days of Camelot.

RFK Jr. is currently getting about 14% of the Democratic primary vote. He is answering a desire among many traditional Democrats as well as among Republicans sick of Trump and independents who want a better option.

His political website includes a livestream from Boston, which is symbolically important on many levels. He calls himself a “Kennedy Democrat”, reminding us of his illustrious father and his uncle, President Kennedy.

There is a photo on his website where, as a child, he is visiting his uncle in the Oval Office, as well as family photos and a more recent one in shirt sleeves, looking rugged and steely eyed. If nothing else, he’s inherited his family’s good looks.

What about his platform? It’s simple and focused on a few key elements:

  • Honest Government: He says he wants to end surveillance of American citizens and make government transparent.
  • Heal the Divide: Once upon a time, politicians across…

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Shefali O'Hara
Shefali O'Hara

Written by Shefali O'Hara

Cancer survivor, Christian, writer, engineer. BSEE from MIT, MSEE, and MA in history. Love nature, animals, books, art, and interesting discussions.

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