(4 of 4)
The Kennedy mystique seems particularly appealing in 1988. The yearning that some feel to cast a protest vote or express a passion for social change has been partly reflected in the success of Jesse Jackson's candidacy. But the triumph of George Bush and Michael Dukakis has submerged political passion in favor of pragmatism and efficiency. Each has his programs and respectable records. Dukakis even tries to evoke the Kennedy legacy. But they pale in comparison to the faded photographs of Bobby reaching out to endless seas of eager hands and exciting admiring crowds. Bush has apologized to his supporters for not being adroit at articulating his emotions, and Dukakis has campaigned on the premise that the voters are tired of charisma. But Bobby was able to spark excitement by articulating dreams. Given today's dearth of passion, it is no wonder that the young people who embraced politics in the '60s -- and whose faith in government was undermined by Viet Nam, assassinations and Watergate -- should remember Kennedy as a hero.
In 1985, when a Roper poll asked the baby-boom generation for its heroes, the rich and famous and superficial headed the list: Clint Eastwood and Eddie Murphy, celebrities standing in for real heroes. But the current wave of nostalgia for Bobby Kennedy may be a signal that the generation that retreated to self-absorption in the '70s and '80s may be ready to feel passion again. That Kennedy is a hero to them could be more than nostalgia; it may suggest a yearning, once again, to re-engage.