The Torch Has Been Passed to Kennedy

By Melissa Orrison, Special to The Kennedy Beacon

By Melissa Orrison, Special to The Kennedy Beacon

I support Robert F. Kennedy Jr. because he supports me. This is not because of his last name, or anything other than the fact that he shares values and concerns with all of us, regardless of political affiliation.

My brief voting history has been limited by the availability of candidates — key players have repeated since I came of age. After voting for Obama and then Trump, I realized I did not identify with either party. 

My interest in Kennedy began when I watched his August 2023 Censorship Roundtable. I realized he was the only candidate I would trust with the next four to eight years of my life. 

Obama Voter Among College Republicans

After examining my voting history, I realize my early decisions were made based on emotion and gut feelings about the candidates. In 2008 I was amazed by the historical significance of the event: I voted for Obama, the first Black president, in my first election. He symbolized hope and had a beautiful family. I admired his speeches but gave little thought to what he was saying. 

I was surrounded by Republicans at the time. My friend’s father stopped by our college to promote his long-shot, short-lived, Republican presidential campaign, which seemed more like a publicity stunt. I was instructed to wear red to his speech, hosted by the College Republicans, and all I remember is being bored by the discussion on fair taxes. 

As time passed, I learned a lot more about taxes, and my beliefs and lifestyle more closely aligned with those Republican friends from college. Trump’s campaign was exciting due to his focus on restoring America to greatness, and the fact that he was not a politician. 

However, by the time I changed from an Obama voter to a Trump voter, many of my conservative college friends had taken a left turn. 

Closet Trumper Among Liberals

Trump would say anything — the things many of us felt but were afraid to say. Despite his brash manner, I admired his patriotism and desire to place America’s interests over the rest of the world. It wasn’t all due to him, but the thriving economy and stock market created a feeling of security.

However, to come out as a supporter of President Trump was to open oneself up to hatred and ridicule by the liberal majority. It was not something discussed with everyone, only with those who felt the same way. 

The Democratic party continued its descent into corruption that would lead to its censorship of RFK Jr. While Trump was worried about bringing jobs back to America and building the wall, it seemed the democrats were more worried about race, pronouns, and gender.

During the Trump years, I began my research on the Kennedy family, which culminated in a conference presentation and book in progress. COVID-19 was a turning point in which I realized the true corruption of the government, and became interested in politics, tracing events that began in the JFK administration to today.

Although Trump had my support for most of his presidency, after the January 6^th Capitol riots and the subsequent legal issues, I knew it was time for someone new.

RFK Jr. stepped up to run for president and appealed to people on both sides of the aisle. Like Trump, he says the things that everyone else is too afraid to say, although more tactfully. Like the Kennedy democrats before him, he wants America to be a beacon for the world. 

Enthusiastic Supporter of RFK Jr.

In the August 2023 roundtable, Glenn Greenwald pointed out that the leading censors in the US are journalists. RFK Jr. agreed and said, “Talking to journalists is like talking to a brick wall. They don’t comprehend how bizarre this is,” RFK Jr. continued. “We read Aldous Huxley and other dystopian fiction and it all begins with censorship…independent and right-wing voices have been silenced in mainstream media.”

As a journalist and English teacher, this resonated with me. When he went on to say that good journalists are still out there at small, independent publications and on Substack, I was hooked. And intrigued — what was Substack and how could I get involved? 

The locally owned newspaper I write for in Georgia is founded on the principles of what RFK, Jr. would consider “good journalism.” If a presidential candidate could speak honestly about the corruption and censorship of mass media, then maybe this attack on our first amendment rights could be stopped. 

In September, I traveled from Central Georgia to Columbia, SC to an RFK Jr. campaign rally. I had not traveled the farthest — a guy drove from Pennsylvania. Attendees were diverse but many had read RFK Jr.’s book, The Real Anthony Fauci and discussed it. 

He projected the vigor and style of 1960s Camelot, complete with his signature skinny tie. His eyes sparkled like his father’s. The room was filled with hope as he spoke about the real issues. He understood that housing and grocery prices were too high for the average family, acknowledging that we didn’t all have “rich uncles” like he did. 

Speaking of uncles, he blamed the CIA and the Military Industrial Complex for his uncle Jack’s death. His desire to find the truth was inspiring to those of us who gained our mistrust in the government from the JFK assassination.

He revealed hidden corruption. How would we have known that huge corporations like Blackrock are destroying the housing market unless he told us? The mainstream media wouldn’t tell us.

I had my photo taken with Kennedy and gave him a copy of my newspaper article about his censorship roundtable. I hoped when he read it he would realize I was one of the good journalists.

After years of research on the family, I had finally met a Kennedy, and he was a promising presidential candidate. 

Full Speech: Kennedy Declares Himself Independent Candidate for President

When he declared his independence from the Democratic party in October and started an independent campaign, I knew I was independent too. He embodies the best of both parties and is the only person that can heal the divide.

His fight is just beginning — a fight for ballot access in 50 states and against censorship in the mainstream media that reminds him of dystopian fiction. The time is right for an independent candidate. With our help, RFK Jr. can pass the torch of his father and uncle to a new generation of Americans in 2024.