The Kennedy Initiative: Who Will Rule?

Posted on by charliej373

By Charlie Johnston

Robert Kennedy Jr.’s dramatic suspension of his campaign in order to endorse Donald Trump has the chattering class abuzz. So, let me add my chatter to the mix.

Kennedy is not a conservative – and this does not signal a journey towards a conservative conversion for him. What it does signal is something that could profoundly change this race and political alignment in this country. RFK has become politically homeless – along with every other traditional Democrat who actually believes in The Constitution and a commitment to civil rights. In his speech Friday announcing his decision, Kennedy was candid in his horror at what the Democratic Party has become: “the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big ag, and big money.”

Kennedy expressed his utter disgust at how the modern Democrats do not engage in an open contest of ideas and policy, but use lawfare to try to destroy all challengers to the party line, tossing them off the ballot or harassing them to thwart any effort at a free, open contest. It must be really bad, for his vice-presidential pick, super-wealthy tech lawyer and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan was shocked and disgusted at the heavy-handed tactics the Democrats used to try to destroy them. Shanahan, by the way, is a doctrinaire liberal and major donor who now says that her deepest regret is having helped Chuck Schumer get Ralph Warnock elected to the Senate from Georgia. Democrats are now concentrating on getting Green Party Candidate Jill Stein tossed off the ballot in Wisconsin and have successfully gotten Cornell West tossed off the ballot in Pennsylvania.

It was once common for Democrats and Republicans to unite in pursuit of some policies, particularly foreign affairs. The old foreign policy dictum was that, “politics stops at the water’s edge.” That made sense because, though the parties differed (sometimes dramatically) on how to achieve their goals, they were united in the fundamental aim of those goals. They both loved America, even to the extent that both were fundamentally America First. That fundamental unity on goals began seriously fraying during the presidency of Bill Clinton. It continued to degenerate until it was blasted to smithereens with the ascension of Barack Obama to the Oval Office. Since then it has been all gaslighting and narrative from the left – mixed with a primitive tribalism that brooks no dissent from the party line, even internally.

Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, Jonathan Turley and a host of others are not going to suddenly become committed conservatives on policy. That is not what this is about. This is an emergency alliance of American patriots of all viewpoints to preserve the traditional American system of liberty and the sovereignty of the people. It is about who shall rule: the people of America or a small cadre of self-selected and unaccountable authoritarians.

All who make common cause with this emergency coalition are classic liberals. Originally, “liberals” were those who put a priority on individual liberties, decentralized governmental systems, and clear accountability of public officials to the public. In John Stuart Mill’s time a “conservative” was one who supported centralized government which ruled by decree. If you’re scratching your head thinking the roles have been completely reversed, you are absolutely right. Leftists have never been able to govern competently – and are as averse to accountability as a vampire is to a crucifix. But they DO have a genius for mangling language, co-opting the name of what works and falsely applying it to their old errors, errors designed to cement their own hold on power. The American Revolution was a classically liberal revolution, one that inspired countless imitators throughout the world over time. Once liberalism started sweeping the globe, statists began repackaging their own old will to power as “liberalism.” So modern conservatives are actually liberal; modern liberals are actually conservative; and I’m my own grandpa.

There are, however, a lot of 60s-style modern liberals who are committed to the American principles of free, open discourse; public accountability; and the sovereignty of the people – alongside modern conservatives. They do not seek the power to decree what is and is not truth; but the right to persuade the public of what is the best policy through open discourse. They do not seek the power to rule the public by decree, but to enact policy by consent of the governed – to whom they remain rigorously accountable. They know that open discourse, fair contests, election integrity, and public accountability is the bedrock upon which the traditional American system is built – and that it is the system which provided the greatest freedom and prosperity in the history of the world.

We have been slowly and assiduously invaded by an alien ideology that seeks not to govern, but to rule with absolute authority. A recent survey of federal bureaucrats by the Napolitan Institute showed that 54% would issue orders despite overwhelming public rejection if they felt like it. Some 51% of those same bureaucrats believe that the American people have too much freedom. This is the foundation of the deep state.

Of course, the leftists always package their depredations with deceptive, pretty phrases. Censorship is described as banning “misinformation” or “hate speech.” Ironic that the people who have been the most prolific fount of misinformation and hateful speech in modern times want to reserve to themselves the right to define what truth is. Barack Obama defined his vision of authoritarian power as granting Americans “positive rights” rather than just “negative rights.” Negative rights, he explained, were what the government cannot do to you; his vision of positive rights were what the government must do for you. This completely elided the reality that, to grant “positive” rights, the government must have the authority to compel society to do what it commands, thus utterly vitiating the “negative” rights that protected you.

Woodrow Wilson, president more than a century ago, was openly contemptuous of the concept of a democratic republic where sovereignty was vested in the whole people. He was convinced America ought to be ruled by a cadre of “experts” for their own good – and that he and his colleagues would choose the experts. The modern Democratic Party has adopted and expanded upon that idea. In their definition, though, an expert need not have any expertise at all, only a credential issued by their ideological formation factories (modern colleges). This is how, say, an AOC or a Kamala Harris can have economics degrees despite routinely spouting errors that are dispelled within the first two weeks of a genuine Economics 101course.

While ideologues of every stripe tend to overestimate their own intellectual prowess while underestimating that of their opponents (and this tendency IS more pronounced in the mainstream of leftist thought) more than a few modern liberals understand that this vanity has metastasized into a raw will to power that, if not stopped, will destroy the American system of liberty under ordered law, altogether.

The stakes, then, of this election are as high as they ever have been in America. If this emergency coalition succeeds and Trump is elected, the concept of ordered liberty will be extended in America. It will require hard work extended with fortitude and focus to get us back to where liberals and conservatives can work and laugh together, supporting the same fundamental goals while advocating different approaches to attaining those goals. If they fail and Harris is installed, ordered liberty will be lost – only to be regained through revolution and civil war. The best we can hope for under those circumstances would be the political division of our country into two countries, one blue, governed by the dictate of self-appointed experts and the other red, governed by the consent of their citizens. It is hopeful that so many traditional Democrats have realized the terrible peril that the leftist project has brought us to. It can dramatically change the entire scope and character of this election. It could lead to a Trump landslide. But do not be deceived: it will not be a realignment, but a restoration to honest contests of ideas under ordered law.

It would be a great step forward if the red (conservatives) and the blue (traditional liberals) successfully united against the alien ideology that threatens to topple us. But the unity will not be complete or secure until it is united under the ultimate sovereignty of the white (God).

If communication goes out for any length of time, meet outside your local Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Tell friends at Church now in case you can’t then. CORAC teams will be out looking for people to gather in and work with.

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23 thoughts on “The Kennedy Initiative: Who Will Rule?”

  1. Excellent clarification, Charlie!! And, in particular, Amen to “But the unity will not be complete or secure until it is united under the ultimate sovereignty of the white (God).”

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Kris pulls it together in her comment, jeslyou. We have the red and blue parties pulling together now for the sake of preserving freedom, yet we need to unite under the white color – which represents THE most critical Player for the red, white and blue to be complete, One Nation UNDER God. Without Him and His Laws & Ways being ever acknowledged, we can do nothing good.

        Liked by 3 people

        1. I too don’t get it. White God or white color? And what on earth is this ‘white God’? Why not just use the word ‘God’?

          Like

          1. Ah! But Jesus so often spoke in parables and in ways that invited – and to this day invite – His disciples to contemplate His words. I love all the ways Charlie writes, very often inviting us to ponder. His beautiful words in this piece which call us keep our focus on God as the Center of our lives prompted me to remember that it IS God’s Plan that will ultimately rescue us even while WE have an important role to play as co-creators with Him : It would be a great step forward if the red (conservatives) and the blue (traditional liberals) successfully united against the alien ideology that threatens to topple us. But the unity will not be complete or secure until it is united under the ultimate sovereignty of the white (God). This further prompted me to contemplate the meaning of the colors on our flag. It is said that red represents valor and bravery, white: purity and innocence, and blue stands for vigilance, perseverance and justice. How fitting that we who are to be one nation UNDER God would look upon our flag, see the white and remember the purity and awesomeness of God and how we cannot do anything good without Him. If Charlie had just written “God,” I would have never meditated as I did which drew me further into gratitude for how much God loves us and remains with us as we carry on in this Storm. But that’s me and I realize there are all kinds of people from a wide diversity of backgrounds and experiences who come here to read.

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            1. You express it beautifully, Beckita – and it is what I intended. I learned very long ago that, when writing for a large group of people, you get a host of different styles of readers as well as wildly different backgrounds among those readers. Some struggle with anything that is not completely literal – just can’t fathom anything metaphorical or symbolic, regardless of how much richness it might add. I had a wonderful young reporter working for me once who was precisely perfect on grammatical matters. I would sometimes have her look over a piece but, glory, she could not hear the music of writing. If I had intentionally made any grammatical errors for effect, she was utterly puzzled. Turned out she was not a fan of Faulkner, Hemingway, or even Twain – because she did not get them. Marvelously talented and intelligent woman who, nonetheless, saw writing as a matter of words marshalled in well-defined rows and ranks – and was incapable of seeing it as a symphony for the mind. Oddly, I took some comfort in that. Often, when given information from above, I say, “Huh?” – because I just don’t get it right away and have to struggle to fathom the meaning and import.

              Then you have people who have expertise in one subject and get annoyed because I usually embed a basic explanation if any cohort might not have similar expertise. They think that what they know, everyone knows – and what they don’t, nobody does. I once had a woman who knows all her Bible stories well asked me why I wasted time explaining something about Moses – when everybody knows that (which only maybe three percent did) while she was utterly baffled by a cultural reference in the same piece that, literally, 90 percent of the population would immediately get. It’s a right tricky business ordering these symphonies of words for a general audience.

              I intentionally write with a lot of metaphor, symbolism, sly references, subtle puns, foreshadowing and such. Ideally, if you get it close to right, it forces people to contemplate, to make connections, thus enriching their very power of perception. It does not just explain, but forces thought – and in doing so sets in place means of seeing and thinking that open up deeper channels in peoples’ minds that can be used in all things. It is not the style of writing one would often use for an instruction manual. But quite frankly, it is the way God has always dealt with me and, as frustrating as it has often been, it has been profoundly useful and enriching. For me, listing the white as a metaphor for God recalls so many iconic artistic, literary, and even musical, references, adding a deep richness and texture, that it is something everyone should resonate with. And if you don’t, you should endeavor to see with those sorts of eyes. When Jesus offered something for people who have “eyes to see and ears to hear,” this was largely what He was talking about. It is no one’s fault if they don’t – but it is their fault if they do not endeavor to grow to have such eyes and ears.

              I am, by no means, a master symphonist. When I write a piece I don’t want you to just perceive an idea; I want you to hear chords that resonate with your deepest self. If you don’t, then either I have failed you or you have failed yourself.

              Liked by 1 person

              1. A squirrel frolics in the forest because it’s home. To that stranger who wanders in, it can seem a labyrinth. You once told me that I needed to get off the trail sometimes and into the den more. Of course the opposite is true for some. Get out of the den and into the forest more. Healthy new ways of thought are always quite the adventure… sometimes nothing less than a hero’s adventure.

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          2. to spell it out, thought by thought:

            We are not just a nation divided by blue party, red party.

            We are united under God

            Our flag is not just blue and red, it is the red, white and blue.

            Does that explanation work?

            Like

  4. Thank-you for this, Charlie. Your writings are always elucidating.
    Time to get those axes sharpened! Do the little that God has put before you.

    I would like to thank all who were praying for our friend with Stage 4 cancer ~ she has died. Please pray for the repose of her soul. Thank-you.

    God bless us, every one, katey in OR

    Liked by 3 people

  7. It is encouraging to see some little signs of people awakening, but we’re a long way from sanity returning to the whole world. We need all the signs of hope we can get!

    Liked by 4 people

  8. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PM 😉

    https://victorhanson.com/the-quiet-before-the-storms-in-ukraine-gaza-and-taiwan/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/08/26/president-trump-appears-on-shawn-ryan-podcast-full-video/#more-263621

    https://www.glennbeck.com/radio/rfk-democrat-betrayals-trump-endorsement

    https://rumble.com/user/claytonmorris/videos

    … & “The Hill”, a Uni-Party Swamp DC Entity, is happy about it but Outs de RINOs for US!

    https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4848567-ex-aides-trump-bush-mccain-romney-endorse-harris/

    https://babylonbee.com/news/attorney-general-reminds-americans-that-contesting-election-is-illegal-unless-trump-wins

    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258lqwns.1m0t/da4ab5cd

    https://patriotpost.us/digests/109694-mid-day-digest-2024-08-26

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! .. Happy St. Monica Day! 😉

    https://catholicexchange.com/feast-of-st-monica/

    https://onepeterfive.com/our-ladys-mountain/

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/slaying-the-quid-pro-quo-beast

    https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/holy-gimmicks/

    https://catholicexchange.com/if-not-catholicism-then-what/

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/mansplaining-ephesians

    https://spiritdaily.org/blog/news/ohio-state-players-hand-out-thousands-of-bibles

    https://spiritdaily.org/blog/news/80-year-old-man-has-special-message-for-stay-at-home-moms

    I didn’t grow up in a Game Playing Family but a few years ago I stocked up on Cards and Board Games plus How-To books on Games. We will, literally, have a lost generation of people when the Chinese made PCs & Comm/Tracking devices …Ya Know! … the ones glued to most people’s off hands …. These-Days. ;-(

    https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/games-tricks/6-card-games-every-man-know/

    https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1828190970795745447

    https://catholicvote.org/

    https://www.lifenews.com/

    https://thefederalist.com/

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://www.zerohedge.com/

    https://www.newsmax.com/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    https://freebeacon.com/

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/

    https://mrctv.org/cnsnews

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. “Woodrow Wilson, president more than a century ago, was openly contemptuous of the concept of a democratic republic where sovereignty was vested in the whole people. He was convinced America ought to be ruled by a cadre of “experts” for their own good – and that he and his colleagues would choose the experts. The modern Democratic Party has adopted and expanded upon that idea. In their definition, though, an expert need not have any expertise at all, only a credential.” CJ

    “Please understand that it was the result of hypnotizing so many vulnerable personalities into a mass formation psychosis. They were vulnerable because they are scared stiff by propaganda specifically targeting their deepest archetypal fears — in this case, fear of Daddy, meaning fear of behavioral boundaries, in short, of being civilized.”
    JH Kunstler

    “We deceived you, but you wanted to be deceived.”
    Paul Hollander

    “Lord, you duped me and I allowed myself to be duped.”
    Jeremiah 20

    It seems that once someone decides to believe or follow something they will cling to it even if it isn’t good for them. Paul Hollander made the point about how when we want something so badly we are willing to believe it even when it is too good to be true. As for those who have left truth and reason behind, Scripture tells us that they fall into a darkness. This is self-inflicted by their denial and a type of curse as it leads to damnation.
    These “tests” give us a chance to see ourselves and others as we truly are. Even though the darkness hides truth from some it also lets those on the side of Truth see what happens to those that refuse His love. It says they become “foolish” and we notice. My mom liked to say: “But for the Grace of God, there go I”. She recognized the foolishness but she also knew that she too would become foolish if not for the Grace that kept her sane.
    Jesus said from the cross ” Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”. Jesus kept even His Apostles in the dark thus protecting them from the Jews but He was also protecting the Jews from the devil who would have stopped the crucifixion from occuring to stop Him from redeeming them. His mandate to not tell anyone, was both to allow His ministry to continue without interruption and to hide what He was doing from His enemies. As God, He had the power to keep even the demons in the dark.

    Liked by 3 people

  11. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PS 😉

    Recite the above before reading any Headlines or Articles from NOW till The Rescue!!! …… ’cause many Authors don’t BELIEVE or are afraid to evoke FAITH!

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/08/27/a-new-larger-maga-coalition/#more-263632

    I’m sure that DOJ’s Garland & Wray will be all-over this travesty! Investigating, Prosecuting, Firing-n-Jailing The Perps …. just like the treatment given to those evil Trump/Deplorables, 6 Jan Patriots, Protesting Parents @ School Board Meetings and Catholics Praying @ Baby Murder Inc. …. Plus, I’m sure the DC Judiciary will clear the way for Criminal/Civil Lawsuits … Right? … ?!?!? … Hello!!

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/08/27/mark-zuckerberg-admits-to-congress-he-worked-with-joe-biden-and-white-house-to-control-speech-in-america-says-he-regrets-doing-it/

    https://x.com/KarluskaP/status/1828039302892134613?t=112s

    https://wallstreetonparade.com/2023/08/the-fitch-downgrade-of-u-s-debt-what-you-need-to-know/

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/08/is_america_reaching_a_suicidal_level_of_complacency.html

    https://www.theburningplatform.com/2024/08/26/countdown-to-crisis-catastrophe-and-collapse/

    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258lr61f.1rf9/a8c10701

    https://patriotpost.us/digests/109732-mid-day-digest-2024-08-27

    https://newsbusters.org/

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Like

  12. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! .. Happy St. Augustine Day! 😉

    https://catholicexchange.com/finding-hope-in-st-augustines-journey/

    https://www.churchpop.com/3-phenomenons-this-priest-witnessed-during-his-1200-mile-eucharistic-pilgrimage/

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/why-synodality-is-a-sham

    https://stream.org/the-deep-church-meets-the-deep-state-in-chicago/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/08/27/context-for-fbi-discussion/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/abbey-gate-families-issue-statement-trump-honoring-fallen/

    https://x.com/BonginoReport/status/1828411173433184487

    https://www.theamericanconservative.com/americas-reckoning-with-reality/

    I really don’t Trust these ***s … but … Besides Jesus …. who to Trust?

    https://chroniclesmagazine.org/web/elon-musk-leads-parade-of-tech-titans-boosting-trump-as-the-true-freedom-candidate/

    https://spiritdailyblog.com/commentary/you-are-designed-for-health

    Doc Stella on Monkey Pox is interesting. Now, like, everybody else, she has pay rent and she is also Evangelical in Outlook:

    https://x.com/RealAlexJones/status/1828213125436580141

    https://lionessofjudah.substack.com/p/do-you-know-someone-whose-kidneys

    https://www.barnhardtmemes.com/2024/08/27/barnhardt-meme-barrage-27-august-arsh-2024/

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://www.zerohedge.com/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    https://hotair.com/

    https://www.wnd.com/category/front-page/

    https://www.theamericanconservative.com/

    https://floppingaces.net/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Like

  13. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PS 😉

    https://www.lifenews.com/

    https://www.glennbeck.com/radio/prolifer-biden-doj-die-prison

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/08/28/fbi-says-trump-attempted-assassin-acted-alone-and-theres-no-motive-behind-why/

    https://catholicexchange.com/a-lesson-on-normalcy-from-the-legend-of-zelda/

    https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/rethinking-parish-life-2/

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/the-importance-of-walls

    https://patriotpost.us/alexander/109775-the-harris-body-count-warning-2024-08-28

    https://www.declassified.live/p/jack-smiths-weak-watered-down-election

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/kamala-harris-posts-letter-tucker-promoting-gun-control/

    https://patriotpost.us/digests/109774-mid-day-digest-2024-08-28

    https://newsbusters.org/

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Like

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Published by charliej373

Charlie Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. From Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. He writes on cultural, global and political issues from an orthodox Catholic perspective. He emphasizes that we find God most surely through the ordinary, doing the little things we should with faith and fidelity. His constant refrain is that, to live real joy, we must acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. He lives in the Archdiocese of Denver in the United States.