For decades, the Kennedy name has been inseparable from Democratic Party royalty — a family dynasty woven into the very fabric of the party. The public still reveres the Kennedys as America’s political aristocracy, a clan whose tragedies became part of the country’s collective memory. But today, the same family that once spoke of unity, compassion, and service has turned on one of its own in the most vicious way possible. The treatment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by his relatives isn’t just disappointing; it’s a disgrace.
When RFK Jr. launched his presidential campaign, his own family didn't just stay neutral; it actively worked against him. The attacks came from multiple directions. Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK and former ambassador to Australia, labeled her cousin's vaccine skepticism "dangerous." In 2023, four family members, including former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and former Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, wrote a public letter denouncing his independent presidential campaign. "Bobby may share our father's name, but he does not embody the same values, vision, or judgment," they declared, calling his candidacy "dangerous for our nation."
The day he secured ballot access in Michigan, Kennedy relatives rushed to a Biden campaign event to publicly endorse him. It was a calculated political strike timed for maximum damage. When Kennedy later suspended his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, his siblings issued a statement declaring his decision "a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear." The irony is staggering. Here's a family built on the legacy of two men who challenged the establishment and spoke truth to power, now demanding lockstep loyalty to party orthodoxy.
Cheryl Hines, Kennedy's wife, has watched this family drama unfold with a mix of sadness and disbelief. In a recent interview on CBS Mornings, she talked about how disappointing the whole spectacle has been. "I always admired the Kennedy family for their commitment to prioritizing family," she told Natalie Morales. "So when some of his relatives chose to publicly criticize him, it was disappointing." That's putting it mildly.
Hines revealed that even Ethel Kennedy, RFK Jr.'s mother, was blindsided by the family's reaction. When Bobby told her about his presidential run, she expressed pride and asked which siblings were supporting him. When he admitted none were and some were actively opposing him, she was genuinely surprised. It says something profound that the matriarch of the Kennedy clan expected better from her own children.
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The fallout hasn't just affected family relationships. Hines admitted that her political involvement strained friendships, too. "I have a handful of friends who found it emotionally challenging to maintain our closeness once Bobby entered the political scene," she shared. She gets it, but that doesn't make it easier.
The worry goes beyond hurt feelings. Kennedy ran without Secret Service protection for far too long, and Hines lived in constant fear. "I think every day somebody would say to me, 'Are you worried about him getting shot like his father and like his uncle?' And I was. I was very worried about it," she revealed.
"Still worried about it. I don't think Bobby tells me all of the threats that he gets, if I'm being honest," Hines added.
The family knows better than anyone what political courage can cost. His father was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential campaign, just five years after JFK's assassination in Dallas.
At least one family member stayed in his corner. Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, his cousin, has called him "the leader we need" and will appear with him at a Washington event. It's a small gesture of family solidarity in what's been an otherwise hostile environment.
What the Kennedy family has done to RFK Jr. represents everything wrong with modern politics. Party loyalty has become more important than family bonds, and ideological purity trumps blood. It's hard to imagine a more disgusting dynamic, but that's exactly what the Democratic Party has become. When you're willing to publicly eviscerate your own brother, your own cousin, your own nephew for daring to think differently, you've lost something essential.
The Kennedys once stood for challenging power and speaking uncomfortable truths. Now they demand conformity and punish dissent. It’s a sad epilogue to their family legacy.
